Ken's Photo Album/Basis-for-Vegetarianism---T.jpg
It was at this same time (1993) that I had just become a vegetarian. That was unplanned for sure because previously I had been a big meat eater. But I made friends with a vegetarian and started asking him questions about it. The answers he gave me made a lot of sense and the main thing I realized was that I was being highly hypocritical in saying that I liked animals (non-human animals that is) while continuing to eat them unnecessarily. He was living proof. So I decided to try a 30 day trial period, to my surprise it was very easy. Remember, I was a heavy meat eater previous to this. After the 30 days I decided to commit to a year, within 9 months I was Vegan (meaning I eat no animal products including dairy, eggs, etc.). To this day I consider this the very best decision of my life. Since that time I have become a self taught expert on this topic and I would gladly debate absolutely anyone on the subject. I will literally put to shame anyone who would seriously try to defend the human consumption of non-human animals other than we like it or pure survival. Of course there are exceptions such as those living in extreme climates where plant food is not available, but that is not applicable to the vast majority of people on the planet.
Vegetarianism is not simply a lifestyle choice, it is one necessary and massive element contributing to the whole solution required to have a sane and just world. This explains why there is virtually no meaningful discussion in mainstream circles about this issue. No single action we make as individuals has a bigger impact either positively or negatively than that which we purchase at the store and put into our mouths. Nothing can benefit our health, our planet, and our spiritual growth more than the adoption of a vegetarian diet. I have not seen a doctor for the entire time I have been vegetarian and my level of health is superior indeed. I never get headaches, stomachaches, I almost never get sick and although my father and grandfather both died of heart disease I simply cannot have a heart attack because there is no cholesterol in my system other than what my body produces, and absolutely no animal fat. My blood flows freely and my energy level is phenomenal. If you take a look at the list of things I have done in the last 10 years of my 33 years of life, you can directly attribute my vegetarianism to it. And to a great degree, my genuine inner peace comes directly from this most wise choice I made almost ten years ago. I am a vegetarian for life, period.
Professor
J. Howard Moore 1862-1916
"We think of our acts towards non-human peoples, when we think
of them at all, entirely from a human point of view. We never take the
time to put ourselves in the places of our victims. We never take the
trouble to get over into their world and realize what is happening over
there as a result of our doings toward them. It is so much more comfortable
not to do so - so much more comfortable to be blind and deaf and insane.
We go on quieting our consciences, as best we can, by the fact that everybody
else nearly, is engaged in the same business as we are, and by the fact
that so few ever say anything about the matter - anaesthetized, as it
were, by the universality of our iniquities and the infrequency of disquieting
reminders." - The Universal Kinship
