Stephen R. Figgins wrote:
> When I find snails in my garden, I don't try to find them a new home,
> I kill them. If I find aphids, I sick lady bugs on them. There can
> be some pain in death, but it comes to all of us. I must survive,
> therefore I must kill.
>
> True, animals have a nervous system and brains, where we have found no
> similar systems in plants and fungi. But who is to say whether plants
> feel pain or remorse at death? I think of all things as spiritual,
> sacred, and no less worthy of life than any of the rest of us. Still
> I weed my garden mercilessly.
I am very concerned by the inherent contradictions in Mr.Figgins'
statements. How can someone believe life is sacred and yet destroy it so
"mercilessly." I do not see how you can actually believe all things are
"no less worthy of life than the rest of us." To stay with your example,
how do the snails in your garden threaten your survival? I cannot
understand why taking five minutes to transplant them wouldn't solve
your garden problem just as well. I interpreted what you wrote as saying
the snail's life was not even worth inconveniencing five minutes of your
own life.
More to the point, how much death is one human life worth? As society
stands right now, we believe one human life (especially our own) is
worth a lot of death, not only death of animals and plants, but also
other humans. True, death is the most natural part of life. I am simply
arguing that we can do so much to reduce the ratio of life to death in
our lives.
<SNIP>
> I eat animals, when I eat them, because I want to. Because I like the
> way they taste, and because I do not believe it is unnatural for me to
> do so. I give great thanks to the animals I eat. I try to eat only
> those animals that I feel lived well and free. I eat less and less
> with each year, and it is possible in a couple more years I will eat
> none at all, that I will feel no desire to do so. But I don't think
> this will make me morally superior to someone who chooses to eat meat.
>
> --Stephen
I honestly believe that vegetarians are in some ways morally superior to
non-vegetarians. That doesn't mean I think meat eaters are bad, evil
people. Morality like most things is a continuum, not a yes or no. For
twenty-one years I was a happy meat eater. I don't think I was evil
during that time, but personal moral gains led to my vegetarianism. I am
not a vegan yet and I honestly think vegans in some ways are morally
superior to me. However, none of this leads to me judge meat eaters or
myself. I try to respect where everyone is on their path.
However, I, like others on the list, see ecofeminism and vegetarianism
as interlinked. I think the majority of scientific, social, and
philosophical data supports vegetarianism as being more earth and human
friendly. As such, I have a lot more respect for someone who can admit
these facts and be honest about not being willing to give up meat yet
than someone who tries desperately to change the facts to match their
lifestyle. There's nothing wrong with saying you lack the self
discipline to give up meat. For two years I've been trying to give up
dairy (damn Ben & Jerry's) without much success. I can live with that,
but I'm not going to turn around and try saying eating dairy is better
for the world than not eating it. I just don't see how such a well
informed group can still think meat eating is a positive thing.
Mike
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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"If we see it become a burden of misery to others
we have a responsibility to change it."
- Starhawk, "The Spiral Dance"
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P.S. I know many people think these debates about vegetarianism and
animal rights is pointless and they wish to move on. This attitude is
prevalent in most other social movements. Animal rights is the ugly
stepchild everyone wants to hide and pretend doesn't exist. But it does
exist and it has so much in common with all forms of opression: racism,
sexism, classism, etc. Personally, I am convinced that if we accept any
form of opression we accept all forms. Until we acknowledge and work
against all forms of damaging power relationships we will never get
anywhere worth being.
