It's Your Choice

Sometimes I hear someone discussing a meal that they have recently enjoyed. As the greater part of the population of this country are carnivores, the chances are that the meal will usually be centred on a meat dish. I always find myself wondering how they can enjoy eating animals. If you were to ask some of these people you would probably find that they claim to be animal lovers. Perhaps they would have a dog or a cat at home as a pet. If you were to push it a little further, they would probably agree with you that a pig or a cow could, and in fact does exhibit domestic tendencies as well, and could equally become a loved pet in the right circumstances. I myself know of several lucky farm animals who have ended up as domestic pets. I also know a sheep who thinks she is a dog and loves to go for walks on a lead.

The problem seems to be that most meat eaters don't make the connection between the food on their plate, and a once living, potential pet animal. Some of the blame for this belongs to the processing and presentation companies that make it hard to recognise that the neatly wrapped package in the supermarket contains parts of an animal. However, to say that this offers a valid excuse for you to go on loving animals but eating meat would be to insult your intelligence. However well presented the shop goods are, you know what they really are don't you? All you have to do is stop and think for a moment. Now we are getting to the fundamentals. Are you willing to stop and think before putting that package in your supermarket trolley? That is all I am asking you to do next time you go to the shops. Think about what we have just talked about and listen to what your reality is saying to you. If you feel any discomfort at all about buying that package just put it back on the shelf and have a look at the delicious Quorn alternatives in the next row of freezer cabinets.

There are some people who just don't care. Nothing that I or anyone else could write would make them stop eating meat. They don't care about the suffering that they are causing to animals because they don't care about animals. I used to be convinced that all these people cared about was themselves. I still think that is true but if so it paradoxically displays an incredible disregard for their own well being also. Surely they realise that a diet based on animal derived foods is not healthy for them. Don't they know that a vegetarian diet is far better? But then, what about people who persist in smoking? There is no way that they can claim that they don't know that they are killing themselves. I would place meat eaters in the same category as smokers as far as Ostriches and sand are concerned.

I am not writing any of this essay with the latter ilk in mind. There would be no point. If I were a better Buddhist I would say that they are evolving along a different but parallel path. Since I am not such a good Buddhist I just say that they are selfish and un-feeling. The question is, what category do you place yourself in? If it's the first one please try what I suggest above. Think hard about how you reconcile your love of animals and the fact that you eat them. You can't really do both can you? If thinking hard about it doesn't do the trick, try asking that which is Truth within you. If you ask with real sincerity and with willingness to listen you will have your answer.