How many people on this forum is vegetarian?

[stvdv]

You have lived the life with caring and love in your heart. Surely such love will be returned.

Thank you for your friendly reply Clara

When it rains, worms gasp for air and come to the surface, and end up in storm drains where they will drown or dry up. I rescue them and put them back into the soil, in a relatively dry spot where they could survive. I worry about stepping on bugs as I walk.

I wonder if the microbes in the soil have souls or feelings?

I worry about wearing leather (shoes, belts).

Nice example of the worms gasping for air

I noticed worms coming out of the ground, and here I see them moving to the roads, I was wondering why the road, many bicyclist, so they get killed.

Once there was a beautiful huge butterfly sitting in the middle of the road. It was in India, and very hot and dry (I thought the poor butterfly might get baked, that's how hot the road was)

Hence I picked the butterfly up and placed it next to the road in the grass, much cooler I thought.

When I returned after some time, I saw that the butterfly was eaten (alife?) by ants. And I felt so horrible that I took the butterfly from the road and placed it on the grass, just to be eaten by ants alive

I got the feeling that the butterfly knew it's end was nearing, and choose to die by sitting on the road, knowing that the hot road was too hot for the little legs of the ants, avoiding to be eaten alive

After this experience I am much more careful with interfering with animal their choices

 

[stvdv]

When it rains, worms gasp for air and come to the surface

My grandfather used to fish. And he used worms as bait. He used a big fork and put electricity on the fork, and all the worm rushed out of the mud. Seems a very cruel way, though to put the worm (alive) as bait on a fish hook seems even more cruel

So, indeed, the worms do feel. And to become aware of this, made me more sensitive, as in never wanting to fish again

It's all about sensitivity IMO

 

[stvdv]

I worry about stepping on bugs as I walk.

I wonder if the microbes in the soil have souls or feelings?

I worry about wearing leather (shoes, belts).

Same for me, I step aside to "not step on small animals"

And even, I wondered about stepping on grass

I used to be concerned about stepping on grass (flowers I never cut, nor put them in my house).

Once my Master explained that vegetables don't feel pain, like we humans do. This assurance made me feel a bit more comfortable, but still I avoid stepping on it

In Scriptures I have read, that fruits eating is least karmic, compared to plants, as they fall of the tree. This makes sense to me.

 

[We Never Know]

I am vegetarian because i believe animals do have souls. God loves us humans but God also love animals. I am also against animals cruelty, animals is not stupid. They get afraid just like us.

I also believe in reicarnation. Some humans Will become a animal in their next life and some animals Will become a human in their next life. Animals and humans is more similar to each other than many humans think.

Why Are you vegetarian?

Why Are you not vegetarian?

I eat plants that turned into meat. Does that count

 

[syo]

The incisors yes, the molars no.

Humans have a coccyx (a tailbone). What is that for?

Maybe for balance???

 

[Secret Chief]

Maybe for balance???

No, it isn't necessary. But we still have one from when our ancestors had a tail.

 

[We Never Know]

No, it isn't necessary. But we still have one from when our ancestors had a tail.

It still has purpose...

"Despite its small size, the coccyx has several important functions. Along with being the insertion site for multiple muscles, ligaments, and tendons, it also serves as one leg of the tripod—along with the ischial tuberosities—that provides weight-bearing support to a person in the seated position."

Coccydynia: An Overview of the Anatomy, Etiology, and Treatment of Coccyx Pain.

 

[Secret Chief]

It still has purpose...

"Despite its small size, the coccyx has several important functions. Along with being the insertion site for multiple muscles, ligaments, and tendons, it also serves as one leg of the tripod—along with the ischial tuberosities—that provides weight-bearing support to a person in the seated position."

Coccydynia: An Overview of the Anatomy, Etiology, and Treatment of Coccyx Pain.

It's function is more than carried out by other means. It is considered to be vestigial. The point was that just because you have something in your body it does not mean that it is necessary for living (same with wisdom teeth or the outer rim of the ear).

 

[We Never Know]

It's function is more than carried out by other means. It is considered to be vestigial. The point was that just because you have something in your body it does not mean that it is necessary for living (same with wisdom teeth or the outer rim of the ear).

There are several things that have function that we can live without.
A kidney
A lung
The appendix
The gallbladder
The spleen
Etc.
ALSO
A hand
A foot
An arm
A leg
An eye
Etc.

 

[Valjean]

Great. Thanks. Lets see how the future unfolds.



Only recently I was watching a very old debate on vegetarianism. And I happened to read something online, being no expert in this field whatsoever. Dr. Toyota (second name cannot remember) said that plants feel an animal trying to eat it. I will try to find the paper somewhere.

Some plants even emit some kind of chemicals to stop animals eating it. These chemicals make them unattractive. That was published in Oecologia in 2014. Fear and pain are just words that simplifies these things in simple words.

So lets see how the future unfolds.

Toyota was anthropomorphizing. "Feel" is unwarranted. Pants do react. They do communicate. This does not indicate consciousness.

Lots of plants emit communicative chemicals when harmed. Plants do communicate. They do respond when harmed or attacked. They are way more reactive and communicative than generally believed, but just because we do the same, and we're conscious, does not mean plant communication is conscious.

 

[Valjean]

I'm not. Because my teeth are for meat.

No. They're not.

 

[syo]

No. They're not.

Why?

 

[Ella S.]

I am a vegetarian and I am transitioning to a vegan diet.

I chose the path of veganism because many noteworthy Gnostic sects were vegans, such as the Cathars, the Bogomils, and the Manichaens.

I tend to mostly stay in Sethianism and, more specifically, I find a lot of inspiration from Zostrianos and Zosimos of Panopolis specifically. However, the later Gnostics had some rather convincing arguments for why a Gnostic worldview would tend toward veganism.

Specifically, we see the One as being within all living things. As such, worship of the One is a worship of all collective life. While we could never completely remove all of the suffering our existence causes (we must eat something, after all) we can reduce the suffering we cause to living beings as much as we can. Indeed, if we love the One, we will be motivated to do so.

I do love the One, and so I am motivated to preserve it as best I can through veganism, hoping that one day our technology will be advanced enough to allow us mortal beings to sustain ourselves without inflicting suffering on any plants or animals. As it is, agriculturally, we still kill many insects and rodents through pesticides. We also deface the soil, taking land from local wildlife, killing local flora, and pushing burrowing creatures like moles and worms into homelessness. Vegetarianism is just the first step. We're a long way from suffering-free food.

 

[Secret Chief]

There are several things that have function that we can live without.
A kidney
A lung
The appendix
The gallbladder
The spleen
Etc.
ALSO
A hand
A foot
An arm
A leg
An eye
Etc.

To repeat, my point was that the possession of incisors did not, of itself mean one should choose to eat meat (as was claimed), but well obfuscated.

 

[Valjean]

I'm not because I don't and instead believe they are delicious.

What does this have to do with abstract moral principals?

Sure they get afraid. We can try and reduce that to a minimum by treated them good while alive.
They also eat eachother, btw.

hat does reducing fear have to do with it? What does the dharma of other animals have to do with ours?

I like to eat meat. It's also healthy to be part of your diet (in moderation, like with pretty much everything).

Again, what does æsthetics or healthfullness have to do with morality?

 

[Valjean]

To repeat, my point was that the possession of incisors did not, of itself mean one should choose to eat meat (as was claimed), but well obfuscated.

Herbivores have incisors. Herbivores have canines. So what?

 

[Ella S.]

Because I am lazy and selfish.

On the off-chance that you're serious and you mean these negatively, I wish you well and I hope you don't beat yourself up too much over carnist habits. They can be difficult to lose, especially in a society where many restaurants serve every dish with meat and vegetarianism is seen as taboo or holier-than-thou.

I have faith that, as a society, we will make progress towards ethical eating together. Don't feel too bad if you can't contribute as much as you'd like. We'll get there.

 

[Valjean]

Why?

Our teeth are nothing like a carivore's. We have grinding molars, not carnassials.
What do our teeth -- or natural history -- have to do with morality?

 

[SalixIncendium]

Why Are you vegetarian?

Because I live by a virtue called ahimsa and think it's adharmic to kill animals for food when there are so many other options.

 

[leroy]

On the off-chance that you're serious and you mean these negatively, I wish you well and I hope you don't beat yourself up too much over carnist habits. They can be difficult to lose, especially in a society where many restaurants serve every dish with meat and vegetarianism is seen as taboo or holier-than-thou.

I have faith that, as a society, we will make progress towards ethical eating together. Don't feel too bad if you can't contribute as much as you'd like. We'll get there.

I´ve tried to go vegan many times, and I currently eat less meat that before (and less meat than the average person) my breakfast and dinner are vegan, but my lunch is free (at work) and they never offer vegan options