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Vegetarian

Why am I vegetarian? To me, it's about trying to treat all life, not just human life, with compassion and respect. If I don't need to take life, I'd rather not do it.

However, there's a lot more to it than that. Here are some of my reasons:

  • How we justify our treatment of animals, treating them as companions when it's convenient, and then as objects when we want to eat them; and yet we intuitively know that they think and feel, and would rather live than die.
  • The health benefits of a vegetarian diet, full of delicious fruits and vegetables, as compared to the cancer-causing effects of bits of meat crawling through your digestive tract.
  • The cruelty of animal farming, where animals are pumped full of antibiotics and chemicals to keep them alive even when they are sick and suffering to make them produce more milk and meat; chemicals that end up in our own bodies.
  • The environmental effects of animal farming, ranging from soil degradation, inefficient use of water resources, and grains that could instead be used to feed millions of hungry people around the world.
  • The fact that we now have the scientific and technological means to produce our own food without killing anything, if we chose to.

    And so on.

    I don't think being vegetarian is enough, but it's my small step. Start somewhere, make an effort, and go on from there. I am not vegan, but I do avoid buying animal products, such as leather, as well.

    The Living in Harmony with Vegetarians article covers my experiences as a vegetarian quite well.

    There's a lot of information on the internet about vegetarianism, animal rights/cruelty, the environmental effects of animal farming, the politics of meat and dairy, and so on. The links below will get you started if you want to find out more.

    Some good vegetarian sites are Veg Source, The Vegetarian Site, The Vegan Society, Veggies Unite, and be sure to check out the unmissable Vegetarian Shoes.