In regards to eating meat

[Tenet Nosce]

So just from my own personal experience, the views posed by the vegetarians in this thread feel uncompassionate. I am not saying you are all uncompassionate people, I know that you are compassionate. But you're presenting your views in a way that disempowers. This is my opinion and reflection for you to ignore, understand, or reject, or accept. I hope you'd understand, but am certainly not counting on it, based on the 106 pages written here so far.

Thank you for sharing that, Shemaya. It helps to alleviate the feeling of loneliness and general lack of support I have been feeling regarding my comments in this thread. I know my behavior and words deserve some rebuke of their own. However I also do know that I am not the only one who feels this way, and that there are multiple others who just won't participate in this thread, period, for the same reasons.

It is nice and convenient to package up all these feelings people are having and wrap them in a tidy bow of "immense guilt and shame they are denying from being meat eaters" and be off on one's merry vegan way. But even if that were true- how is that compassionate?

I was watching a series of TED talks on love last night. One of the most striking comments for me was about how the most important thing for a human being to feel loved is a sense of belonging. Let me say- when the message offered is "You don't get to join the "Clear Energy Club" unless you stop eating meat"- there is no belonging there. Only separation. There is no empowerment, only shame. And that is making the subject to be very, very personal, despite whatever the surface words may be.

Personally speaking, I don't feel like I belong in this thread. I feel like there has been a false front put forth in this thread about having open discussion and "understanding" and yet what I actually feel is elitism, prejudice, and fanaticism engaged in their most favorite of shadow dances.

I won't speak on others' behalf, but what I have perceived is many, many people attempt to come into this thread offering genuine heartfelt feelings on this important issue, and edged right back out of the thread- often times quite uncompassionately- once it has been determined that they are not a good candidate for veganism, or are a threat to the "one true way" path of veganism. Thus the overall feeling is that this thread is more about recruitment, than about understanding.

That's what I see, and that's how I feel. It is real easy to fling some shadow projections around and say "That's all about you, TN." But when so many others start to feel the same way... that is no longer about me. It is about we and when enough people have the courage to shine their own light, that is when it becomes more clearly seen where the shadow is originating from.

We are all responsible for the shadow, as we are the light.

I would like to recognize and salute the courage of so many Bring4th members who have come into this thread. From what I see, it is quite possible for a meat-eater to "bare their soul" and to those, I would like to offer my gratitude. You are all invited to my 4D party, no matter what you choose to eat there.

As for me, I am very interested to discuss the humane/ethical raising of animals for food, and would like to see a whole new thread dedicated to that topic, if anybody cares to start one.