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Originally Posted by Johnnyzen
Speak for yourself.
How do you knoew what other macros think about violence?
Being concerned for the suffering of other animals is not merely semtimental or emotional. It is rational as well.
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Hi guys, gals,
I have been following these debates with interest, and thinking about the issue in my spare time. I think it is an issue with a lot of philosophical depth and shouldn't be shoved under the rug by either side.
I think there is something to be said for old habits being hard to break. I don't think our ancestors who survived on meat, who needed it to survive, who were born before the wisdom of Ohsawa graced this planet and for whom eating that way wasn't practical anyway, were murderers -- just as I don't think a tiger in a jungle is a murderer for hunting its prey. I don't think the Inuit people are murderers. (Unfortunate civilian casualties of the industrial revolution, yes, since their food supply has been perhaps irreversibly spoilt by our poisons.)
When people practice the carnivore lifestyle they're just following the old law of the jungle, though often these days it's in an exploitative, excessive manner. Whether the law of the jungle is appropriate on an increasingly crowded planet, well, I think most of us can agree on the answer to that.
I have a lot of respect for veganism. It is I'm certain the purest way to live. Society may need a transitional phase though. Macrobiotic diet with fish provides this.
We humans find something viscerally exciting and empowering about eating flesh particularly if one has caught and killed it oneself. Think about it, you're taking the power, the lifeforce, directly from these animals whose vitality (If they are wild or naturally raised)is still unsullied by office jobs and uncertainties, coffee and alcohol. (Downer cattle and most industry meat is a whole other disgusting ballpark. )
Think of the brave and intrepid pioneers and Native Americans, bedecked in furs, skilled hunters and cattlemen and survivalists, whom this country's heritage belongs to.
This (primitive perhaps) instinct to kill and eat animals is a significant part of the human condition and can't be quickly dismissed, no matter how gruesome some may find it. Many people find this instant power very addictive and appealing, especially if their diet contains lots of yin type food and drugs. It's an instinctive choice for most, because they don't know how to control their cravings and needs by following the middle way as set forth in macrobiotics.
I agree with other posters that it's important to point out the dangers of contaminants and over-fishing and let people make their own conclusions. Making an emotional appeal tends to backfire. People resent this because they see it as moral posturing, people will rebel and revel in their steak, --or Lobster -- preferably while they eat it in front of YOU (been there). We're a society in transition, as Nancy says in other words. I think the practical reasons for veganism and vegetarianism will become overwhelming and impossible to ignore, in the near future. I know I'll do my part, to get the word out there.
Peace to all. M Jean