* "To my mind, the life of a lamb is no less precious than that of a human being." - Mahatma Gandhi.
* "The time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look on the murder of men." - Leonardo Da Vinci.
* "If a group of beings from another planet were to land on Earth -- beings who considered themselves as superior to you as you feel yourself to be to other animals -- would you concede them the rights over you that you assume over other animals?" - George Bernard Shaw.
* "What is it that should trace the insuperable line? ...The question is not, Can they reason? nor, Can they talk? but, Can they suffer?" - Jeremy Benthem.
* "You have just dined, and however scrupulously the slaughterhouse is concealed in the graceful distance of miles, there is complicity." - Ralph Waldo Emerson.
* "I cannot fish without falling a little in self-respect...always when I have done I feel it would have been better if I had not fished." - Henry David Thoreau.
* "Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages." - Thomas Edison.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
A better choice
This is a very touchy topic for me. For a long time, I have been thinking about putting this on my blog, but was unsure about how to put it. Finally, I've decided that I'll put it MY way!
Of late, I've constantly found myself in arguments with friends about food; specifically, about meat. Although this topic is one that I've always felt strongly about, what bothers me is the fact that it's really hard to make people understand that this is not about me; neither is this something that I've planned to get them converted to something totally different than what they are! Nevertheless I end up looking like someone who just likes to fight and argue about some "worthless" thing as this. OK, let's face it that I'd be a happier person if even one "more" person feels for animals just as I do, but I do fully understand that this is a matter of individual choice. For me, this whole issue has always been about choice; Or as I'd say, "a better choice".
One of the biggest problems with whatever I have to say, stems from the fact that I have been a vegetarian all my life and so have never had to change my eating habits. I can understand, to a certain extent, how difficult that could be for someone who's always been having meat. Tough as it may sound, I don't think it might be all that difficult either.
As far as I'm concerned, if I knew that a small action of mine could possibly help save the life of a creature, I'd be all for it. And if that action was nothing more than a choice - a better choice - I wouldn't have to think twice. I think it's all about how much an individual feels for this cause that makes his/her choice easier. When I voice my thoughts (everybody like to make himself heard sometimes!) people around me point out a lot of interesting things like the fact that there are a lot of animals out there that kill and eat other animals for food, we may not be any different! The way I look at it would be to say that yes, some animals do kill other animals for food; Given our abilities, we humans too can kill and eat other animals for food; Given our abilities that distinguish us from other animals, we can also think - and make a choice - either to do the same thing, or to do something better and not kill them!! Somewhat co-incidentally, we do have quite a few other options when it comes to food, as vegetarians through out the ages have shown.
Surprising as it my seem, quite a few people actually feel threatened when I try to say this. Like this one guy who actually started abusing me for a web page link on KFC's cruelty to chickens that I had recently posted on my blog site!! What I find hard to fathom is the fact that after all this is my opinion, and I think everyone has his/her opinion! And it's not like I go out of my way to explain something like this to everyone!
At the end of the day, I do realize that no matter how or what I (and a lot of my other compassionate friends) feel and say about this issue, we'd probably have a lot more meat eaters than vegetarians, even tomorrow; probably the human world's not going to change much 50 years from now. It's probably the good old human nature, like the way a lot of people out there still kill other people for whatever reasons, and a handful of people still try to make them realize that they can do better than that! At least I would have the content of having been part of a peaceful revolution - one that aims to make lives of all animals better!
Finally, some famous quotes that really make us think on the same terms -
* "Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet." - Albert Einstein.
* "If you have men who will exclude any of god's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men." - St. Francis of Assisi.
* "Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so." - Douglas Adams, Last chance to see.
* "Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." - John F. Kennedy.
Of late, I've constantly found myself in arguments with friends about food; specifically, about meat. Although this topic is one that I've always felt strongly about, what bothers me is the fact that it's really hard to make people understand that this is not about me; neither is this something that I've planned to get them converted to something totally different than what they are! Nevertheless I end up looking like someone who just likes to fight and argue about some "worthless" thing as this. OK, let's face it that I'd be a happier person if even one "more" person feels for animals just as I do, but I do fully understand that this is a matter of individual choice. For me, this whole issue has always been about choice; Or as I'd say, "a better choice".
One of the biggest problems with whatever I have to say, stems from the fact that I have been a vegetarian all my life and so have never had to change my eating habits. I can understand, to a certain extent, how difficult that could be for someone who's always been having meat. Tough as it may sound, I don't think it might be all that difficult either.
As far as I'm concerned, if I knew that a small action of mine could possibly help save the life of a creature, I'd be all for it. And if that action was nothing more than a choice - a better choice - I wouldn't have to think twice. I think it's all about how much an individual feels for this cause that makes his/her choice easier. When I voice my thoughts (everybody like to make himself heard sometimes!) people around me point out a lot of interesting things like the fact that there are a lot of animals out there that kill and eat other animals for food, we may not be any different! The way I look at it would be to say that yes, some animals do kill other animals for food; Given our abilities, we humans too can kill and eat other animals for food; Given our abilities that distinguish us from other animals, we can also think - and make a choice - either to do the same thing, or to do something better and not kill them!! Somewhat co-incidentally, we do have quite a few other options when it comes to food, as vegetarians through out the ages have shown.
Surprising as it my seem, quite a few people actually feel threatened when I try to say this. Like this one guy who actually started abusing me for a web page link on KFC's cruelty to chickens that I had recently posted on my blog site!! What I find hard to fathom is the fact that after all this is my opinion, and I think everyone has his/her opinion! And it's not like I go out of my way to explain something like this to everyone!
At the end of the day, I do realize that no matter how or what I (and a lot of my other compassionate friends) feel and say about this issue, we'd probably have a lot more meat eaters than vegetarians, even tomorrow; probably the human world's not going to change much 50 years from now. It's probably the good old human nature, like the way a lot of people out there still kill other people for whatever reasons, and a handful of people still try to make them realize that they can do better than that! At least I would have the content of having been part of a peaceful revolution - one that aims to make lives of all animals better!
Finally, some famous quotes that really make us think on the same terms -
* "Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet." - Albert Einstein.
* "If you have men who will exclude any of god's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men." - St. Francis of Assisi.
* "Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so." - Douglas Adams, Last chance to see.
* "Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." - John F. Kennedy.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Violet blooms!
I just love the colour of this flower! I framed this one on one of the trekking trails while in Bhadra.
Indian Cormorants and a pair of River Terns
This was taken on my trip to Bhadra in Karnataka, India in December 2006. Seen here are a bunch of Indian Cormorants and a pair of river terns roosting on a submerged tree in the backwaters of the serene Bhadra river.
I just enjoy taking pictures!
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