Eating animal flesh, milk and eggs is a highly contextualized behavior on the
part of humans. We are biologically designed to be omnivores-and as much data
is proofing out, eating lots of animal products can be very bad for some of
us.
So many communities- agrarian based cultures and nomadic peoples-have a deeply
integrated relationship with the domestic animals they depend on-and those
animals depend upon the human community. These animals are often valued for
much more than their market value; they are draft animals, plows &
fertilizers, companions, provide fiber and skin for clothing, and are part of
permaculture systems of survival for both the animals & the humans. The ethics
of consumption of animal based foods, fiber and skins has a very different
tenor for me in these circumstances.
My own practices are such that I consume animal flesh infrequently-twice a
month, dairy once a week, and then usually organically raised. I wear wool,
silk and leather. I was an organic sheep farmer for many years, did my own
butchering, and had a deep reverence for the relationship I had with the
animals I raised and butchered. I'm a handspinner, I buy animal fibers from
locals. I know where the animal flesh, milk, eggs and fiber I use comes from.
I believe that it is possible and necessary to remember the origins of those
beings whose life energies I consume and wear. If all of us knew this,
animals would not be abused, and the symbiotic relationships that have
developed over many lifetimes between animal and human communities could
continue with respect and honor.
