As I go through some of these topics day-to-day keep in mind the statements are only my opinion. I will always try to recognize both sides of an argument as credible and then give my position. ALL opinions are respected.
So the first thing I want to talk about is something near and dear to my heart. Animals. I will open with a quote from His Holiness the Dalai Lama:
"All sentient beings have a right to life. It is obvious that mammals, birds, and fish all feel pleasure and pain, and that therefore they do not like pain any more than we do. When we abuse animals simply for a profit motive, even if we leave the Buddhist point of view aside, such action contradicts elementary moral values." -The Dalai Lama
OK, as most of you on my list are meat-eaters I will try my best not to preach. As far as I'm concerned it is absurd to think that killing any living, breathing, feeling thing for food is any way justifiable. We have plenty of alternative to take the place of flesh that is every day of our live tossed in front of us as if we're some crazed cannibalistic hyena. In the beginning of mankind we were all vegan. For many many thousands of years humans only ate fruits, nuts, leaves, etc. There were no tools or weapons to take down animals. They obviously lived well enough on that kind of diet to procreate and continue this species. So that argument lots of folks like to throw at me, "Humans were meant to eat meat." is irrelevant. Animals who eat other animals have a special kind of tooth right? Fangs, to puncture vessels and kill prey. Animals that don't eat other animals do not have these special teeth do they? Are humans born with fangs? No. The same goes for stomach and digestive system. it can take up to a week for your body to digest and pull all the nutrients(of which, there are few) out of meat. It literally rots in your colon. Nowadays animals are crammed into farms, chicken houses, and underwater crates for what? A big corporation to make another dollar. Thats what the cruelty boils down too. The government doesn't care because it makes them rich too. Is it worth it to sacrifice? It may be convenience, or the feeling of need, or nurture that makes you eat meat. But whatever it is it makes you a person without compassion for all. Without compassion for everything you can never be happy yourself. Millions of acres of ground are used to grow grain to feed cows that are to be slaughtered. The same amount of food could feed Africa's dying hungry population. If we didn't eat all the cows we could use the land for other foods. To keep humans alive. America is the worst of all. We sit back and have everything handed to us. Not knowing where it comes from or how it got there. Most of all not caring. As long as it clogs a few more millimeters of artery and causes a little more congestive heart failure we're ok with it. We shouldn't be.
I'll leave you with this and can make your own conclusions.
"Of all the various species of animal on the planet, human beings are the biggest troublemakers. That is clear. I imagine that if there were no more humans on the planet, the planet itself would be much safer. Certainly millions of chickens, fish, and other small animals might enjoy some sort of genuine liberation!"
-Dalai Lama
peace.love.justice.
2/22/06 09:39 am - Updated.
I updated my pics, user info, blah blah blah. Now I need to start writing in this blasted thing. I guess some interesting topics may come up. Tell ur friends to add me!!!
MUAH
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
oxyfreak86's journal
peaceful
determined
contemplative
crazy
blank
cold