humanity for nonhumans . . .

Earlier today I read Nicholas D. Kristof's column (a habit really) titled Humanity Even for Nonhumans and made a note for myself to include a link in a post this weekend (more time to compose on the weekends). But this evening, after work, I read a post by Rev. Dr. Marilyn Sewell wherein she stated:

. . . if I had to kill an animal in order to get its flesh for food, I would almost certainly be a vegetarian . . .

and I knew I could not wait for the weekend.

So that you better know the source of the thoughts in this post: I have not intentionally eaten red meat for over 18 years (my wife suggests that the number is over 20 years). My reasons are mostly, what seem to me to be, an ethical choice (health has crept into the equation, but has always been a distant second or third).

I find that I cannot eat packaged flesh for which I have taken no responsibility - were I in a position to raise animals for food and were I to decide to kill the animal to eat, I might could do it. I could have done it 18 year or so ago. But, I refuse to go into a supermarket, pick up a package of pig or cow and go home, pleasantly remarking to my neighbor how fine the bridal's wreath looks in her yard, and then sit down to a steak or pork chop dinner (both of which I used to very much enjoy eating) with little or no idea how those animals were treated - what lives they may have lived (or endured).

The slaughter of animals for consumption in this country has been, and continues to be, for the most part, on a level of brutality that is completely unacceptable. That is my opinion.

ethical issues as well . . .

Disclaimer: We, my wife and I, were vegetarians for some 15+ years but began eating modest (maybe that is not a reliable adjective) amounts of seafood about 3 years ago. We have not intentionally consumed other animal flesh in over 18 years (there was the time when Grandma died - a most wonderful woman who lived to be 104 years old, but that is another post).

Here are some arguments on the consequences of eating meat.

According to Environmental Defense, if every American skipped one meal of chicken per week and substituted vegetarian foods instead, the carbon dioxide savings would be the same as taking more than half a million cars off of U.S. roads. See how easy it is to make an impact?

There is much more.

And by the by, this is by way of fallen monk.