I do not get the argument that eating animal products and plant products as similar.
Consider this:
1. Most plants (all?) lack a central nervous system that allows them to "feel" pain. They also can live out their lives naturally. Amongst them, MANY are that only live for one year, and plant many, many seeds for next year. Life and death is an inherent part of them, as a species.
2. I have yet to see that I torture a walnut tree for eating a walnut. A walnut tree was not killed in order for me to eat a walnut. Same goes for almost all fruits, seeds,legumes and vegetables. How can you compare that to some chicken meat? How?
3. "Just accept that there is always suffering and move on" is one thing. If you are capable of accepting the *extent* of the animals suffering for your needs to be met, I suppose many of us would actively seek more humane sources for their food. The problem is that usually the real state of being for your food is hidden from your very eyes. Because that forms a basis for the meat factories to exist. That is almost a necessity.
I thought that it would suffice. But after seeing how these animals are treated, I was converted. I do not think it is enough. If someone tortured you your entire life, then you were -sometimes alive- butchered and processed into meat, would you feel that it was adequate that someone a few months later said "gee, thanks"?
This is especially true, considering that there is nothing in meat, nutritionally speaking, that is *needed* by us. The only weak points of a vegan diet is B12, D, and sometimes calcium itself. Those can be met with a properly planned diet, protein (a combination of all the essential and non-essential amino acids) is found in non-meat sources as well.
Consider this:
1. Most plants (all?) lack a central nervous system that allows them to "feel" pain. They also can live out their lives naturally. Amongst them, MANY are that only live for one year, and plant many, many seeds for next year. Life and death is an inherent part of them, as a species.
2. I have yet to see that I torture a walnut tree for eating a walnut. A walnut tree was not killed in order for me to eat a walnut. Same goes for almost all fruits, seeds,legumes and vegetables. How can you compare that to some chicken meat? How?
3. "Just accept that there is always suffering and move on" is one thing. If you are capable of accepting the *extent* of the animals suffering for your needs to be met, I suppose many of us would actively seek more humane sources for their food. The problem is that usually the real state of being for your food is hidden from your very eyes. Because that forms a basis for the meat factories to exist. That is almost a necessity.
(10-20-2013, 02:30 PM)Jeremy Wrote: The same can be said for the entire food chain though. I'm wondering if a simple blessing by thanking the animal for the service by providing the needed nutrition would suffice.
I thought that it would suffice. But after seeing how these animals are treated, I was converted. I do not think it is enough. If someone tortured you your entire life, then you were -sometimes alive- butchered and processed into meat, would you feel that it was adequate that someone a few months later said "gee, thanks"?
This is especially true, considering that there is nothing in meat, nutritionally speaking, that is *needed* by us. The only weak points of a vegan diet is B12, D, and sometimes calcium itself. Those can be met with a properly planned diet, protein (a combination of all the essential and non-essential amino acids) is found in non-meat sources as well.
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