In regards to eating meat

[Monica]

I will respond since this was addressed to me directly.

I am totally supportive of education of benefits of vegetarian diet that does not create a sense of guilt in people's mind.

The benefits to one's health is only one component of the vegetarian issue. The suffering of the animals is another component. Both are part of the equation.

If authentic, graphic videos of slaughterhouse cruelty evoke feelings of guilt, why would you want to suppress those feelings? Are they not valid? Could it be that they are an appropriate response?

If you are not interested in raising awareness about the cruelty to animals, that's fine. If I AM interested in raising awareness, that's fine too. We needn't conflict. It is not my intention to cause others to feel guilt. But neither am I responsible for protecting them from guilt, should it arise as a natural consequence of becoming aware of animal cruelty. Those who feel guided to expose the cruelty should not be blamed if said exposure triggers guilt in some. If there is guilt, then that guilt was exposed by the cruelty itself, not by the person who exposed the cruelty.

thefool, thank you for explaining your perceptions. It is appreciated! I hope we can all get past misinterpretations and remember to find the love in the present moment...and in the other-self.

Now that we've cleared the air, maybe we can all loosen up and rock out a bit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5mHwwiWCKo

And a live version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5mHwwiWC...re=related

And, he's still writing songs about apes 25 years later:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cu-JCL7cJGM

And, a vintage song that gets to the root of the issue:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaWECj4wtcM

This artist is a vegetarian and humanitarian, who happens to be my #1 favorite artist of all time, not because of his humanitarian work, which I admire immensely, but because of his music. These songs are relevant to the discussion.