In regards to eating meat

[Monica]

NOTE: Not saying -you- personally do this, just speaking in general terms.

I added that after the fact, so you might have missed it.

I did miss it, so thank you! I already knew that because you had told me before, but I appreciate your thoughtfulness in reiterating it!

Like when John thinks Julie is 'self-righteous' when she asks the waiter for a vegetarian entree, even though Julie said nothing about John's choice of steak. Happens all the time.

True. As it also does happen that John and Julie are in Morton's Steakhouse, and Julie feels that, not only should Morton's be legally obligated to cater to her worldview, but that promulgating her vegan political platform in the middle of the restaurant actually cultivates "social awareness".

That's true too. And we are in agreement that that approach doesn't work. It just gets people annoyed, defensive, and angry.

Then, if John asks Julie why she's a vegetarian and she gives an honest answer, he accuses her of being 'holier than thou' and 'proselytizing.'

Then John is an a$$, and Julie would do well stop going on dinner dates with him. I will defer back to missed post #1180 for further details.

Oh but what if John is her boss? or a co-worker? or a brother? What if Julie is out with 5 other people from work, and they all start ganging up on her, telling her she should "go mow the lawn like the cows" and she's a 'crazy treehugger' and "their dogs eat better than she does" and don't let up, continuing to pick on her the entire half hour, laughing at her and totally disrespecting her?

This has happened to me several times. Once, I was at work and some co-workers came back from a bbq place and asked me if I wanted some ribs. They knew full well I was a vegetarian, but still, they pointed to a doggie bag, so I thought maybe it was going to get thrown away anyway. So I said, "well I don't eat meat but thanks anyway. I can take it home to my dogs if it's going to get thrown away."

They had a field day with that! They jumped all over me with jokes like "hahaha your DOG eats better than you do! haha!" and "so you're one of those treehuggers! That's what's wrong with the world - it's those crazy treehuggers!" About 5 or 6 of them. It was a lynching.

The sad part is, it wasn't the only time that happened. I said nothing to deserve that.

Later, I told the ringleader how offended I was. He happened to be black, so I compared what they did to what some racists might do to a black person. He got very defensive and said "there's no comparison" so I calmly explained to him that bigotry is bigotry, whether it's because of race, religion, of lifestyle. (which was further ironic because it was a commonly held suspicion that he was an in-the-closet gay.) He was very surprised that I actually had convictions about my diet. He thought it was just...well I don't know what he thought it was. Whatever he thought, that didn't excuse such rude behavior.

Then again, if Julie believes that she is spiritually superior to John by virtue of her meatless diet, then she is proselytizing.

I agree. Many people think they are spiritually superior for being a Christian, for being vegan, or whatever. The whole idea of being spiritually superior is contrary to Law of One principles.

If Julie shares that the reasons she is a vegetarian include increased sustainability of the planet, better health, and a reduction in violent behaviors, then she would be speaking truthfully, and from the heart.

That's what most of us do. But the fanatical fringe who go around blasting everyone in the face, give us a bad rep.

In which case, John no doubt would feel like an idiot sitting there with his steak. Or not. In which case, I will defer again back to post #1180.

Unfortunately, though, even when we do speak from the heart, the Johns often get defensive and start ridiculing us anyway.

I contend that if people were really comfortable with their choice to eat animals, they wouldn't get so hot and bothered when vegetarians voice their opinions.

That should go without saying. Yet it apparently needs to be said again and again.

Hey! Maybe the mods could get together and write a one-page disclaimer that gets automatically parsed at the beginning of every post. That will make it easier for others to remember the context of the forum, and to cut down on asschapping and butthurt.

After awhile, they'd probably just ignore it, if it was posted on every post.

They would just smile and say, "Oh that's nice. Go for it! Meanwhile I enjoy my steak."

The chicken soup was delicious!

Right! I have a niece whose husband is a hunter, and she often posts stuff on facebook about how 'delicious' the moose was, etc. This girl is one of the sweetest people. She does a lot of volunteer work, and is the epitome of what a Christian 'should' be, in my opinion. There is no doubt in my mind that her religious beliefs are that animals were 'given by God for man to use' so I know the paradigm she is living by. But you know what? She is doing so much good in the world, that I would never dream of saying a word to her about her husband's choice of how to feed his family. It just wouldn't serve any purpose. I have full confidence that when the time comes for her to recognize the suffering of the animals, she will 'get' it, because her heart is so open in other ways, that it will happen in due time.

Meanwhile, I sometimes post my vegetarian info on FB, and it's there for her to read, if she chooses to.

We coexist.

But I'm not going to refrain from posting my views, for fear of offending her. I really don't think she feels offended. She is secure in her world. And we have a lot of love and appreciation between us. I often tell her how much I admire the work she does.