Implications

[Guest guest]

I'm a curious kind of guy, and I was just doing some thinking

(seeing as how I'm new to vegetarianism).

 

In my observations, I've noted that there are many different reasons

why peopel choose to be vegetarian/vegan.

 

My personal take on it (due to be Christian) is that while humankind

does operate on a higher plane than the rest of the animal world, in

the beginning God designed for humans to be vegetarians (hey, he's

God, maybe he had it right the first time!) and he also commanded

man to be a good steward of the rest of Creation. For me this means

not eating animal flesh (though I admit that during the ice-age, it

was rather neccessary).

 

Now, just in thinking I was wondering: What are the implications of

killing flys and mosquitoes etc? Especially when they're in the

kitchen, I really never had any qualms about squishing the little

buggers.

 

Anyways, I gotta run to class, just wondering about your thoughts.

 

As Always,

 

Kevin Smith

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 1/14/04 12:41:24 PM,

writes:

 

 

> Now, just in thinking I was wondering: What are the implications of

> killing flys and mosquitoes etc?  Especially when they're in the

> kitchen, I really never had any qualms about squishing the little

> buggers.

>

i'm of the opinion that a sentient being is a sentient being, even if it's

considered a household pest, so i always try to get bugs out of my house through

non-toxic means. sometimes, however, there are situations in which it's

hard to avoid things like ant traps (we get swarms of them in the summer time),

and i always feel horrible about it.

 

>Ok, class is over.  My other wondering was " what about carnivorous

>animals?  They all exist in harmony with their environment, and

>without them, today's ecosystem could not exist. "   However, I

>understand that human anatomy and physiology is more suited to plant

>ingestion than meat.  Ah well, just wondering. . . . .

 

the difference between omnivores and carnivores is that omnivores, with

proper nutritional education, can and do thrive on vegetarian/vegan diets.

carnivores, biologically, cannot, and will die without the option of meat. (i

am,

for instance, a major advocate of feeding an all-meat diet to household cats,

which are full-blown carnivores, as i have seen first hand what can happen to

cat who tries to absorb its nutrients from non-meat sources). of course, i

never saw a lion run a factory farm, perform laboratory tests on another living

creature, kill for the pleasure of killing, or drive a species to extinction.

and THAT is what REALLY sets humans apart from other species.

 

melody

 

http://www.melodysmusic.net

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

> My personal take on it (due to be Christian) is that while humankind

> does operate on a higher plane than the rest of the animal world

 

*lol* That's quite an assumption and certainly not based on current

events ;=)

 

Best,

Pat

--

SANTBROWN

townhounds/

vegetarianslimming/

HOMEPAGE: http://www.angelfire.com/art/pendragon/

----------

* " There are too many idiots in this world. And having said it, I have

the burden of proving it. " (Franz Fanon)

* " Until he extends the circle of compassion to all living things, man

will not himself find peace. " (Albert Schweitzer)

[Guest guest]

> > Now, just in thinking I was wondering: What are the implications

of

> > killing flys and mosquitoes etc?  Especially when they're in the

> > kitchen, I really never had any qualms about squishing the

little

> > buggers.

> >

> i'm of the opinion that a sentient being is a sentient being, even

if it's

> considered a household pest,

 

 

I was not aware that household pests were considered " sentient " . I

was understanding sentience to mean something along the lines of

consciousness and that only humans (and dolphins or something) were

considered " sentient " and thus having consciousness and an awareness

of their being. Anyone????????????

I'm not saying that I advocate killing insects. Of course, I don't

like most of them. Spiders do not bother me, but those pesky flies

sure do! I am usually the first one to pick up a bug and put it

outside.

[Guest guest]

You could look at killing insect " pests " as self-defense. Mosquitoes

can potentially carry malaria. Who knows, maybe someday a mutant

breed of mosquito will be able to transmit the AIDS virus.

Coachroaches and flies as you know will feast on rotting meat and

other bacteria-ridden things and could be potential carriers of

disease. Ants, while not especially unsanitary can get really

overpopulated and end up in your food.

 

However, IMHO, none of this justifies hurting a spider. I will

usually welcome a spider in my house, as long as he/she isn't a black

widow or one of the few other poisonous breeds, the spider is of no

threat to me and is actually helping reduce the amount of pests in my

house. I have spider webs all over my ceiling. Also, like

most " ethical vegans " I do not approve of the consumption of honey.

Honeybees are frequently kept in boxes, and most of their food

(honey) is taken away and replaced by cheap sugar. This makes the

bees very sick and depressed (please excuse my anthropomorphism).

 

The existance of carnivorous animals is irrelevant to human

vegetarians. Carnivores have no choice. They can't go to the store

and buy a veggie burger, and a true carnivore wouldn't be able to

thrive on veggie sources anyway. Humans have a choice.