If They Do It, Why Shouldn’t We?

One question I’ve been puzzling with over going veggie is this: Animals themselves eat other animals. Not all of them, of course. Some are natural herbivores, preferring to eat plants unless unusual circumstances/dire situations lead them to do otherwise. But a good number of them do, and in fact eat even members of their own species. Often WHILE they’re still alive. So if animals themselves eat other animals, why should we–B and me–consciously exclude ourselves from the carnivorous clan?

And I came to this conclusion: It’s because animals eat for necessity, while humans tend to eat for pleasure. Animals eat only what they need to survive, while humans do indulge and can go on eating even when they’re already full. It’s because I, as a member of the dominant race, have more control over what goes into my mouth and why. I have options, which I can weigh and analyze to ad infinitum. I have a choice.

The above reasons are good enough for me. If you have anything to add, for or otherwise, I’d be interested to hear it.  :)

 

 

Addendum:

After browsing a bit on the Internet, I saw so many other compelling reasons to going green. Here are just a few of my faves:

• In general, vegetarians have a 20% lower mortality rate (i.e. they live longer and don’t get sick as often)

• Some farmers use tranquilizers to keep animals calm. Others routinely use antibiotics to prevent infections. When you eat meat you ingest those drugs. In America, 55% of all antibiotics are fed to animals.

• Avoiding meat is one of the best and simplest ways to cut down on your fat consumption. Modern farm animals are deliberately fattened up to increase profits.  It’s much easier to become (and stay) slim if you are vegetarian. 

• Half of the rainforests in the world have been destroyed to clear ground to graze cattle to make beef burgers. The burning of forests contributes to 20% of all green-house gases. Roughly 1,000 species a year become extinct because of the destruction of the rain forests.  An inch of topsoil takes 200-1000 years to develop, yet in the USA, they have lost around 1/3 of their prime topsoil in 200 years (around 7 inches) due to animal farming.

• Eating the plants we grow instead of feeding them to animals is one solution to the food shortage problems in parts of the world. Consider this: 100 acres of land will produce enough wheat to feed 240 people, but only enough beef for 20 people.