Reasoning for being a vegetarian?

I'm a vegetarian, and I initially became one at the age of 6 after seeing how animals were slaughtered at market. I'm 17 now and would still never eat any animal product.

I understand your point - by not eating meat, I'm not directly helping to stop the slaughter for animals in any way whatsoever.

However, I have to pose a question to you. Are you against child abuse or animal abuse? And if so, I assume you would never dream of hurting a child or an animal, but does that help the other animals or children out there that are being abused?

The point I'm making is that even though we may not directly contribute in any way, our feelings toward the slaughter of animals are so strong that our moral conscience stops us from being part of it.

Think of it like watching a gang fight where someone is being assaulted. Very few of us would actually jump in and stop the fight since we'd be risking our lives, but our moral conscience is strong enough so that we don't join in.

Just because something can never be stopped doesn't mean you should go with the crowd and ignore what your conscience is saying. I'm not saying vegetarians have a better moral conscience, they just have a different perspective that stops them from doing things (consuming animal products) which everyone else is fine with. It's a personal choice :P

I completely agree that it's a crying shame to waste meat when an animal has been slaughtered for it. I hate people who buy up packs of meat, mindlessly, then chuck it away because they never got round to using it. As a pescetarian, if someone served me meat that would otherwise be thrown away (if it definitely would be thrown away and there was no one else to eat it), I would rather eat it and enjoy it and be norished by it, rather than have it tossed in the bin.

However, going vegetarian is a different thing because of supply and demand. If people are not eating meat, the industry will produce less. Meat gets thrown out every day regardless of vegetarians or non vegetarians because in our greedy consumer society they make sure we have MORE than enough on our supermarket shelves. They overstock. That is very wrong when there are lives involved. Rambling now.

Vegetarians reduce the demand for meat and so over time, less is produced. For example 7% of the uk are veg*ns so that is a 7% reduction in the demand for meat.

You seem to picture it being like a vegetarian gets a cow be to born, raised, and then killed, but then refuses to eat the meat. In our world, we pretty much buy meat, which means meat is subject to supply and demand. The meat industries don't want to raise and kill cows in excess if no one will buy them, or it would drive costs down. They are simply wasting money and other resources that way. So the idea behind vegetarianism is to not contribute to the demand, and thus lowering the supply. True, we are not exactly freeing cows and letting them their lives happily, but we are preventing new cows from being born and to live a life of misery. That is how we are reducing suffering. One person doesn't make much of a significant impact, but as our group grows, the decrease in suffering will shrink. And true, the meat industry will likely never stop, but even if we cannot stop it entirely, that is no excuse to accept it. I would rather 9 cows die than 10.

Reason for Being a Vegetarian are :

1. It's Loving, it's compassion, it's healthier for our body.

2. It's saving the earth 80 % from Global Warming.

3. It's a way to a Noble Life, Full of Compassion Life.

4. If u dont eat meat, then it means that U ARE NOT SUPPORTING THE CRUELITY TO THE ANIMALS! AND IT MEANS THAT U LOVE THE LIVING BEINGS. Why should u support to also eat the meat just because you think the animal died for no reason? If u started to stop eating meat, and u can invite other people to also stop eating meat, then it will be less cruelity to the cows and other animals . Because less people buy the meat to eat. They more choose vegetables and fruits. Meat is a product, the less people are eating it, the less product is made. THEN IT WILL BE LESS CRUELITY TO THE ANIMALS.

5. And there're still thousands of EXCELLENT REASONS why u should be a Vegetarian.

I grew to become vegan 6 months in the past after being a meat-eater all my lifestyles. I've on no account seemed again. I in my opinion didn't think that the enslavement and mass homicide of billions of animals in keeping with 12 months was once in any respect justified by way of the excuse "it tastes well." I additionally grew to become vegan, now not simply vegetarian, in view that cows are actually raped to create toddlers for veal and to churn out milk in terrible stipulations, so I located it simply as merciless as the beef enterprise, to not point out a vegan nutrition is freed from ldl cholesterol and saturated fat. The atmosphere may be being fully ruined by way of the livestock enterprise, as good as ravenous youngsters far and wide the sector being denied the grain and vitamins and minerals which would be feeding them, however is alternatively given to animals to create greatly much less meals for extra lucky individuals. Now what approximately that turns out reasonable? As you'll see, there are SO many causes to be vegan (or vegetarian). Put easily, those are: animal rights, wellbeing & frame, atmosphere, and global starvation. There are obviously a large number of alternative causes to move veg, however those look to be probably the most trendy. Hope I helped!

What does it solve?! If no human on the planet consumed meat, why would it still be produced? (that was a rhetorical question). It wouldn't. Innocent animals would be spared from some of the worst f***ing forms of slaughter. Some people (vegetarians/vegans) choose not to eat meat because sooner or later, others on earth will realize the positive moral perspective: the unnecessary slaughter of any creature is wrong. For thousands of years, humans couldn't afford to have these dietary habits, but in the last half-century it's become a VERY palpable alternative. In other words, the only good reason for people to eat meat now because they're impoverished, and have to tend to their own well-being (which is completely excusable). Otherwise, the consumption of meat is a LUXURY, the only justification being that it tastes good. To this people often say something to the affect of "I only eat meat because it's good for me" and "How else would I get protein If I didn't eat meat". Non-meat products like tofu carry PROTEIN and are sometimes BETTER for you, you ignorant F***S.

The master of peace himself, Gandhi once said "I hold that the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man. The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." What Gandhi says is simple logic: the intelligence and therefore advantage of humans should drive them to be protective of other creatures of the earth. Not use their power to control the vulnerable.

In response to your second question, I agree that the domestication of animals has created a poor future for them once many people don't eat meat or animal products: how will animals once used as food for humans will live after we stop using them? It may take centuries for them to return to their original levels of self-sustainability, and during this time, the species may become extinct. And what would the effects on the food chain and environment be? These are all problems which will result from and have to be solved by a mass human populace of vegans.

In the meantime though, I don't blame people of my generation or my parent's generation for being omnivores, but in the future, I would expect that more and more people will become conscious of their diet, and the well-being of other animals of this earth. The idea that humans are better than other animals and even insects is ignorant, and is an ancient thought; as we often may forget humans are animals too. It's up to these future generations to provide legislation which incriminates animal murder as much as human murder, among other animal rights issues. It will be the ultimate test of humanity to solve these issues morally.

I am personally going vegetarian for the health benefits (average of living 9 years longer and 7-17 pounds lighter), but I understand the ideology behind the moral reasons. See, it's not so much about that specific animal, but about the industry itself. Yes, that one cow will go to waste, but if the grocery store sells 3 less packs of meat every shipment, then they'll order 3 less packs, and one less cow will get killed for that shipment. The idea behind it is that if demand for a product goes down, then supply will as well over time.

I am vegan because I oppose how our culture treats animals for food, clothing, household items (leather furniture, cat toys with fur or feathers), laboratory testing, profit (like breeding, selling animals in pet stores), cosmetics and "entertainment" like dog racing, horse racing, zoos, aquariums.

Vegetarians and vegans do have an impact on these industries because as we are not buying these items, animals are not being harmed FOR US. We cannot change other people nor eradicate these industries. Although not for everyone, activism has helped reduce some harm to animals through changing how the food industry treats some animals, introducing animal cruelty legislation and pressuring those testing on animals in laboratories to develop non-animal models.

In my perfect world, animals would not be harmed for people at all, but I am realistic and intelligent enough to realize that this is an impossible dream. You say you would be sad if a cow died and no one would eat it...... the point is that if people did not eat it, cows would not have to die nor would they need to be bred into servitude.

If you can't understand why someone would be vegetarian or vegan because animals still die, can you think of anything else that many others may do but you feel strongly that you would not do them? How about child molestation? This is a very common social problem, yet I would not molest a child just because others do it. In some countries, mothers hold down their daughters and slice off their clitoris - this is an EXPECTED social norm in those countries. If I lived there having the values I do now, I would not care if it was expected of me... I would not do it. I feel this way about contributing to harm to animals.

Part of our individual moral development is to develop our own personal principles that guide our behaviour. I have experienced many things in my life that has led me to stick up for those who are oppressed... this includes animals, people who are abused or bullied, or otherwise do not feel accepted in our society. Being vegan has been a wonderfully rewarding experience and I cannot envision living any other way. I might not be able to stop all harm to animals, but I am reducing the number of animals who live horrible lives and I live with cats who no one else would want.

Does any of this make sense to you?

Your reasoning is quite odd.

Saying that those who oppose animal slaughter for human consumption should fund such practices because it will never be completely abolished from the face of the Earth is rationally akin to questioning why people choose not to murder given that THAT will always exist.

A dead cow has no ethical interests. It is no longer a cow, even, merely a dead body, which can either be honored, or consumed, its killers paid for their crime.

Also, there are no "vegetarians for animal rights". It is impossible to be for animal rights and continue to fund their commodification. It is vegans who are such for animal rights reasons.

I think it's like boycotting meat. If everyone refused to eat it, maybe slaughter houses would go out of business. Im not trying to make people stop eating meat, though