I had a friend post a picture of a cow, with an overly huge udder, suggesting that everyone should be a vegan. Below is my initial response.
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Ain't happening. We would have to get rid of every animal, fish, bird, insects, or whatever is considered edible, to prevent human temptation and that would destroy nature as we know it.
On top of that, we would have to pray that the edible vegetation, that we can accomplish without the help of the aforesaid mentioned above, isn't destroyed by acts of nature (fire, ice, drought, floods, etc.) causing severe starvation and death to humans.
So yes, it all may sound good but I've investigated this idealogy for years and it's not really a good thing. Nature has designed a far better plan for this planet and it's only humans that try to screw it up with being unknowing or interfering about all life.
A lion doesn't think twice about thinning out the herd of water buffalo. It's the law of nature or we would have populations of all species out of control and eating the vegetation that some people think everyone should be only eating. We even thin out the over production of human life via wars, diseases, pestilence and starvation. Sad as it is, it's a fact of life.
It's best to understand why that cow's udder was so full, and fix that, then asking the universe to cause their, or others, extinction, just to placate our egos.
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In summary, humans should be compassionate and generally most are, especially when compared to a hungry wild animal. I've watched a lot of wild animal shows and can attest to that, even though history has shown that humans have been cannibalistic, we are, by far, a league above eating another animal, mammal, fish or bird while it's still alive.
I've also watched a lot of vets taking care of various animals and can see the pros and cons too. Huge cow udders aren't always a bad thing but they can be. No, not everything is perfect but most ranchers do their best at a high cost in doing so, as well as saving us the time and effort in raising or growing our food for survival as our ancestors did; as I have minimally done also.
I've learned that not everyone can grow their own food, especially city dwellers. I've learned that farmers and ranchers are often fighting off local animal predators with what they grow and raise to protect their investments, which protects our overall costs too. I've learned that even the Dalai Lama eats meat, occasionally, and why he does. I've learned that "new vegans" are often more judgmental than those who are metaphysical and understand the complete picture. Because of that, I can appreciate what our farmers and ranchers do and I, with the help of guidance, removed myself from the "it's all about me" pedestal a long time ago.
What would be interesting to see is rather than trying to abolish a certain thing, people would strong views/opinions on a certain thing would try to improve the way we view it, not make it something negative. I mean, yeah somethings are negative, but there's always some light to everything...sometimes. Kind of like you mentioned. I've never considered it. I was recently reading a few pages of a book about Human engineering and one section was about Stem cell research. I don't know much about stem cell research, but from what I read it seems that it gives the ability to create similar cells by using the DNA from a similar cell, so using DNA from a liver to re-create a liver. To me, it's kind of awesome! I can see where there could be cons, because it's not an actual liver from a human being and there may be flaws and errors, but a lot of things are based on trial and error. I mean, can you imagine if someone needs a heart transplant, they won't have to wait for a donor if there's one made for them. Of course, I'm still a bit iffy about it due to my lack of knowledge about whether or not it CAN work, but a lot of things would make a person nervous if it's something new and working against traditions/what they're comfortable with.
ReplyDeleteI eat meat sometimes, but I understand some concerns about eating meat and the health problems they may cause (eating red meat). But I think rather than preaching for people to just flat out give it, which I'm sure a lot of hardcore meat-eaters would go against, vegans should preach eating it in moderation. Just like there's nothing wrong with a bit of wine. Life doesn't always have to be too serious, and it seems a lot of people are bent on sucking the pleasure and enjoyment and fun out of life.
I'm sure nature will let us know when it wants us to stop consuming it's resources. I mean, everything could catch on fire and we wouldn't have a choice on what to eat lol so yeah.
I think most people see negative and tend to dwell on that than devise a solution to the problem. I've seen that far too often in my life. And those that do try to develop solutions are always negated by the negative people.
DeleteLike you said, it's good to have an open mind and think of the good and bad before weighing or making decisions. Way too often most jump to conclusions before they have all the facts - even with stem cell research. I remember telling someone once about what if these aborted embryos were the answer to our prayers for a cancer cure but we're only thinking about the negativity of the situation. Remember that saying about God answers all prayers but not always what we think it will be? Stem cell research, even embryo research, may be the answer and we may be tossing it aside due to prudish morals. Aren't we told to recycle because it's the best thing to do? Waste not want not? I can just see God shaking his head and telling his council - well, we tried. ;)
Good points made, as always Mon. Thanks. Let's hope we don't have anything drastic happening to our world edible plant foods just to prove a point to anyone thinking plants are the only way to go. You know that saying - be careful what you ask for. ;)
I think most people see negative and tend to dwell on that than devise a solution to the problem. I've seen that far too often in my life. And those that do try to develop solutions are always negated by the negative people.
DeleteLike you said, it's good to have an open mind and think of the good and bad before weighing or making decisions. Way too often most jump to conclusions before they have all the facts - even with stem cell research. I remember telling someone once about what if these aborted embryos were the answer to our prayers for a cancer cure but we're only thinking about the negativity of the situation. Remember that saying about God answers all prayers but not always what we think it will be? Stem cell research, even embryo research, may be the answer and we may be tossing it aside due to prudish morals. Aren't we told to recycle because it's the best thing to do? Waste not want not? I can just see God shaking his head and telling his council - well, we tried. ;)
Good points made, as always Mon. Thanks. Let's hope we don't have anything drastic happening to our world edible plant foods just to prove a point to anyone thinking plants are the only way to go. You know that saying - be careful what you ask for. ;)