Kham » December 6th, 2018, 10:02 pm wrote:It’s funny. I became a vegan because meats and dairy digestive residues are extremely acidic and take a lot of energy which is needed elsewhere. Removing them from my ingestion improved my health significantly.
Having been off meat and dairy for almost 2 years now, I thought it would be ok to cheat a little with some turkey for Thanksgiving. I unexpectedly felt sad as I was contemplating eating the bird. If you have ever slaughtered an animal, you will find that they are full of anxiety and clearly do not want to be killed. I ignored that fact before but now, since I have had time to reboot my sensitivity, it’s hard to go back with out feeling that I am causing harm. I didn’t expect that.
This has nothing to do with me feeling morally superior, it has all to do with me recognizing the pain and suffering of animals. If you are a true meatavore, then kill and eat your dog. Its distress should not bother you in the slightest.
To be clear, I’m not suggesting that all vegans claim this “superiority.” Far from it. I think we all have different reasons for our diets based on numerous factors. And that’s fine.
I’ve experimented with a number of “diets,” and when the dust settles, I find that the old expression “nothing too much” is one that resonates with me physically. So I’m pretty much an “eat and let eat” kind of guy.
And I will readily admit that I grew up hunting (until my mid teenage years), but haven’t had a desire to do so since. In fact, the last time I shot a living thing (a rabbit), I was surprised at how badly I felt.
That was roughly 15 years ago, and it had been probably 10 years since I had shot a living thing prior to that (aside from the occasional rattle snake). So, my own sensitivities had in fact changed during that time.
My guess is that a certain (more refined) tenderness developed in me during that intervening time. And it just so happens to coincide with having been married (to a wise and mature wife for whom I am eternally grateful) for the preceding 5 years or so. Now, if the survival of my family depended on me killing a deer (or other wild animal), there’s no doubt I would do it without hesitation.
I’m not claiming these are easy or simple issues. There is probably too much nuance in this topic for me to write anything that would constitute “taking a side.”
It has occurred to me that perhaps each member here (who has voiced a strong opinion on this) may have a good point, and there are places along the spectrum (between any given extreme) for each person that may be ideal for them. That is probably not a proposition that anyone wants to hear- I realize.