"it's the taking of animalian lives which disturbs you. But why stop there?
Aren't plants alive? If we follow the ahimsa (no-harm) logic to its inevitable
conclusion, mustn't we all die to avoid being murderers simply because other
life forms must die to sustain us?
>"
This is not consistent logic. Meat-eaters always use this straw man against
vegetarians. Plantbeings while marvelous are of a completely different order
of life. Without nervous systems, the range of pain/emotion is totally
different.
That said, I do not support the cutting of trees, I believe in gardening
practices which minimize the killing of plants, and it is a fact that it's
easy to live entirely on seeds, fruits and grains that don't kill a plant at
all. (Lentils, soybeans, wheat, rice, avocados, bell peppers, pumpkins,
squash, peas, greenbeans, etc.) I have grown lettuce in patches such that I
take only a leaf or two from each plant, and in such a way that I am thanking
the plant for its contribution, and only taking the ones which easily come
off, thus contributing to pruning, and then allow the plant to grow to its
entire life cycle. Many other examples of this are possible. All of this
because I do value ahimsa. And I do speak with the plants. And furthermore, I
believe that as I eat the seeds of the plants, it is my duty to be a joy unto
the earth, acknowledging the life that has contributed to me.
But I just cannot bring myself to killing a human and eating it. Realizing
this, I have realized that I have no business doing the same with any other
mammal.
There are several hunting-gathering cultures with myths that refer to a time
when hunting was unnecessary and animals didn't have to be killed ; the
indication with our closest relatives, bonobos and chimpanzees, is that the
eating of meat is so rare when it occurs at all --- there are many studied
troops who have Never been observed to eat meat --- that it amounts to little
more than a couple incidents per year for an entire troop. And this is not due
to any lack of ability ; chimps can be very good hunters when they want to be.
I'm merely suggesting that if we give the taking of an animal-person's life
the import and impact we give the taking of a human-person's life, our actions
will have a much different quality. (as in some ways, you have already
indicated.)
A carnivore has a very special place in nature, and I think it's worthwhile to
study that way-of-being-in-the-world. Wolves and cats have taught us much
about how to be human. But it's also important to remember that we are not
carnivores. We are omnivores, which really is a nice name for scavenger-
gatherers ... and the critical point is that for long periods of time We Were
The HunteD as well ... which means we are capable of empathizing with the
hunted, the prey, as well as the predators ... I think this is important ...
I understand that it is possible to participate in the cycle of life, which,
yes, includes death. And hell, when I die, why not --- why not have my skin
made into leather, drums, a feast of my meat --- I'm serious --- and maybe if
my life were becoming miserable, or I was feeling like I was coming down with
a disease, then contracting with a killer to help me out (which it's possible
the predator-prey relationship sometimes is) and make a festive occasion for
the community might be a good way of going out. But again, the fact that I
know pain, and I know the survival instinct within me means I must recognize
this in others and not allow any ideology to gloss over that too easily.
I'm also certain that it's not possible to participate in the lifecycle in an
industrial society regarding animals and meat, although this may be true on so
many other levels re:industrialism as well.
There are soooo many alternatives to meat-eating in the modern world that it
can be reduced to a bare minimum.
(un)leash
