Musings of a Vegetarian Brother

I get asked about once a week: “So, what made you go vegetarian?”(Almost as if I caught some sort of disease.) Depending on how I feel, my responses vary from “What made you become an omnivore?” to “You know, there are various benefits to vegetarianism, yadda, yadda, yadda…” It’s funny though, something as simple as choosing not to eat meat can garner so much attention, both good and bad. I don’t often feel the need to justify or defend the lifestyle (my diet). Most cordial people won’t question others’ religious beliefs, sexual preference, or political affiliations (at least to their face). But the minute someone mentions vegetarianism, the questions… and jokes, commence.

OTHERING
A competent person like myself doesn’t have to explain himself to anyone. And surely Brothers of Sigma Lambda Beta can relate. This ‘othering’ is similar to the ominous “Oh you’re in a frat?” question that comes every so often from close-minded individuals. What is society’s fascination with things that are ‘different’? Regardless- I rarely feel the need to explain this way of life. However, every now and then, I feel compelled to give my “86 cents” on the subject.

I am writing this article for two reasons: 1.) I witnessed a veggie comrade of mine get harassed and ridiculed by a pack of meat-eaters for her herbivore eating habits (Don’t worry, I’m with you Katie!), and 2.) a Sigma Lambda Beta Brother contacted me and asked about vegetarianism. He told me that his uncle just died of a heart attack and his mother was afraid the same thing could possibly happen to her, if certain meat-eating habits persisted. After these two instances, I knew I had to write this.

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”
-Edmund Burke

WISEPERSON vs. MUCKRAKER
Now, with that being said, let me disclaim. This is by no means an attempt to ‘make’ anyone turn to vegetarianism or veganism. I’m not forcing my views on anyone. You won’t find me knocking at anyone’s door, preaching in the good name of animals. And by no means am I trying to come off as brash or brazen. Trust when I say, I believe in the “to each, their own” philosophy. However, true Sigma Lambda Beta men (pragmatic men of wisdom) listen to the voices of the meek and humble. Tolerance for the views of others is quite a skill to have, if I must say.

“Minds are like parachutes: they work best when they’re open.”
-Anon.

THERE OUGHT TO BE A BETTER WAY
Recent definitions describe a vegetarian as “a person who does not eat believe in eating meat, fish, fowl, or, in some cases, any food derived from animals, as eggs or cheese, but subsists on vegetables, fruits, nuts, grain, etc.” Basically, vegetarians don’t eat meat (beef, pork, chicken, and sometimes fish). Although there are many ‘types’ of vegetarians, most believe in this somewhat general classification.

I once laughed out loud when someone told me, “I don’t think I could survive off just veggies” (As if ‘veggies’ are the only thing vegetarians eat). It’s quite sad, and close-minded, that some people believe that meat (beef, pork, chicken, and fish) must be the center or all of a meal.

“A loser says that’s the way it’s always been done.”
-The Difference between a Winner and a Loser

DON’T TREAT ME LIKE A PIECE OF MEAT
People choose vegetarianism for many reasons; reasonings that are often complex. Personally, I chose vegetarianism for all of the many ethical, spiritual, nutritional, environmental, and social reasons. The culmination of all of these ideals is why I eat what I do (what you put into your body says a lot about you). Wise choices are often the ones that are well thought out. All in all, I am proud to be a vegetarian and I do not mind sharing my outlook. Here is a short list of personal reasons why I choose vegetarianism. Take from it what you will.

“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”
-Aristotle

Ethical

• Blatant cruelty to animals; vegetarianism promotes less suffering of innocent beings
• Minimal hurt to other things
• The treatment and raising of animals that are to be slaughter is less than humane
• The exploitation of animals is just wrong
• If you’ve ever owned a dog or cat, would you eat it?

“Until he extends his circle of compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace.”
-Albert Schweitzer

Spiritual

• Some believe that if you have eaten animals all your life, your final thoughts at death will be that of animals
• Karma. You’re involving yourself in a process and cycle of violence, pain, and death
• Food is the source of the body’s chemistry. What you put into your body affects your consciousness, emotions, and energy. By ingesting the chemistry of animals, one introduces the fear, anxiety, and terror that existed in animal’s right before their death (enzymes)
• Aggression levels are proven to be higher in meat-eaters, than vegetarians. Every time you eat meat, your animal instincts become more powerful
• Many religious circles warn people of the negative consequences of eating animals

“Better to eat vegetables with people you love than to eat meat where there is hate.”
-Proverbs 15:17

Nutritional

• Vegetarians have far fewer health problems than meat-eaters
• Vegetarians have lower cholesterol levels, lower rates of cancer, less likely to have coronary artery disease, lower blood pressure, lower instances of gallstones and kidney stones, and less likely to have strokes than meat-eaters
• Meat is fatty
• Many unhealthy oils are found in meat and are subsequently released through the body
• Many diseases are found in animals; cattle is not checked for disease(s) before slaughter

“You are what you eat.”
-Anon.

Environmental

• Wasting natural resources to produce meat
• Meat is the most inefficient forms of food to produce. It takes about 10,000 gallons of water to produce one pound of steak
• Fresh water in dwindling because we’re using it all to irrigate the land to graze animals
• Much pollution to the air and water is caused by meat production
• Meat is somewhat inexpensive (ever wonder why you can get a quarter pounder with cheese at McDonald’s for a buck?) because we pay for it in tax subsidies to the agricultural industry. We also pay for it through medical care for heart disease patients

“You can pay me now or pay me later.”
-Anon.

Social

• There is a certain form of activism that is done by being vegetarian
• Vegetarianism is a way to fight world hunger
• More people could be fed without the consumption of meat
• Some vegetarians/vegans view eating animals as ‘speciesism,’ similar to racism or sexism
• A prominent Holocaust survivor pointed out the parallels between the confinement, torture, and slaughter of animals raised for food to that of those in a Nazi concentration camp
• A vegetarian lifestyle is that of a thinker

“I have from an early age abjured the use of meat, and the time will come when men such as I will look on the murder of animals as they now look on the murder of men.”
-Leonardo DaVinci

CHECK MATE
Nonetheless, questions persist. My Latin@ people have asked me: “How can you not eat tamales or chicken mole? (as if not eating these dishes translates to denouncing my cultural pride)” But if eating meat is a “Latin@ thing” then I might as well subscribe to machismo, lazy ways, and any other stereotype you can muster. Others have wondered if I’m merely going through a rebellious stage of my life to reject the common and social norms of mainstream society. But the truth of the matter is, I have made a conscious choice not to eat animals (“eating animals” sounds a little worse than “eating meat,” doesn’t it?) while others cannot explain why they do eat animals. However, I (like most vegetarians) do not question meat-eaters on their diet, because it is not my place. Yet still, the interrogations on vegetarians continue.

People have also asked me, “How can you be a vegetarian? You wear leather shoes!” I guess, I didn’t know wearing leather shoes meant I ate meat? People have exclaimed, “Tofu is disgusting!” Pig’s feet, cow liver, and gizzards are disgusting. People have lamented, “I could never be vegetarian.” I guess some people will never know what they can do, until they try. Have fun living your life with those illusionary chains holding you back from achievement.

As if the grilling would cease, others have made it a point to tell me that eating animals is part of some “food chain.” Well, if that is the case, then you will surely hunt animals down like a lion and eat them raw (with no seasoning salt, sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ or Tabasco sauce) like a true predator. Also, I’d hate for a colonizing group of Martians to migrate to earth and proclaim humans as next in line of the “food chain.” Or maybe you’d work in a slaughterhouse for a day, just to see the other end of the spectrum. A fly on the wall in a slaughterhouse would witness the true exploitation of animals, all sponsored by corporate America (Forget about the war in Iraq, the fall of American democracy, and sexism/poverty around the globe. I guess all is right with the world as long as we can eat a T-bone steak, chicken McNuggets, and pork riblets for dinner. And God forbid if Hooters goes out of business). Many videos and documentaries promoted by PETA contain a shock factor to them, highlighting the carnage that takes place with the killing of animals. If you can stomach this terror, then feel free to eat what you will. If you choose not to watch these videos, I guess what you don’t know can’t hurt you, huh? What else do you look away from?

“The truth will set you free.”
-Anon.

Most meat-eaters tell me they eat meat because it “tastes good.” Well guess what? Everything that glitters aint gold! There are a lot of things other than meat that taste good! Taste should not be the only qualifier of your nutritional regimen. And if I have given rationale from ethical to environmental on why I do not eat meat, I have trumped your sole “tastes good” theory with reason. At least develop some sort of rationale for your meat-eating ways, if you are going to bash, question, and deride vegetarians. Some may also feel that the all of the aforementioned reasoning is not enough to “give up” eating meat. But even if that is true, one cannot deny that this single act of abstinence makes quite a statement.

“I ain’t got to be what nobody else want me to be. And I ain’t afraid to be what I wanna be, think how I wanna think.”
-Muhammad Ali, From Ali (2001)

PEACE
This article merely brushes the surface on this issue. If interested in learning more on vegetarianism, I’d encourage you to explore the web, as that’d be a good place to start. At the very least, I’d hope that you will accept other individuals eating preferences and beliefs, as this is something that they should not be persecuting for.

But I’ve mused enough at this point. I shall close with a simple wish… Eat well, my friends.

“Animals are my friends… and I don’t eat my friends.”
-George Bernard Shaw

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
-Mohatma Ghandi

“If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian.”
-Paul McCartney

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