Am Vegetarian

Today is my third day as a vegetarian. From the dictionary, vegetarian is someone who does not or do not believe in eating meat, fish and fowl.

Why do I want to be a vegetarian? There are several compelling reasons which can be divided into for self, for environment and for compassion.

For Self

I remember reading on comparative articles that humans are more a herbivorous than a omnivorous or carnivorous. The articles compared human’s body structure such as teeth, strength of jaw, size of intestines and etc against the other species. I also find that I am naturally disgusted with the smell of raw meat and blood. I always have a unsettled feeling in my stomach especially when I have a meal with lots of meat.

In the past, I was conditioned to believe it to be normal. But as I started to listen more to what my body is telling me, this feeling is definitely not normal. Imagine sinking your teeth into a life cow or chicken and tear it out … Errr…. Not as tasteful after all isn’t it? At times I looked at our pet dog and wonder what if one day we humans were to treat it as food also.. It sadden and upset my stomach immediately.

So for health and natural reasons, I decided to be vegetarian for good. It is also said that vegetarians supposedly live longer, less prone to major health problems, have more energy etc. Look at Einstein, Leonardo Da Vinci, Anthony Robbins and Steve Pavlina, they are people whom I will like to emulate. So for me, its too good a deal to give up.

It is also interesting to know that even though the amount of pesticides and fertilizers on vegetables and fruits that we ate are regulated by the government, the ones eaten by the animals are not. So the equation goes, animals eat crops rich in chemicals and human eat animals rich in chemicals…hmmm.... *Yummy.

If you are then thinking fishes are ok, think again. They are the least regulation meat in the world. Out from the sea, into the port and woah la, you have your seafood cuisine. With all the man made pollution in the sea currently, I guess it is safe to say that they are not so safe to eat after all.

For Environment

Large hectare of trees and ecosystems are destroyed every year to provide lands to grow crop for the animals which we are consuming. It is said that 16 pounds of grain is needed to produce just 1 pound of animal flesh! All that plant food could be used much more efficiently if it was fed to people directly. Think about all the hungry people in the world.

While the factory farming are destroying our lands, commercial fishing are destroying our marine system. Commercial fishing boats indiscriminately pull as many fish as they can out of the sea, leaving ecological devastation and the bodies of non-target animals in their wake. Do you know that, they just throw away the non-targeted animals? This is what I called by extreme wastage, I think all fishing industries should go for a course on environment friendliness.

There are also many other factors such as fecal pollution and global warming caused by the meat industries. The facts can be found on www.goveg.com if you care to find out.

For Compassion

The last reason is compassion to animals and all other living beings. Ever wonder why most of the times we ain't allow to visit slaughter farms or choose not to go there? It is because of the cruelty and bloodshed involved in there. We want to eat meat, but we do not want to know how meat comes to our dining table… It is what I called self-deceiving prophecy? If one have watched the documentaries such as Earth from Above and Meet your Meat, you will see how cruel can human be when it is towards animal when they are looking at profit gains.

In the movie, The Corporation, milk cows are referred as production units and injected with hormones and antibiotics to increase their milk production capabilities. So by not eating meat and drinking milk, I am actually saving not just the animals directly involved on my plates but also the animals who’s environment is being destroyed to provide land to farm the meat I am eating.

So far those that I had listed pretty explains why I go into vegetarian. Please understand that I am not converting you into one. What I am doing here is just to share what is happening out there and my piece of thought. As Steve always says, "Live consciously"