Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Vegetarianism and me


During college days I was a non-vegetarian. I always had strong arguments as to why being a non-vegetarian is not wrong. But then one day my mom, send me to buy chicken. There when I saw the little creature struggle for its life at the hands of the butcher, a thought struck my mind. “Any creature that we eat, pleads us to let go before we kill it. But we ignore it. Why not consider?” I didn’t know. I couldn’t tell why we don’t consider that plea.


When I talked about this to some non-veg lovers, they came up with different arguments.


“Don’t tell you get vegetarian food without killing. Is that not life?”


“It is not about killing. If it is about killing I know I can’t even brush my teeth”


“All creatures are created for human beings and it is our right.”


“May be it’s our right. But what is the compulsion?”


“If eating meat is sin then what kind of vegetables, God created for Lions and Tigers?”


“First of all it is not a question of sin or not sin. It is about considering a poor creature’s plea to live. Second, Lions and Tigers don’t have a choice nor do they have a discriminating ability to reconsider what they are doing.”


Then one of the most wonderful arguments came from one of my close friends.


“If all of us become vegetarians then the eco-system will be affected”


That only makes me laugh even now. The ozone layer has depleted in some parts of the world. So much deforestation has taken place. We are not inhaling the same pristine air that our grand parents inhaled. We have done nothing to improve it. So many wild creatures have become extinct. All these and much worse things have happened because of our irresponsibility. But now my friend is very much bothered about the eco-system.


I understood these things need not be argued nor justified. It is all an individual decision.

So I decided I will be a vegetarian. Not because eating meat is sin. Not because I should restrain myself from killing. Just to give my heart the satisfaction that I am not one of the many persons who ignore a creature’s plea.


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15 comments:

  1. jeevagvJuly 15, 2008 at 6:50 PM

    Here are some resources for arguments:

    http://www.hinduismtoday.com/archives/1993/07/1993-07-03.shtml

    http://www.vegsource.com/how_to_win.htm

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  2. ramesh sadasivamJuly 15, 2008 at 7:38 PM

    Oh.. thank you jeeva...

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  3. venuss66July 19, 2008 at 4:52 PM

    You have your points there. Keep it up.

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  4. venuss66July 19, 2008 at 4:53 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  5. ramesh sadasivamJuly 20, 2008 at 8:55 PM

    Thank you venus.

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  6. FreddyJuly 24, 2008 at 11:00 AM

    those were a great set of arguments! kudos to your decision!

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  7. ramesh sadasivamJuly 24, 2008 at 1:49 PM

    Thanks freddy.

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  8. monsoon dreamsJuly 25, 2008 at 8:13 PM

    thats a great decision.i appreciate you.i liked the way u presented both sides of the argument and reached youe decision.all the best.

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  9. ramesh sadasivamJuly 26, 2008 at 12:14 PM

    Thanks my friend

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  10. lakshmiMarch 14, 2009 at 6:30 AM

    Hi
    I know this is a very belated comment for a post done in July 2008.
    These arguments abt veg and non are there forever.
    Those who eat nonvegetarian food debate for it and those who dont debate against.
    But this coming from someone who happened to be a nonvegetarian .....is something remarkable.............

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  11. ramesh sadasivamMarch 14, 2009 at 10:33 AM

    Hi Lakshmi,
    Thank you very much.Belated appreciation is also as encouraging as the timely ones. Thank you.

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  12. NiruAugust 10, 2009 at 7:43 PM

    “First of all it is not a question of sin or not sin. It is about considering a poor creature’s plea to live. Second, Lions and Tigers don’t have a choice nor do they have a discriminating ability to reconsider what they are doing.”

    WELL SAID!

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  13. ramesh sadasivamAugust 10, 2009 at 8:02 PM

    Thanks niru!

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  14. MEMay 12, 2010 at 11:41 AM

    I am a vegetarian by birth. I cannot be anything else. But seeing a non vegetarian become a vegetarian makes me wonder...happy wonder. I think that is a strong decision & a difficult one too.

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  15. ramesh sadasivamMay 12, 2010 at 2:55 PM

    Thanks. It wasn't difficult but... I was mentally prepared before I quit,

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