I have not really written in detail about this before. Part of that is shame about my own behavior. I am not perfect in so many ways. I was prompted by a post that talks about animal captivity to write about this. In all honesty, being a bit drunk right now may contribute to this honesty.
I don't really know exactly what sparked the idea to be vegetarian. The movie BlackFish started me seriously considering what is wrong with animal captivity. I think my cat Mudge dying made me think about the idea of pets. This is in retrospect because the time she was put to sleep is very close to when I stopped eating meat.
I think I was reminded of how we view cats and dogs as almost human. There are books about heaven for those animals. We think of how we will meet them again in the afterlife. There are not (that I know) books of how we will meet every cow we ate in the afterlife. Those animals are ignored. This has bothered me for longer than I care admit because previously I ignored it. Those animals (pigs, cows, chickens) we ignore when we debate the pets that have a soul.
Why? How is a pig or cow different than a dog? They are smart and have emotions just like our pets. Chickens also have feelings of pain and I believe of love. They are intelligent like other species. This difference between species is why I stopped eating meat. I stopped believing that eating beef or pork is any better than eating cat or dog. We take moral offense at the countries that view cat and dog as acceptable. Why? How is that different than species we eat except that society has told us?
Now, I won't lie.. dairy and eggs are also morally suspect. Factory farming is not a good environment. It is never humane to slaughter these animals. Dairy and eggs feed these industries. Male cows in the dairy industry become veal. Females are exhausted and slaughtered before their natural lifespan. Male chicks are killed for not being able to lay eggs.
I am not currently a vegan. I hate myself daily for eating products of animal death and suffering. Bulimia was my motivation for returning to dairy. I binged on anything (except meat) when bulimia was at its worst. Now, I have not had the dedication (alcohol being involved) to return to no animal products.
I try to buy cruelty free beauty products. I have Desert Essence brand soap. I have Nature's Gate shampoo. I use Method brand laundry detergent and I can't remember but a cruelty free brand of dryer sheet. There are still many things I need to change, but I know I am a work in progress. I try now to think (criticize if you will) of the animals I save by my choices rather than those still killed.
I do apologize for writing off topic. I do not apologize for the truth of what eating animals means. The idea of eating, using, trapping animals is something worth thinking about. It took years of thinking for me to change, so I hope only to plant a seed.
I love that you put this much thought into your consumption :) Also i strongly believe every little step counts, everyone should just do as much as they can, and that seems to be what you are doing ^.^
ReplyDeleteThank you. I totally agree about doing as much as you can. No one can do anything perfectly, but any change can help.
DeleteVery thought-provoking, especially about how we treat cats and dogs as near-human, and especially regarding the afterlife, but wild animals or farm animals don't get the same love.
ReplyDeleteI went vegetarian a few times in my early teenage years. In retrospect, I think I just liked the planning and doing my own shopping and eating different things to my family, similarly to how I do now with the ED. Same as when I did the CSIRO 'total wellbeing diet' - I just loved the meal plans and doing my own thing. Honestly, I lived off macaroni cheese (homemade, not the boxed crap). I do still try to buy cruelty-free, free range eggs, fairtrade, local produce, that sorta stuff, but it probably doesn't mean much when I still do eat meat.
xx
I've been a vegetarian and vegan on and off my whole life, not because I feel for the animals, but simply because biting into meat makes me feel like I'm eating my own arm... I grew up in a farming/hunting family and meat was what we had for food, whether I liked it or not. I simply grew up eating some animals, while others were kept for company, and never questioned it. Weird, now that I come to think of it.
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