Do No (or Less) Harm

Recently I made the decision to eat a vegetarian diet (again). It feels a little like “groundhog day” since I have done this before, but there is reason I made this decision and I feel really good about it.

I have been working a lot with loving kindness and compassion in my meditation practice this year. Something that can feel a little foreign to my cold, black Norwegian heart (no offense intended for my fellow cold-hearted Norwegians) and the practice has moved me in ways I could not imagine.


This loving kindness and compassion practice is based in a Buddhist “prayer” called the 4 Immeasurables.



There are several translations but here is one example:
May all sentient beings have happiness and the causes of happiness
May they be free from suffering and the causes of suffering
May they never be separated from bliss, free from suffering
May they dwell in equanimity from from attachment, aversion, and prejudice

________________________________________________________________________
I am sure there are several doctoral papers written on this subject and I'm not here to go all intellectual on you. But, working with this in my practice really got me to thinking...this prayer is a heart felt wish that ALL sentient beings be happy and free from suffering. The key words being “all” and “sentient”.
________________________________________________________________________


That includes your friendly cows, pigs, chickens, etc. Animals that millions of Americans consume for dinner every day.

I believe that by eating animals I am causing them to suffer. They are being killed so they can provide food for people. I consume(d) them, therefore they suffered.

Here are some startling facts about the number of animals killed per year:

Chickens: 8.68 billion
Turkeys: 267 million
Cattle: 35.5 million
Pigs: 101 million

My decision to eat vegetarian extends beyond the “animal rights” stuff. Factory farming is just bad for the environment.

Here are some more facts:

• It is estimated that 50% of the water consumed in the US is used to raise livestock.
• It takes 100 times more water to produce a pound of beef that it does to produce a pound of wheat.
• Agriculture is responsible for 70% waterway pollution. This is due to livestock farming.
• 2/3 of the Rainforest in Central America has been cleared for cheap beef to sell to America Fast Food establishments
  

I could go on and on...but that would qualify as “ranting”, don't you think? I think the truth is that a lot of people don't know any better.

veg·e·tar·i·an

The term vegetarian is created from the Latin word vegetus meaning “lively”. I plan on keeping the animals “lively” by not eating them, but also keeping myself more “lively” (or just "alive") since vegetarians LIVE longer.

Make a change...
So, chances are you may be unwilling to give up the cheeseburger...but maybe you would be willing to eat a vegetarian meal 1x a week. Or perhaps give up fast food and save a rainforest in Central America. You can make a small shift in your eating and make a big difference on your health and the environment.

Regardless of what you decide, I know what is right for me is to do less harm to the animals and the environment.

Have you hugged a Vegetarian today?