The Reasons I Became Vegetarian.
I do sometimes ask people why they're not vegetarian, for pure curiosity. Some have told me that it's because they think meat is tasty. Others think it's okay to eat meat, because it's only natural, and it's the way of life, and that if you don't eat meat, you won't have a healthy, balanced diet.
I think meat's tasty too, especially steak and hot dogs, but I still choose to be vegetarian because I feel as if taste is a small factor of deciding what I should eat. As well, soy products and meat replacements are wonderful things, and in my opinion, they're just as tasty as the real thing. I can't disagree with the part that it's natural to eat meat - of course, before the world was developed like how it is today, cavemen, Indian tribes (like the Karankawas, who were cannibals), people stranded on islands, etc. usually devoured as much meat as they could to survive, and outside the human world, many animals have meat included in their diet. Nevertheless, these cavemen, Indians, stranded people, animals, etc. had/have no choice to eat anything else. Cavemen couldn't just starve to death while they knew that edible deer was out there, and I don't know about you, but I think it will be quite rare, strange, odd, and unbelievable to see a crocodile or a tiger become vegetarian and eating cucumbers.
But, you, and me, live in a world where it is possible for humans to live without meat. We are plentiful with edible vegetables and plants in the world, and like mentioned before, there are many meat replacements and other sources And if you take vegetarianism seriously, you can come up with a healthy, balanced, meat-free diet. Besides, meat isn't always a healthy thing itself, and last time I checked, vegetables and fruits seem to be more important than meat and dairy products in the food pyramid. It is proven that a vegetarian diet will lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and give you a lower risk of fatal diseases such as heart disease and cancer. And there's not just benefits for you if you become vegetarian - there's of course, benefits for the animals you're not eating, but also benefits for others, and benefits for the Earth. Reducing meat consumption is as effective as reducing car use, and the less meat you eat, the more grain goes to the hungry people in the world instead of livestock (though grain isn't the only thing livestock are fed, as you might read later on in this article).
"It is significant to note that those who live on vegetarian food are less prone to diseases, whereas non-vegetarians are subject to more diseases. Why? Because animal food is incompatible with the needs of the human body." - Sri Sathya Sai Baba
"Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet." - Albert EinsteinI think a vegetarian life will have more benefits than negatives. I think because I feel guilty eating some animal that was killed for profit. No living thing has to be killed or hurt just to be sold, eaten and/or used as clothing, or furniture. To me, an animal's life is no different than a human's life. All animals are just as important as humans, so to imagine a slaughterhouse killing animals, is how I would also imagine a slaughterhouse killing humans. I quote Albert Einstein - I have always eaten meat with a guilty conscience.
"If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian." - Paul McCartney
"Nothing more strongly arouses our disgust than cannibalism, yet we make the same impression on Buddhists and vegetarians, for we feed on babies, though not our own." - Robert Louis Stevenson
I'm not vegan, I'll just stick to being vegetarian, though I do wish to become vegan later on in life. Killing fish in the oceans is as bad as killing animals on land, especially since killing fish quickly decreases the fish population. Scientists even have reported that we are overfishing too much, and if we shall continue with it, seafood will be extinct by the year 2050. As well, I think it would nice to become vegan and stop eating dairy and milk products. It is true that chickens don't die while laying eggs, and cows don't die while milking, and that's it natural, but the way that they lay their eggs and give their milk is horrifying. They are to do it against their own will, and they don't live the life they should. Chickens are enclosed in cages for their lifetime, cows only to stay in a small property of land, probably in an overcrowded place with many cows. It's estimated that 50% to 75% of the cattle in the United States, survive on eating poultry wastes fed to them by their owners, including bloods and bones of other animals from slaughterhouse waste, the remains of euthanized cats and dogs, dehydrated food garbage, dust, newsprint, cardboard, cattle and hog manure, and human sewage sludge. They are clearly harmed, and not taken with care like how they should be. It is not murdering, but still, it is serious animal cruelty at the very least.
Of course, I don't have anything against non-vegetarians or non-vegans, or anything against anyone who disagrees about not eating meat. To become vegetarian is a choice, and it just happens to be mine because of these reasons. I also understand the people who wish to be vegetarian but have problems to. Becoming vegetarian is a life-changing and very difficult choice, and hard to adapt to, and I respect that. So if you and me are hanging out one day, and you go get some buffalo wings, you should go on, because I'm not gonna mind. I'll just grab a veggie burger.
One classmate told me at school, "Ya know, you being vegetarian isn't gonna stop people from killing animals." I said to them, "I know... but it's a step."
Sources:- Veganet
- Telegraph
