In my thirties I felt compelled to become a vegetarian.
Most of the people I meet are not vegetarians. Most of the
people I eat with socially today, are not vegetarians.
So, as a result, I am often asked 'Why are you a vegetarian,
is it for religious or health reasons?'
Actually, the primary reason is neither. The primary reason
is spiritual. I can no longer subscribe to any suffering of any
being that is not absolutely necessary.
My early childhood encounter with violence, together with
a growing sensitivity to the inter-connectedness of all beings
led me to the view that 'all life is sacred'.
Nearly thirty years ago, my wife and I bought a small organic farm
in Thaxted, Essex, UK, we had to have horses, chickens, cows
and calfs, goats, pigs, ducks, geese, birds, dogs, cats etc.
Of course, we gave all of them names. We would feed over 60
mouths a day.
We personally fed them all I remember three piglest
that we called 'pork, chops, and bacon'.
Well you know where I am going from here!
I just survived a friend killing our first cockerel.
Drinking milk and eating eggs was ok.
But taking the pigs and the family cow to the abbattoir!!!
Too close. Too real. Too much suffering and violence.
This was really really harming other beings! Other
sacred life!
It didn't take long to realise that this was wrong for us.
I believe that people are too shrink wrapped supermarket
removed from the reality of suffering and, I believe many
would come to the same conclusion we did, if they had
live so closely to the natural truth.
So vegetarianism started as a spiritual cry not to harm any
other being - non-violence. However, today I can feel many
health benefits and ecological benefits for being vegetarian.
More about that later...
More at:
http://www.in-love-with-wisdom.com/
