Saturday 12 June 2010

my meal is not worth your life!!!

When I tell someone that I am a vegetarian the first question I get is, "is it by religion???" My answer is "yes and no, yes because I am a Hindu and Hinduism advocates Vegetarianism, no because I am not a Brahmin and no one insists me to remain a vegetarian." In fact, I am a vegetarian by my choice and conviction. I am a converted vegetarian, who enjoyed all kinds of food till I was 18. My parents were vegetarians and when I started realising that cooking non-vegetarian food for us was not really comfortable for them, the first stir of emotion rippled in me. Kind of hesitation like being given food in separate plate and washing with separate sponge, keeping the cooking vessel and plates separately. Being a teenager, this made me to think of being treated differently. Not parents' fault, just my thinking when blood was young and boiling :-). Later during my degree I happened to be a member of nature club and used to write articles and poems for its magazines and came across 'People for Animals' by Maneka Gandhi. After reading so many articles against the cruelty towards animals and how ill treated their souls and bodies are when taken to the butchery made me to think that their lives are of much worth than my meal. I wrote to Maneka and she replied to continue to work in my region and fight against the cruelty towards animals. I was thrilled and excited but couldn't go into much of the social activities in between balancing the academic work. One fine day when I was not feeling well, I felt having non-veg and told my mom. She prepared in her usual tasty manner and I had it mindful , stomach full and soulful and decided that its the last time I am having it. In one day I could conquer my mind, thoughts, body and quit being a non-vegetarian. I started feeling much better, lot of lethargy disappeared, body started feeling light and I knew I liked it.

When I see documentaries on how people are struggling to rescue animals I really feel like laughing. How many chicken might have lost its life just for those people's meal ?? And how can one life be better than another life??Isn't the pain of losing one's life same for all the beings?? And when losing life, wont the animals have adrenaline rush?? Wont the adrenaline remain in its dead body and reach the people while having the food?? I am not trying to say that one is good and one is bad or one gives human longevity and other one doesn't.

Biologically, all that goes into human as dead becomes a part of living body and excretes out of body as a non living and again goes into nature become part of a living creature and when it is killed/dead become part of another one's diet....and this cycle continues. This is the inevitable cycle of nature. We humans have the choice of selecting what should be the source of new cells in our body.

World, I am not arguing over whether vegetarian or non-vegetarian diet is good. Please stop pouncing over me with questions and putting forth your reasons that one is better than the other. Its just a humble being's choice and reasons to remain a vegetarian just because she thinks that her meal is not worth another being's life!!!

10 comments:

  1. Hi bindu... very good write up yarr..... makes me think too...

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  2. hmm...I'm a person to argue that this is a Food Chain and nothing wrong in nature's cycle..But this write up made me think, might not change me though.

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  3. at the end of day, being moderate in everything is the key. I remember years ago, I was advised to take more lamb to increase my red blood cells, which I substitute with beetroot, which gave me better results!

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  4. Thanks Agnes and Vidya
    @Vidya: yes, there are as many opinion as the number of minds and everyone has their own conviction of what's good for them and that's why the world is so different. Why am I a vegetarian is one of the most frequently asked questions that I have heard in India and abroad. Even few days back someone asked me this question...The moment this topic comes up questions are thrown and conversation becomes a debate :-) so I thought i should write about my conviction. Good to know that it made u think. :-)
    @Agnes: I agree, moderation is the key.

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  5. Ramya Ramachandran15 June 2010 at 12:47

    Bindu, everyone has their own reasons. There are some who can master the temptation (like u) but for others it is a must, they cant live without it. But people do have a choice, it is up to them to take the path whichever way their conscience leads. For me though it was religion in the beginning, i got a lot of chances to change or at least to ...taste/try. But I have to accept it bothers me a lot. I have tried changing a few who r close to me, back to Veg, succeeded in a few. Its not a great accomplishment. Again Its a delicate topic and we have to tread carefully.

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  6. Yes Ramya... its a very delicate topic.there is no absolute right or wrong. One person's right may be other person's wrong.every life is precious and everything has a right to live life fully. When the day breaks every lion and deer runs for its survival and whoever runs fast survives...that's law of the jungle. Animals dont let its prey suffer much. But I have seen how cruelly man behave while taking them to butchery...I believe that we humans have a choice whether to let live...

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  7. Ramya Ramachandran15 June 2010 at 14:15

    Yes Bindu, Animals and birds are slaughtered in a gruesome manner- I have watched videos on broiler kitchen, beef factory etc. Anyone who sees it, will never ever touch that again. I mean it is so inhuman. what differentiates between us and animals, is the sense of right or wrong. And you are living at the expense of another being's suffering, and you act as if it doesn't bother you. What if some higher being comes to conquer this world, and you are slaughtered in the same way? Will you be able to accept it with the same spirit?

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  8. .. aa madhurodarashanthamanoharamaya.. (oru thulli raktham)
    ? Silence of the "chicken" :)

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  9. hello, u should be studying for exam :)so this is what u r doing with three laptops ?? Dhanya told me ;) hehehe . I know u r a chicken lover...;)

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