The Virtues of Vegetarianism

So what crazy reasons could I have for abandoning that tasty treat that is meat? Surely, my rationale must be cockamamie, you are probably thinking. As a brief sidebar, did you know that the letters in “cockamamie” can also spell “Me? I am a cock!” Yeah, I didn’t know that either until I typed it, but boy, I’m glad I did.

In any event, here are my crazy reasons:

Animals experience pain and suffering – No shocker here. I’m sure you saw that one coming from a million miles away, so I won’t dwell on it too long. Basically, animals have feelings, emotions, and can experience pain. While pain and suffering in this world are often inevitable and won’t ever be completely eradicated, I can still do my best to not contribute to it if I can help it.

Feed the hungry.

Vegetarianism helps combat world hunger – Using grains to feed people rather than animals is much more efficient, and could feed many more people, than using them to feed animals and then eating those animals. Imagine a world where no one has to go hungry, and everyone is miserable because their veggie burgers just aren’t as tasty as beef burgers. Actually, ignore the second clause in that sentence.

The environment: Here are some facts about vegetarianism and the environment: http://www.britishmeat.com/49.htm but at a high level, being vegetarian results in fewer fossil fuels used, less water consumed, and less forest destroyed, (e.g. rainforests are often slashed and burned in order to make room for cattle pastures in Brazil). Also, farm animals breathe out huge amounts of carbon dioxide and release methane gas in their flatulence, (that’s the polite word for “fart”, for those unfamiliar with the term) which has negative effects as well. And, it smells. Do you like things that smell? Well, I don’t.

Hypocritical views toward other cultures: Growing up, I remember being shocked to find out that some cultures ate animals which I considered to be cute, cuddly, and therefore, inedible. How could some Asian cultures consume cats and dogs, I wondered? What were they thinking?

Cute...	But also cute

Well, as I became older, and debatably wiser, I realized that I too was eating things which other cultures might find shocking or revolting. To many Jews and Muslims, pork on my fork was a major no-no, and to many Hindus, a cow as my chow made me a sari excuse for a human being in their eyes. It became clearer to me that I was being hypocritical for denouncing the ingestion of some animals while embracing the consumption of others. In order to avoid this hypocrisy, it became apparent that my regard for eating meat should be as least somewhat species independent. If eating dogs is wrong, than eating pigs and cows is probably not ethically permissible either, (however, if you are cool with eating dogs and cats, then go ahead and enjoy your beef and pork, hypocrisy free. Congrats, you’ve earned it!)

Would anyone be upset if Tom Cruise was actually eaten by aliens?

The Golden Rule: When I was a youngster, I often would rationalize my meat eating ways with the fact that I was a member of a species at the top of the food chain, and it was just natural for me to eat meat. After all, the animals I was eating were clearly less intelligent than I was, and it was their sorry fate to become part of my diet. However, what if the dinner tables were turned? What if humans were suddenly lower order creatures? How would I feel? I’m pretty sure I would not like it. The golden rule, or the ethic of reciprocity, states: Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.

Let’s imagine that aliens suddenly came to Earth, War of the Worlds style, (or pick your favorite alien sci-fi movie). In addition, let’s say they are more developed and smarter than we are, and further still, they have a taste for humans. We might plead for our lives, claiming that we have families and can feel joy and pain and don’t want to die. But they can say, “Hey, I feel for you Man, but we are Blarblar aliens, who are higher up in the food chain and have been eating creatures like you, or even smarter than you, for millions of years on thousands of planets”. Sure, if this did happen, I’d probably be eaten too, just like all the carnivorous humans. However, you’ll notice my smug smile as I’m being eaten alive; after all, I won’t be a hypocrite for saying what they are doing is wrong. It’s one thing to be dead, but to be a dead hypocrite? No way, Jose, (or Josephina, if you have mammary glands).

So there are some of the detriments to ingesting the traditional omnivorous diet. For the past year, these reasons were enough to tip the scales in favor of me not eating animals. I can’t deny that I don’t miss the taste of meat. However, while my meals aren’t always as satisfying, doing what I view as more ethical always is. And right now, that’s fine by me.