Thoughts On Being a Omnivore

[elwoodblues1969]

After reading Oren's brief synopsis on his lifestyle,in Will's song thread...it stirred up some thoughts about animal consumption that I have been conflicted about for years.
The main thing for me,is that if it were up to me to slay animals for food,I could only see myself killing chickens & fish(mainly because there would be no messy,drawn out process to it).
The quick & clean method without any suffering on the animal's part,is ok with me.It's not in my nature to want to kill anything...but there is the issue of the overpopulation of animals & their suffering due to a limited food supply,having to defend one's self against predatory animals and well....I don't think there is enough farmland on this planet to feed everyone,if we were all vegetarians.

Another significant problem with being a herbivore for me personally,is that because I have a fast metabolism...I process food to quickly and because vegetation breaks down quickly & passes through the human body rapidly,I simply could not afford the enormous amount of meatless food to keep me functioning well.

From my perspective,I fail to understand the extremes of both sides of the fence...that is to say...for one thing,vegans are a mystery to me,because someone who has a problem consuming yogurt & eggs is very odd to me,because nothing living,needs to be killed for these products.
Yes..I realize that animal abuse is rampant in these processing plants,but one needs to put forth their efforts in tightening the federal regulations to protect the animals from the abuse,rather than just becoming a vegan(just for the purpose of relieving one's own guilt for eating meat).
The other extreme,is people who have no regard for animals whatsoever...such as people who hunt for sport & those who enjoy the brutality of making an animal suffer.
I also don't like folk who will eat any species of animal & those who will kill anything to profit from those who consider cats & dogs as a delicacy and of course,killing an animal for it's fur is unfathomably callus & cruel.

Ultimately,I believe in killing only what you have to & doing it in the most humane way possible.I suppose though,that if I had an unlimited disposable income,I may very well be a vegetarian...but then again...the utter elimination of killing animals cannot be possible,when you consider overpopulation,self defense situation,rabies..etc.,.


-Thom

[folderol]

Pretty much in agreement with you here, although at least the vegans aren't doing any harm - unlike the other extreme.

[elwoodblues1969]

Pretty much in agreement with you here, although at least the vegans aren't doing any harm - unlike the other extreme.

Will...I would speculate that most vegans are harmless..however though,there is an animal rights organization called P.E.T.A(people for the ethical treatment of animals),which judging from what I've seen from them,are very extremist in their views and actions...which are harmful.

They believe in the total abolition and liberation of all animals(meaning that,for instance),they view owning a pet as being immoral(because to them),that's enslaving an animal.
These people spend their time protesting animal shelters,screaming about how animals are imprisoned,tortured and killed everyday(without giving any thought as to what the real purpose of an animal shelter is for).
These people run around with a campaign against any ownership of animals or the killing of animals for any reason whatsoever,with total disregard for the law,including making terroristic threats towards anyone who oppose their views.
Though these people are adamantly against animal shelters & any sort of animal-based vaccinations or medicines,they actually have their own animal shelter & at least one member that I'm aware of,has used an animal-based medicine for her ailment.

These people are hypocrites & are bat-s**t crazy and there are a total of about 750,000 of them...so I would say that some of the vegans out there are harmful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMbLu_HEA3o

[elwoodblues1969]

On a loosely related topic,I found this very heartwarming story and just had to share it. http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/nature/post/lion-forms-unusually-close-bond-with-conservationists/

[Oren]

Generally, I think the goal is to learn to live with conscience. Ideally, decisions can be made with care, and with the "greater good" in mind.

Some folks seem to have an innate ability to make their decisions and engage life gracefully. A gift, even from early childhood, in some...
Personally, I have to rely on pure pig-headed perseverance to learn the knack, and put it into practice, day by day.
        (fortunately, pig-headedness is an attribute that I've honed to a fine degree...)