Buddhism and Veggies

So, Strawberry, you are saying since we evolved in the direction such that we are omnivores that ethical justifies the destruction of life? Unless you believe yourself to have the intelligence of a bear do not try to compare your ethics to theirs. Bears are not capable of reasoning, you are.

I would say that a righteous Buddhist would gain comfort in claiming that one cannot be passionate about everything, perhaps that is true, but one CAN be considerate of everything.

Would it be justified in this society for a cannibal to feast on your flesh simply because it tastes good? Verily, a hierarchy is self evident, I do not hold animals lives over humans, necessarily.

I am relatively unfamiliar with Buddhism, however, knowing the basic tenentes I would assume that if it was possible logistically Buddha would have been a vegetarian simply for the preservation of life.

 

I will say simply this: I eat meat because it tastes good, but also, as I said, I hate tofu, most vegetables, and soymilk. I don't eat as much meat as you might think (I'm actually primarily a carbohydrate and dairy person), but I'm not about to beat myself up over eating something that is already dead and will have gone to waste anyway.

Of course I can reason more than a bear--and I have reasoned that if our creator had meant for us to eat only vegetables, he/she/whatever would have made us into herbavores, rather than throw us into some moral quandry of being able to eat meat but also worrying that it's wrong. In other words, why not just let us keep the intelligence that we have but have us evolve into herbavores instead?

You throw out your own argument of cannibalism when you admit that some heirarchy is self-evident. Most animals do not eat members of their own species--it goes against logic.

About being considerate rather than passionate...I feel I am being considerate--I am eating a part of an animal that would have gone to waste and be thrown in the trash had I not eaten it. This does not mean that I buy all the meat I possibly can at the store just to save them from being wasted. But I do not just ignore the fact that an animal had to die to give me my chicken--I acknowledge it, respect it, and move on with my life. I am by no means ungreatful.

On another note, I have learned through numerous disappointments in my life not to be idealistic. I know that the meat industry will NEVER cease to exist because of vegetarians. You can say, "Well if everyone was a vegetarian, blah, blah, blah..." But that will never happen, and I for one will be the first to acknowledge it. Most vegetarians realize the enormous scale of their dream of shutting the meat inustry down (and I'm speaking here of vegetarians opposed to the killing of animals no matter what--even if its free-range), and chose to become vegetarian anyway because it makes them feel better morally. Please note that I never said there was anything wrong with this. If it makes you feel more morally secure in your actions, then fine. But just know that I would not feel as though I was making a significant difference if I became a vegetarian, and thus I personally don't see the use in making the effort.

The bottom line remains: My body, my life, my karma.

 

First do not claim design by some creator of our digestive system (visit one of the numerous Evolution vs Creationism threads in the Atheist/Agnostic). Our digestive systems formed through thousands of years of evolution.

If the desire is preservation of life, the goal will not be reached with the mindset of "since its already dead, might as well eat it". Sure that is reasonable, but only to a certain degree, for every time you eat the flesh of animal you are contributing to its death: simply supply and demand.

My point in the cannabilism bit was about life in general. Could not the "my life, my body, my 'karma'" be applied to animals? In your mind what justifies the ability for another being to end the life experience of another being? Because it tastes good, no doubt. In my mind, it would be necessary survival [sustanance and defence].

 

When did I say I didn't believe in evolution? Just because I believe something created us doesn't mean I think it happened in 7 days. My point remains--we evolved like that for a reason.

Have you ever bought anything that was made in China? Because, you know, the Chinese government is responsible for numerous human rights abuses, so how do you justify not buying meat but still buying products from an abusive government? What if I didn't buy the meat, but someone else did? Then, I wouldn't be sending any money to the factory farms, am I still not allowed to eat it? And are you suggesting that it would be better for me to throw out the meat and have the animal killed for no reason? If I were the animal that was killed in a factory farm, I personally would rather be eaten by someone who was appreciative of what I had to go through (which I am; I realize not all meat eaters are, but I can't control them) than to be thrown away and wasted.

Once again: Evolution. We evolved to be more intelligent than most animals, and it was our intelligence (as opposed to our speed or size) that helped us when we hunted and later when we learned how to grow crops. Chickens, cows, and so forth are lower in the food chain. Does this excuse our torturing of the animals before they are killed? No, but there's nothing I can do about it. I would prefer to see more free-range farms, and would support some kind of legislation regulating how animals are treated before slaughter, but I'm not about to hold my breath.

And I never said that meat tasting good was my ONLY reason for eating it. As I've said about a thousand times now: I HATE tofu, most vegetables, and soymilk. What am I supposed to do? Starve? My sister is a vegetarian, and she has a vegetarian cookbook. I've tried alot of the recipies--I don't really like any of them. I'm just not a vegetable person. It's just personal taste.

 

What is the difference between you sending money to meat producing companies or your friend? You're desire for consumption, in any case, (atleast indirectly) instigates the death of that animal.

How can you weigh the life of a being over TASTE? Tofu has no taste in itself really, it is mostly the seasoning that it has.

I have no great compassion for animals, but I have consideration of life. I have nothing against killing animals if it is necessary, but it is not. Aside from ethical questions in this particular area, factory farms are in general bad for the environment.

 

Well put