Mass consumption of non-vegetarian food is in a way tantamount to burdening Mother Earth, says Rajyogi Brahmakumar Nikunj
It has been rightly said that we are what we eat because the kind of food that we take in has a direct impact on how we think and, therefore, it’s crucial to what we finally become. Recent studies made by modern medical science have suggested that the human body is not naturally designed to digest and assimilate non-vegetarian food. That is why, today, most of the medical practitioners recommend a healthy vegetarian diet to their patients who suffer from lifestyle disorders. Along with scientific studies, individual researches made all over the world have also clearly pointed out that when an animal is killed for meat, it experiences fear, anxiety and pain. Its hormonal secretions are then passed on to its consumers. Such diet is, therefore, unhealthy, both for the body and the mind. In many religions also, non-vegetarian diet is strictly forbidden, not just because it causes pain and suffering to other living creatures but also because it is the source of vicious thoughts and attitudes to its consumers. In other words, non-vegetarian food is a gateway to non-vegetarian lifestyle — a way of living where vices dwell comfortably.
One must understand that human cruelty towards animals is nothing but a way of inviting cruelty on to self. Also the current trend of mass flesh consumption not only highlights the way we look at other living beings but also our desire to subjugate them. It also represents our desire to tame nature to our will and to exploit it for our gains. Thereby, suggesting a belief system that justifies violence in the name of need and necessity. In a broader perspective, the mass consumption of non-vegetarian food is a way of heaping sin upon the human community. No peace marches, diplomatic dialogues and conferences can bring peace to the planet when we are burdening it with desperate cries of hapless creatures.
It is so ironic that meat-eating developed countries have stringent laws when it comes to treating a pet. It even ensures that if a pet is hurt, the owner can face imprisonment. However, in these very countries, millions of animals are killed every day in the name of food and yet, no one goes to jail. Isn’t it surprising that so many animal lovers continue to be non-vegetarians because they are unable to connect to the cruelty that goes behind in the making of such foodIJ Even more surprising was a weird recommendation to find human methods of animal slaughter, made by some so called animal sympathisers. But the contention here is, what can be more inhuman than nourishing an animal to kill it one dayIJ It is a breach of morality by all possible standards. What is more cruel than subjecting generations of animals to a life of stifling captivity that leads only to a merciless endIJ It is a great pity that even sympathetic humans are left with such little kindness to an extent where all they can think of, is designing a better way to kill.
It is high time that all of us should ask ourselves a question as to why our conscience needs a rational argument, sanctioned by a research institute in the west, to realise that killing other living creatures is a form of crueltyIJ Why do we need facts and figures to understand that cruelty can never be a harbinger of any form of health — be it mind, body or the environment — and bring peace and harmony in the worldIJ Can’t we realise that a heart that heaves no sigh at the sight of violence cannot be a source of compassion for other fellow menIJ So how do we expect people, who do not nurture the feeling of kindness for other living beings, to nurture feelings of brotherhood and forgiveness for their own communityIJ Aren’t we just walking on one path while seeking another’s destinationIJ Just give it a thought and then decide whether to kill or heal.