Veg or Non Veg?:
 

Eating dead bodies makes your tummy a graveyard
 

by Aditha Dissanayake

What? Not a veg yet? Where have you been all this time? What have you been doing when everyone around you has surely turned into a lacto-ovovegetarian, an ovo-vegetarian or a vegan?

Worried you have missed the newest trendy, food fad around? Relax. There is nothing new about being a veg. All the long established religions, Brahminism, Buddhism and Jainism, advocated abstention from meat as did early philosophers and thinkers like Pythogaras, Seneca, Plato and Socrates, who were all against eating meat (even though there is no proof they practised what they preached).

Mahathma Gandhi, who did (practise what he preached), gave one of the best reasons for avoiding animal protein in one's diet when he said 'The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated'. i.e when you are a vegetarian you are being kind to planet earth, and you put less strain on earth?s finite resources.

Graveyard

Once the domain of the strictly religious, vegetarianism is now as commonplace as mobile phones, and keeps growing every passing day. Professor Mahinda Palihawadana, the Former President of Sri Lanka Vegetarian Society attributes this change in our society's eating habits to issues of health and animal welfare.

'People have become more sensitive to animal rights' says Prof. Palihawadana and explains that many vegetarians consider the production, slaughtering and consumption of meat or animal products as cruel. Reasons for believing this are varied, and may include a belief in animal rights, or an aversion to inflicting pain or harm on other living creatures.

The belief also exists among vegetarians that other lives should not have to end in order for theirs to continue. Many believe that the treatment which animals undergo in the production of meat and animal products obliges them to never eat meat or use animal products. Why should you eat dead bodies and make your stomach a graveyard of innocent animals? They question.

As well as easing the suffering of live animals vegetarianism also ensures a healthier life. Statistics reveal that on average vegetarians suffer 30 per cent less heart disease and 40 per cent less cancer than those who eat meat. Vegetarians also suffer 20 per cent less premature mortality from all causes.

Other studies have indicated that following a meat-free diet makes maintaining a healthy weight easier and that it can help prevent diabetes, osteoporosis and gall stones. Because vegetarians on average consume less sodium and more potassium than most people, this lowers blood pressure which in turn reduces the risk of heart problems and strokes.

There is also considerable evidence to support the vegetarian view that humans were not designed to eat meat. For example, a carnivore's intestines are short enough to speed the passage of food and so prevent it from rotting within the digestive track the longer the intestines, the longer the food remains in the intestine, and the more time it has to go bad. Carnivores also invariably have very powerful kidneys that are capable of eliminating all uric waste which is often the underlying cause of many disorders, some of them life-threatening.

In spite of all these advantages, life as a vegetarian in Sri Lanka is not easy. There are very limited creative vegetarian options at restaurants, parties, weddings and even religious functions. All one has to do is stop at the usual 'Food Corner' to realise vegetarians have only the buns or the occasional vadei to be content with as opposed to all the other snacks filled with meat.

When asked why this is, the manager of a popular food outlet responded that their supplier doesn't send many, if any, veggie options beyond the ubiquitous seeni sambol paan. Usually at restaurants and hotel/conference functions, the veggie option is some relatively unimaginative dish of kankung or a mixture of carrots and cabbages in such huge pieces they get stuck half way down the throat. Choices are even further limited if one is vegan.

Even though there is a huge untapped market for vegetarian food many restaurants and caterers seem to be slow in picking up on this business.

Holier-than-thou?

There are also other difficulties. 'My non-vegetarian relatives, friends and acquaintances often assume that I look down on them for eating meat.' Says Shanthi, who has been a vegan most of her adult life.

'But, being vegetarian doesn't automatically mean that I am better than everyone else around me. Jesus is rumored to have been a vegetarian, but so was Hitler'.There are many others too who can be included into this list; Leonardo Da Vinci, George Bernard Shaw, Paul and Linda McCartney, Richard Gere, Martina Navratilove, Carl Lewis and here at home, King Amandagamini Abhaya, (82-92 AD), the first Vegetarian in Sri Lanka on record, E. W Adikaram, Rev. Kollupitiye Mahinda thero, Jenny Jayawardena, Kushil Gunasekara, Vivien Boralessa, to name a few.

'The vegetarian movement has come a long way' says Prof. Palihawadana, with the 36th International Vegetarian Conference due to be held in Goa soon, providing a platform for vegetarians from all over the world to meet and voice their views. 'It's a good way to live. The more vegetarians there are the better will be the world'. Who would disagree with the Professor.

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Vegetarianism and religion

The majority of the world's vegetarians, according to the Society of Ethical and Religious Vegetarians, follow the practice for religious reasons. Many religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism teach that ideally life should always be valued and not wilfully destroyed for unnecessary human gratification.

Smaller denominations that prescribe the diet include the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the Hare Krishnas, Brahma Kumaris and the Rastafari movement Hinduism, Jainism and Ayyavazhi hold vegetarianism as the ideal.

They believe that food shapes the personality, mood and mind. Meat is said to promote aggressiveness and a mental state of turmoil known as "Rajas" while a vegetarian diet is considered to promote Satvic qualities, calm the mind, and be essential for spiritual progress. They believe that animals have souls and killing animals have karmic repercussions that are bound to be reaped later by oneself. Also, the principle of Ahimsa (non-violence) compels one to refrain from injuring any living creature, physically, mentally or emotionally without good reason.

While vegetarianism is not common in Christian thought, some Christian leaders, have supported the view that Jesus was a vegetarian. An ancient version of the Gospel of Matthew, known as the Gospel of the Ebionites, emphasises that Jesus advocated vegetarianism, abolished the Jewish meat sacrifice system, and never ate meat. However, the Gospel of the Ebionites is not considered a canonical text in any major branch of modern Christianity.

Islam explicitly permits the eating of some kinds of meat, but does not make it compulsory. There are several quotes attributed to Prophet Muhammad that support a vegetarian lifestyle and recommend kindness to animals rather than eating them. "Masih (the Messiah, Jesus) said, 'Flesh eating flesh?

How offensive an act!'" (Al-Raghib al-Isfahani (early fifth century AH/early eleventh century CE), Mahadarat al-Udaba', 1:610.) According to Karen Armstrong in her book A History of God, "The Koran does permit meat-eating, but it also encourages healthful foods (which, many Muslims conclude, does not include animal products). Given these traditions, many Shi'ite Muslims and the Islamic mystics, such as the Sufis, see vegetarianism as the Islamic ideal and choose this diet."

Wikipedia

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Non-vegetarians cannot be lovers

Vegetarianism has been common in the Indian subcontinent, since possibly the 2nd millennium BC for spiritul reasons, such as /ahimsa, to avoid indulgences (as meat was considered an indulgence), and to reduce bad karmic influences. Hinduism preaches that it is the ideal diet for spiritual progress and Jainism enjoins all its followers to be vegetarian. Buddhist monks too have historically practised vegetarianism.

Many Hindu scriptures advocate a vegetarian diet. "Perceptive souls who have abandoned passion will not feed on flesh abandoned by life. How can he practice true compassion, he who eats the flesh of an animal to fatten his own flesh?" questions the secular literature of Tirukkural.

According to the Roman poet Ovid, Pythagoras said: "As long as Man continues to be the ruthless destroyer of lower living beings he will never know health or peace. For as long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed, he who sows the seed of murder and pain cannot reap joy and love."

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So Much for the Hunter/gatherer Theory

The idea of early man as a carnivorous hunter doesn't jibe with evidence.

In his latest book, "Man the Hunted: Primates, Predators and Human Evolution," Robert W. Sussman goes against the prevailing view and argues that primates, including early humans, evolved not as hunters but as prey of many predators, including wild dogs and cats, hyenas, eagles and crocodiles.

Despite popular theories posed in research papers and popular literature, early man was not an aggressive killer, Sussman argues. He poses a new theory, based on the fossil record and living primate species, that primates have been prey for millions of years, a fact that greatly influenced the evolution of early man.

"Our intelligence, cooperation and many other features we have as modern humans developed from our attempts to out-smart the predator," says Sussman.

Since the 1924 discovery of the first early humans, australopithicenes, which lived from seven million years ago to two million years ago, many scientists theorized that those early human ancestors were hunters and possessed a killer instinct.

The idea of "Man the Hunter" is the generally accepted paradigm of human evolution, says Sussman, "It developed from a basic Judeo-Christian ideology of man being inherently evil, aggressive and a natural killer.

In fact, when you really examine the fossil and living non-human primate evidence, that is just not the case." Sussman's research is based on studying the fossil evidence dating back nearly seven million years. "Most theories on Man the Hunter fail to incorporate this key fossil evidence," Sussman says.

"We wanted evidence, not just theory. We thoroughly examined literature available on the skulls, bones, footprints and on environmental evidence, both of our hominid ancestors and the predators that coexisted with them."

It was not possible for early humans to consume a large amount of meat until fire was controlled and cooking was possible. Sussman points out that the first tools didn't appear until two million years ago. And there wasn't good evidence of fire until after 800,000 years ago. "In fact, some archaeologists and paleontologists don't think we had a modern, systematic method of hunting until as recently as 60,000 years ago," he says.

"Furthermore, Australopithecus afarensis was an edge species," adds Sussman. They could live in the trees and on the ground and could take advantage of both. "Primates that are edge species, even today, are basically prey species, not predators," Sussman argues.

The predators living at the same time as Australopithecus afarensis were huge and there were 10 times as many as today. There were hyenas as big as bears, as well as saber-toothed cats and many other mega-sized carnivores, reptiles and raptors. Australopithecus afarensis didn't have tools, didn't have big teeth and was three feet tall. He was using his brain, his agility and his social skills to get away from these predators. "He wasn't hunting them," says Sussman. "He was avoiding them at all costs."

Neil Schoenherr

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Eel

The eel/ swims about lazily/ inside the glass tank/ among other eels/ watching many two legged creatures/ in many coloured skins/ move around/ feed/ and move away

The eel/ cannot hear/ sizzling/ on the frying pan/ clatter of cutlery

It does not know/ that tomorrow/ it would be fried and served on a plate/ to one of these two legged creatures

From 'Inequality'

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Terminology and varieties of vegetarianism

Different practices of vegetarianism include:

* Lacto vegetarianism - Lacto vegetarians do not eat meat or eggs but do consume dairy products.

* Ovo-lacto vegetarianism - Lacto-ovo vegetarians do not eat meat but do consume dairy products and eggs. This is currently the most common variety in the Western world.

* Ovo vegetarianism - Ovo vegetarians do not eat meat or dairy products but do eat eggs.

Veganism - Those who avoid eating any animal products, including eggs, milk, cheese, and sometimes honey, are known specifically as dietary vegans or strict vegetarians. Most additionally avoid using animal products, such as leather and some cosmetics, and are called vegans.

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Psychological reasons

Many vegetarians choose to be so in part because they find meat and meat products aesthetically unappetizing. Proponents assert that human beings are not instinctively attracted to eating live or dead meat in nature.

For example, the carcass of a cow lying in a forest would attract a real carnivore like a wolf or leopard, but would disgust most human beings. The metaphor by Douglas Dunn is that if one gives a young child an apple and a live chicken, the child would instinctively play with the chicken and eat the apple, whereas if a cat was presented with the same choices, its natural impulse would be the opposite.