I saw this picture that some people think is funny -- "Everyday, thousands of plants are being killed by vegetarians. Help end the violence".
My reply: If
I didn't know how many animal products-eaters that bring up these kind
of arguments in discussions, then I might have thought that it was
funny. But it gives many false perceptions and things that
subconsciously stick in many people.
Please consider this:
"Plants
are qualitatively different from humans and sentient nonhumans in that
plants are certainly alive but they are not sentient. Plants do not have
interests. There is nothing that a plant desires, or wants, or prefers
because there is no mind there to engage in these cognitive activities. "
http://www.abolitionistapproach.com/a-frequently-asked-question-what-about-plants/
The
plant-based foods that the more than 56 billion land animals (who have
the sadly misfortune to grow up to become someones food) brutally
slaughtered each year eats could feed more than 9 billion people.
15
million children are dieing of starvation in the world each year.
Hundreds of millions don't get enough food. If we care of them we must
let our eating habits reflect this. If everyone ate plant-based food,
the food would suffice for everyone's need.
If
you think that plants are sentient then you have a STRONG REASON to go
vegan, since that would minimize the death and suffering of plants!!!
But if you think that plants are sentient then you WOULDN'T cut your grass!!!
We
all agree that it is morally wrong to cause unnecessary suffering and
death to animals -- and condemn people who for example enjoy and promote
killing innocent dogs just because they got tired of them. However, we
must also acknowledge that all animal products-eating is unnecessary and
is done merely for "taste" and "enjoyment". So if we want to be moral
we must also act upon what we acknowledge -that causing unnecessary
suffering and death to animals is unnecessary.
This
is not the only effect. By eating animal products 3 times a day we
teach our children that it is okay to take the life of innocent sentient
beings, and that some individuals are of less value than others;
instead of increasing our children's love and compassion by loving all
sentient beings for their different qualities (just as many parents
teach their children to extend their love and compassion for some dogs).
I became a vegan this autumn and notice how this also increases my love
and compassion for other humans, and not only all other animals.
This articles shows how eating animal products effects the environment and effects poverty and starvation: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jan/22/quinoa-bolivian-farmers-meat-eaters-hunger
This book shows how our violence against other animals also leads to violence against us- the human animal: http://www.worldpeacediet.org/
Research -see e.g. the research referred to here: http://www.adelicatebalance.com.au/ - has proven that animal products are unhealthy.
" I became a vegan this autumn and notice how this also increases my love and compassion for other humans, and not only all other animals."
SvaraRaderaYou also became something else earlier the same year you became a vegan but that you have now abandoned. You are like a train without a conductor. What will you become next?
Who confirms to you that your love and compassion for other humans has increased? That is certainly a fine compliment you are giving yourself.
Let another praise you and not your own mouth.
Intuitively we know that it is wrong to inflict unnecessary suffering and death on other sentient beings.
SvaraRaderaWe may suppress our intuition by the daily choices made from our childhood; and we may suppress our intuition by following a religion that is inflicting suffering and death on animals (excusing our behavior by relying on discrete logic based on false assumptions and premises), but it doesn't change reality.
I recommend this article: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/what-are-the-roots-of-freedom-and-slavery/
It is nothing strange that love and compassion increases when we remove oppression and inflicting pain on other sentient beings from our lives.