|
I agree with your points about the impact the meat industry has had on the environment in America. But it's not like this everywhere cause nations approach raising animals differently. Also most cultures that eat meat eat alot less meat than Americans do. In most places the amount of meat of one steak is just chopped up and placed in a rice dish that is for a whole family not one person. That's one reason that Americans have health problems from eating meat, because of the excess that is eaten. Look at a country like Japan. Obesity is a recent phenomenon there because now they have places like McDonald's. Before they never really had the problem. It's the excess demand for meat that pushes the environment out of balance and causes problem. If people had a balanced diet then there wouldn't be much of a problem. Also, the mistreatment towards animals - the stress that they are faced with, next to all the horomones, steroids, and other drugs given to them and the way they are slaughtered are all reasons that the meat of the animal becomes unhealthy.
The problem isn't eating meat itself, it's in how it is eaten. I.e. How much of it is eaten, how the animal is treated, etc. Alot of vegetarians miss this point I think. The point that eating meat itself is not an unhealthy or unnatural thing to do.
As far as equating being a vegetarian to being a person of compassion, this is a silly argument. The cycle of life on this planet and in the universe is that of life and death. New stars are born as old stars explode. People and certain animals receive nutrition from the meat of a dead animal. The life on this entire planet is fueled by a sun that is dying. To ignore this balanced pattern of life is being silly. It is easy to be a compassionate person and to eat meat. Personally, being a Muslim, it is preferred to calm the animal down by feeding it or giving it water, petting it, not sharpening the knife (the knife must be sharp so the animal's neck is slit as quickly as possible) in front of the animal's eyes or slaughtering an animal in front of another animal, and looking it in it's eyes while saying "Bismillah" (In the name of God) while slicing it's neck. This is compassion.
As far as the saying of "You are what you eat," I believe it. As a Muslim, the only animals lawful to eat are animals that are herbivores or vegetarians. It is unlawful to eat an animal with claws or fangs (that eats other animals).
Yusuf Abdus-Salaam
|