My vegetarianism

[Guest guest]

Namaste,

 

There have been thoughtful and provocative posts about animals and

eating them and sacrificing them.

 

I am a vegetarian.

 

I always wanted to be a vegetarian, even as a child. I don't know why.

I do know that my mother told me that it would be impossible for me to

be a vegetarian as long as the only vegetable I liked was mashed

potatoes. She had a good point.

 

Mashed potatoes and chocolate still hit the top of my list!

 

Many, many years ago I survived a very traumatic event. It was

shocking and life changing for me. Unseen by me, but in the related

course of events, someone else died. I felt for very grounded reasons,

that I should have died and I searched for meaning in and for this,

and in all related things as I tried to heal my soul. I was probably

stricken with some survivor's guilt as is common in these things, but

that is too facile an approach for someone so deeply touched.

 

Within a few months I came to the conclusion that I would finally

stick to my vegetarianism as a sign of my faith and devotion and as a

personal sacrifice. I felt I could no longer eat meat, feeling as I

could then, the suffering of the beast that had died and knowing how

it felt to face violent death. I identified with the animals. I would

be greatly upset in the meat department of the grocery store, no

longer seeing meat at all, seeing the limbs and bodies of the dead.

 

A couple of years ago my dr. at that time told me that the results of

my blood tests were serious, I was suffering vitamin deficiencies that

could not be countered with suppliments. I had simply stopped

absorbing certain nutrients. She attributed this to my vegetarianism.

I needed vitamin injections monthly if I were to avoid permanent

damage. I consented to the injections and began introspection and

research.

 

Was it possible that it was harmful to me at this point in my life to

be a vegetarian? The Goddess, I believe would not have me harmed

needlessly, but I was loath to give up a practice that had come in a

small way to define me, to express me. The introspection was

interesting and deepening to me.

 

The research was even more fruitful. The dr. refused to help but I got

other expensive laboratory tests that showed that I seemed to have an

allergic intestinal reaction to wheat, a condition which would inhibit

absorbing nutrients properly.

 

I stopped the resented injections and changed my diet a year and a few

months ago.

 

Last month a new dr ran the blood tests again and I have been

vindicated. My vitamin levels are normal.

 

But that's not exactly the point. My commitment to vegetarianism was

important to question. Not everyone in my faith is called to it. It

must be personal and it must be meaningful. True, there are evils to

the individual and to the environment from meat production and factory

farming, all citizens have a responsibility to look at that and to

address those.

 

But no one can dictate to me what the Goddess would have me do. My

part is individual and may be different from yours.

 

I cannot allow myself to worship blindly, to allow others to tell me

what is sacred, what is required by my Goddess. For my spiritual life

to have vitality I must participate actively, thoughtfully and

willingly.

 

I am willing to listen to you (to others) and to question myself. I am

willing to change and to grow.

 

For me, this is the approach that keeps my faith alive.

 

Blessings to all,

 

prainbow

[Guest guest]

thank you prainbow for this post- ....... a very moving account ...

 

i have been a 'vegetarian' most of my life except for occasional

lapses - like eating 'eggs' or drinking a so called 'vegetable' soup

with chicken broth in it ! many times i thought of 'sueing' chicken

out - a local restaurant- for making the spinach disjh with 'lard' -

but gave up and stop eating eating there---

 

my kids were born vegetarian but switched to eating 'chicken'

and 'sea food' after coming to the states.... but one day, my son saw

on tv how chickens are raised in a poultry farm and saw how they are

being 'fattened' with estrogen injections etc; he stopped eating

meat ' his siblings followed suit more so for 'health' reasons

than 'moral' reasons... i did not influence them in any way although

i do not cook and serve meat at home...

 

the famous GEorge Bernad Shaw was a vegetarian ... he lived upto the

ripe age of 96 - so was Mahatma Gandhi - he was a pure vegetarian -

he alos lived a long life and would have hit a century if he was not

struck by an assasin's bullet!!!

 

my nutritionist always advises me i need protein so i can keep

my 'diabetes' under control - i tell her i can get enough protein by

eating tofu, all kinds of pulses and lentils, milk , NUTS etc... and

i do not need animal proteins!!!

 

how can anyone have the heart to eat the meat of a 'cow' - i recently

visited a hare krishna dairy farm... the cows look so divine - my

krishna's cows... so docile! cows are like our mothers- they give us

milk; how can you cut the hand that feeds you ? well....

 

in closing, here is a poem attributed to george bernard shaw -

 

George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)

 

Living Graves

 

We are the living graves of murdered beasts,

Slaughtered to satisfy our appetites.

We never pause to wonder at our feasts,

If animals, like men, can possibly have rights.

We pray on Sundays that we may have light,

To guide our footsteps on the path we tread.

We're sick of war, we do not want to fight -

The thought of it now fills our hearts with dread,

And yet - we gorge ourselves upon the dead.

 

Like carrion crows we live and feed on meat,

Regardless of the suffering and the pain

we cause by doing so, if thus we treat

defenceless animals for sport or gain,

how can we hope in this world to attain,

the PEACE we say we are so anxious for.

We pray for it o'er hecatombs of slain,

to God, while outraging the moral law,

thus cruelty begets its offspring - WAR.

 

thank you once again prainbow ! as ompremji has mentioned, you are

very articulate and your posts are always a joy to read!

 

love

 

PS - but on another note- what comes out of the mouth is as important

as what goes into it!!! ahimsa in thought, word and deed!! hard to

practice...