The question as to what foods to consume is a complicated one, and I think more complicated than many people, including many vegans, realize. Health plays a part, ethics plays a part, religion can play a part, societal norms plays a part, etc. Too many factors to touch on them all.... I grew up on a farm, living close to domesticated animals of many types and getting much of my sustenance from them, both from meat and from milk. But it kills me to see documentaries showing the inhumane treatment by big farms of domesticated animals on a mass scale. And I can understand why some people would object to eating meat from domesticated animals on the basis of conscience alone. I could almost be one of these people myself, except that I could also object to eating plants based on conscience alone, in which case I would starve. I can't survive without consuming something that once lived. It's just not possible. But that doesn't mean we should be okay with the living things destined for our consumption to be treated like nothing more than objects for their entire existence.
If one does choose to eat meat, buying meat products from companies that treat their animals well might help with conscientious objections. The Certified Humane project can help one with that.
When it comes to plants, reasons also abound for being careful with what one consumes, for health reasons and ethical reasons, at the very least. Take corn for an example. For health reasons, my wife and I won't buy any product containing high fructose corn syrup. Moreover, some corn sold in stores has been genetically modified, and some people don't want to consume it, as it's not really clear how such food might impact human health. We certainly don't buy any foods identified as genetically modified. The thing is, corn itself is a product of thousands of years of selective breeding, having originated from a grass called teosinte in South America. Teosinte plants only have about a dozen kernels per ear, of a nature that can be easily dispersed, so that the plant can propagate without human intervention. Teosinte plants can grow in the wild for years. Modern corn plants have a life span of 90-120 days and aren't equipped to distribute their kernels for propagation. Modern corn could not survive without human intervention, and humans made it this way. So, all modern corn has been genetically manipulated, even if not technically modified. Is this okay, ethically? It's apparently okay as a modern societal norm, but would it be okay on a personal level, if an individual knew all the facts? If people don't have all the knowledge, it's difficult to make what they might deem their best decisions.
Further on the subject of plant crops, even if one is okay with consuming genetically modified plant material, there's always the question of the ethics of companies involved in the harvesting and producing of our food, and whether we as consumers should let those ethics sway our buying and consumption habits. If you haven't watched the film Percy vs Goliath with Christopher Walken and Christina Ricci, I recommend giving it a watch. I don't want to pose a question here about it, as it would be a spoiler in the asking.
I applaud anyone who spends time with domesticated animals and finds a spiritual connection with them. Doing so myself as a youngster helped shape me into who I am today. I also spent time as a youngster communing with plant life, both domesticated and wild--having grown up on 200 acres, some farmed and some left untouched--and my time with the plant life helped shape me as much as the animal life. I do struggle today with my conscience when deciding what to eat. If one tries to consider all the variables, the struggle can become overwhelming. If we knew everything that went into producing what we're buying to consume, we might never want to buy groceries or eat out at a restaurant again. Even when buying local at a farmer's market, one can't be sure of their processes. But can we all grow our own food? That won't work. Like I said... it can become overwhelming... and that may be why many people choose not to do any research about the subject at all, remaining blissfully ignorant. Yeah. It's good to know that some people care.
Totally get this... once you start researching it can be hard to know where to draw the line at all! But perhaps the important thing is to be having a dialogue with that internal conscience and tune in to where it is pulling us... and being aware / assessing how the various choices feel on an ethical/spiritual level... I totally relate to what you said about "communing" with plants and I think speaking with the natural world rather than seeing it all as just there for our consuming purposes can help us tune into what feels in alignment for us. We can't be perfect, but we can probably all afford to start somewhere small. I appreciated reading all these thoughts and will put the film on my list.
Spent the last month doing yoga and communicating with the animals in Rishikesh India (wild monkeys, strolling cows young and old, stray dogs and the big big birds).
On my way to Thailand now, wondering what will come next - but l'll know when you know...
It's wonderful that you balance the limelight with moments of groundedness and connection in different ways. To reconnect with life and listening to all the messages around you. I am happy for you that you found that cutting back on meat was the right choice for you.
Part of the reason Cows are considered God like in India is actually because of their ability to convert the plants they eat into food we can eat from them (meat, milk).
There's also an argument to be made that when they die, their entrails erode into the earth and help plants grow, meaning killing cows can actually have a positive impact on climate change. There is consciousness in plants as well; this isn't just an esoteric belief, it's been proven in modern science as well that they can detect pain in their own way.
So I think just because the consciousness of an animal is more advanced, doesn't mean they're more important. And on my experiences of trying Keto dieting, I believe meat is often the most natural food for people to eat.
But there is always smoke and mirrors when it comes to this stuff. Pigs are more genetically related to humans and dogs than any other animal people eat, so the religions I think have a point not to eat them.
The question as to what foods to consume is a complicated one, and I think more complicated than many people, including many vegans, realize. Health plays a part, ethics plays a part, religion can play a part, societal norms plays a part, etc. Too many factors to touch on them all.... I grew up on a farm, living close to domesticated animals of many types and getting much of my sustenance from them, both from meat and from milk. But it kills me to see documentaries showing the inhumane treatment by big farms of domesticated animals on a mass scale. And I can understand why some people would object to eating meat from domesticated animals on the basis of conscience alone. I could almost be one of these people myself, except that I could also object to eating plants based on conscience alone, in which case I would starve. I can't survive without consuming something that once lived. It's just not possible. But that doesn't mean we should be okay with the living things destined for our consumption to be treated like nothing more than objects for their entire existence.
If one does choose to eat meat, buying meat products from companies that treat their animals well might help with conscientious objections. The Certified Humane project can help one with that.
When it comes to plants, reasons also abound for being careful with what one consumes, for health reasons and ethical reasons, at the very least. Take corn for an example. For health reasons, my wife and I won't buy any product containing high fructose corn syrup. Moreover, some corn sold in stores has been genetically modified, and some people don't want to consume it, as it's not really clear how such food might impact human health. We certainly don't buy any foods identified as genetically modified. The thing is, corn itself is a product of thousands of years of selective breeding, having originated from a grass called teosinte in South America. Teosinte plants only have about a dozen kernels per ear, of a nature that can be easily dispersed, so that the plant can propagate without human intervention. Teosinte plants can grow in the wild for years. Modern corn plants have a life span of 90-120 days and aren't equipped to distribute their kernels for propagation. Modern corn could not survive without human intervention, and humans made it this way. So, all modern corn has been genetically manipulated, even if not technically modified. Is this okay, ethically? It's apparently okay as a modern societal norm, but would it be okay on a personal level, if an individual knew all the facts? If people don't have all the knowledge, it's difficult to make what they might deem their best decisions.
Further on the subject of plant crops, even if one is okay with consuming genetically modified plant material, there's always the question of the ethics of companies involved in the harvesting and producing of our food, and whether we as consumers should let those ethics sway our buying and consumption habits. If you haven't watched the film Percy vs Goliath with Christopher Walken and Christina Ricci, I recommend giving it a watch. I don't want to pose a question here about it, as it would be a spoiler in the asking.
I applaud anyone who spends time with domesticated animals and finds a spiritual connection with them. Doing so myself as a youngster helped shape me into who I am today. I also spent time as a youngster communing with plant life, both domesticated and wild--having grown up on 200 acres, some farmed and some left untouched--and my time with the plant life helped shape me as much as the animal life. I do struggle today with my conscience when deciding what to eat. If one tries to consider all the variables, the struggle can become overwhelming. If we knew everything that went into producing what we're buying to consume, we might never want to buy groceries or eat out at a restaurant again. Even when buying local at a farmer's market, one can't be sure of their processes. But can we all grow our own food? That won't work. Like I said... it can become overwhelming... and that may be why many people choose not to do any research about the subject at all, remaining blissfully ignorant. Yeah. It's good to know that some people care.
Totally get this... once you start researching it can be hard to know where to draw the line at all! But perhaps the important thing is to be having a dialogue with that internal conscience and tune in to where it is pulling us... and being aware / assessing how the various choices feel on an ethical/spiritual level... I totally relate to what you said about "communing" with plants and I think speaking with the natural world rather than seeing it all as just there for our consuming purposes can help us tune into what feels in alignment for us. We can't be perfect, but we can probably all afford to start somewhere small. I appreciated reading all these thoughts and will put the film on my list.
How does this work?
You ALWAYS end up speaking out my thoughts...
Spent the last month doing yoga and communicating with the animals in Rishikesh India (wild monkeys, strolling cows young and old, stray dogs and the big big birds).
On my way to Thailand now, wondering what will come next - but l'll know when you know...
Wow that's so awesome! Collective consciousness is cheeky like that. India is top of my list to visit one day!!!!!!
It's wonderful that you balance the limelight with moments of groundedness and connection in different ways. To reconnect with life and listening to all the messages around you. I am happy for you that you found that cutting back on meat was the right choice for you.
Well here's my take.
Part of the reason Cows are considered God like in India is actually because of their ability to convert the plants they eat into food we can eat from them (meat, milk).
There's also an argument to be made that when they die, their entrails erode into the earth and help plants grow, meaning killing cows can actually have a positive impact on climate change. There is consciousness in plants as well; this isn't just an esoteric belief, it's been proven in modern science as well that they can detect pain in their own way.
So I think just because the consciousness of an animal is more advanced, doesn't mean they're more important. And on my experiences of trying Keto dieting, I believe meat is often the most natural food for people to eat.
But there is always smoke and mirrors when it comes to this stuff. Pigs are more genetically related to humans and dogs than any other animal people eat, so the religions I think have a point not to eat them.