From Animal Scrifice to Veganism

 

Aparna Krishnan

14 at 07:08

To the post, " Practices like animal sacrifices in their rituals are conceived as barbaric. But that is part of a non vegetarian community’s offerings to their god. They neither feel defensive nor belligerrant about their animal sacrifices when it is criticized. Their own lore also includes positions against animal sacrifices. All positions are accepted in humility."

A respone was, "So an animal's every right is taken away and subjected to unimaginable horror and death and you choose to shed a tear for wounded egos. "

1. today our very lifestyle - starting with the simple pervasive use of plastics - kills and maims more animals than occasional non-vegetarianism does. Hence to criticize when we ourselves are indicted is foolish at best and shamelessly arrogant at worst.

2. let us first correct ourselves - starting with a complete and systematic lifestyle correction. Buy nothing packaged as far as possible. Only walk or cycle as far as possible. Move to a simpler and less 'developed' part of the world, and use things locally produced as far as possible. Work towards establishing those systems which make this possible.

3. There is no 'you' and 'us' anymore - we are all criminals of the highest order in this modern lifystyle.

4. my non-vegetarian dalit neighbours cause far far less damage to animals than I despite my egetarian habits.

And, to clarify, I say all while being an uncompromising vegetarian myself.

It took me many years as a neighbour to these poorest of the poor to see my own contradictions, superficialities , and double standards .

Mayon Tandav Whether we are Vegan, Lacto-Vegetarian, Ovo-Vegetarian, Pescetarian or a Non-Vegetarian will be dictated merely by the choice of where we want to be in the hierarchy of things or more precisely the way of humanity we wish to maintain and the circle we choose to be... Agasthya ate Vatapi, and Mahakali drank the blood of Rakthabhija and Shiva ate a child, Aghoris whom we consider purest eat Corpses... It is possible for Aghoris to feel human and maintain humanity amidst Aghoris but when they come to average civilization, they will have to suffer to transit from their Aghori state to a common man... Similarly a man/woman moving into a society which is Vegetarian when he is from a non-Vegetarian society will have to suffer transiting into that society... Simply if the soul is trying to transit itself to another hierarchy of things and it will pain... Just like there are predators, herbivores, omnivores in the jungle, the human society is filled with all kinds of people... One can't defend these questions but simply say "It's the way of the world" and leave it to that.... This cast of a bad eye on each other's life style is part of life itself... One can't imagine the world without the functions of Trimurthi... why bother even answering??? Although all this is fine... Balance is important... why we kill... for food or leather??? for hunger or pleasure??? can't torture animals for pleasure and can't kill animals for leather....

Aparna Krishnan A sense of proportion - a sensitivity and a sensibility - is most important. And modern civilization does huge harm in ways beyond our comprehension. We have no idea where our products come from ...

Aparna Krishnan To make those linkages sensible, and the producer-consumer distance smaller and smaller is the beginning ...