Journey to Vegetarianism; Exploring Ethics, Culture, Nature, & Society Along the Way

I have been vegetarian for almost two months now..! Well, for the most part, maybe there have been a few exceptions, or questions, or grey areas. The further I travel down this road the more philosophical reflections I have… it has certainly been an interesting journey so far. Thought I would type up an article to get my thoughts out.

To start, I have never really been a big fan of meat, or even food in general for that matter. When other people are focused on saying how such and such tastes so good, or have you tried this food or that, I think that is great for them, but it’s just not me. For me food is more of just a sustenance or way to fill up on energy. Mealtimes are about getting family and friends together, and talking and catching up, rather than the food itself. Either that or on the other end of the spectrum, if I am eating alone, then it’s more about eating quick and efficient and moving on to whatever is going on. That all being said, I guess there are some foods that I do really enjoy – Most fruits, pasta, oatmeal, snacks in general, seltzer water, and coffee. Heh, so maybe I do enjoy food, but just the really plain ones.

For a long time (years and years) I have had this thought in the back of my mind that I want to be a vegetarian. I have always had pets and am very close to them, and maybe that’s why I see animal life through the lens I do. I am certain that pets have feelings, they can be happy, protective, loving, and are just good-natured in general. The only difference being that pets are domesticated, and wild animals are just that, wild. Or am I just projecting my own thoughts and feelings onto pets, and they only care about food and staying warm? Ah hah – as I mentioned lots of philosophical questions come up. In nature you can definitely see examples of many species of animals and reptiles who protect and will do anything for their young though, so I don’t doubt that animals have some level of emotion and thought – How simple or complex, who really knows for certain.

The other motivation for me and thing I’ve struggled with understanding, and I think we all turn a blind eye to some degree, is the whole industrial/machinery world we live in, where livestock is grown and slaughtered in a very mass-produced, non-compassionate way. It is difficult to find exact numbers, however it seems directionally accurate to estimate that over 8 billion chickens are killed annually, fish probably also in the billions, and then cows/pigs in the hundreds of millions. I mean those numbers are staggering. I can understand that in ‘the old days’, or in poorer countries still today, that maybe farming and raising livestock is a way of survival. However with the progression of technology and industry, this whole notion of mass production and destruction of animals in a factory setting is way out of control. It just doesn’t seem necessary, it is excessive, and it is inhumane. And it’s not working for several other reasons as well – There is still hunger in the world (lots of it…), health issues largely based upon diet, food, and exercise are prevalent everywhere, working conditions in these factories are terrible, excessive pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, disruption of the natural order of life, and a whole host of other reasons too. The thing which really bothers me, are company’s like McDonald’s and Burger King and Wendy’s, and many many others which will shove chicken nuggets and big macs at people as much as possible, all in the name of making money, and not just enough to get by, but as much money as possible year over year. Again, there is a difference between raising livestock and farming as a way of life, versus being a behemoth corporation intent on dragging every last penny at the expense of animals who have zero defense against such machinations. It’s a shame that big players in the food industry have such a dominant position in society, yet have zero consideration in their ruthless pursuit of dollars at the expense of animal life and human health.

So after all these years of wanting to be a vegetarian, how did I pull the trigger? I think it was a combination of things. For one, see my prior article on achieving goals (https://zerograv.info/322/may-your-wildest-dreams-come-true-i-e-secret-method-to-achieve-goals/), one of my stretch goals that I had written down was ‘Be a Vegetarian’. I mean it was way down the list, however I am convinced that writing down the goal helped it come to fruition, as it suddenly just happened. I started finding more inspiration in my life around the subject, and noticing more and more of it around me, and then it just clicked, and it felt right for me. Whether I am an actual vegetarian, or simply following more of a plant-based diet, or eventually trending towards vegan, I like these new paths which seemed to have opened up before me. In fact, I have felt in a bit better shape and a greater energy inside me now that I’m snacking on good stuff like bananas, apples, peanut butter, carrots and celery almost daily.

Now I am not saying that being a carnivore or omnivore is wrong, in fact there is so much more to consider. For example, the home cooking and cultures and years and years of culinary traditions that people around the world carry on, that is meaningful stuff. Food brings families together. It helps keep traditions alive. From nation to nation there are so many unique cuisines, local food is often times the defining characteristic of a populace. There is literally nothing better than a home cooked meal. So I would never say that such a thing could be entirely wrong, but rather would just recommend that we all pause once in a while to reflect on what is around us, what are we eating and where does it come from?

And from the perspective of nature, it’s the circle of life, wolves and sheep, whales and krill, owls and mice, and so on, every animal seems to have it’s natural prey and predator. So is that wrong or right or indifferent for animals? I would say it just is. I would point out that most animals are omnivores however, meaning they don’t only seek prey, but also consume plants, algae, etc, and some change their preferences over time, depending on availability, growth, maturity, etc. And animals are not excessive in their quest for food – They eat enough to survive, and that’s it. Nature left alone from human influence seems to retain a balance and operate on such comprehensive macro and micro levels that it can only be described as miraculous…

Having reflected on this for almost a couple months now, I feel like I still have a lot further to go in my understanding. And to contradict my opening paragraph, maybe I am not a vegetarian from here on out, maybe I am simply following a more balanced, plant-based diet, but not entirely ruling out the occasional meat and fish? After all, I eat very plain and simple, and have never been the first to try a new vegetable or really any recipe that doesn’t look very basic. However, when I think of the extreme imbalance in the world, the unimaginable numbers of animals being slaughtered when there is absolutely no need for it, the brutality of the factory food industry, and the greed which seems to pervade it all, I am more convinced than ever that I will continue down the vegetarian path. All in all, I would observe that things in the world seem to be a bit out of balance, and have been that way for some time now, and that it is very easy to overlook certain things and turn our heads the other way, especially when we are all living such fast-paced lives in the world of technology. For me personally, my decision to follow this path is a holistic one, and everything comes down to balance, whether internal or external, and this is one vital step further towards aligning my intentions with my actions.

Cheers,

z e r o