It’s been over five years since I came to America. I never thought about my food preference during my life in India but it has been an ongoing issue for me in this foreign land. Even though I am still a vegetarian here and I intend to stay the same as long as I live, every now and then I come across someone who advises me to turn non-vegetarian to see what I have been missing so far in my life. Let me make it clear, I am not a food junkie so I don’t care what I am missing here. I just need some decent food that fills me up. My taste buds can take most things as long as it is not spicy.
The bigger issue is that every one wants to know why I am vegetarian. Honestly I don’t have a convincing answer for that as, I am a born vegetarian. Even though most members in my family had eaten non-vegetarian food, we used to buy prepared food only once every couple of months. So for me, being vegetarian is as normal as sun rising in the east and setting in the west. Earlier I started giving explanations for me being vegetarian that are inline with Hindu philosophy of ‘Ahimsa’ and ‘Respect for Other Form of Life’. The idea is to avoid the pain and suffering that an animal/bird goes through while being slaughtered. My friend in turn argued that plants have life and just because you don’t see plants in pain/suffering while being cut does not mean that does not happen. What do I say now? Do I say that if I don’t eat even plants then how do I live, on air and water? Once a vegetarian friend told me that he could not eat meat now because being vegetarian all his life, he could not cross the psychological barrier and I thought that it was same with me. From that point, when someone asked me this question I always said that I couldn’t cross this psychological barrier anymore being a vegetarian all my life.
But then I think that why do I need to defend my choice? Why does it have to be logical? So from this point on when someone argues with me about this issue, I would say that it is my choice and preference and would not explain anything. Or should I say ‘that I don’t eat beef because I never met a cow that I didn’t like’ as once told by Alicia Silverstone.
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I know we have been through this a zillion times, but just coz you have expressed this again, I think I will reinstate my take on the issue.
Humans are animals. We cannot deny nature. Lions don't eat grass. They eat meat coz that's how they have been made. Deer don't eat meat. They eat grass coz that's how they have been made. Bears eat both grass and meat coz that's how they've been made. Humans should eat grass AND meat, just like bears, coz that's how they've been made.
Some time ago, people laughed when told that the Earth is round. People laughed when told that the Earth revolves around the Sun. Today we might not be able to visualize the fact that plants go through pain, though we have been learning from first grade that plants have life. Maybe some time from now that will be a fact of life and organizations like PETA will go to the dogs. (hehe.. that's ironic).
I am unable to accept any logic behind not eating meat. You would have my best appreciation if you said "My wish."
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