A long list of good reasons can be given for taking to a healthy, plant based diet, but still I am asked, “Why are you a vegetarian?” Shouldn't it be the other way around, with the question being asked, “Why do you eat meat?”
And now I will add another question. “Would you give up eating meat in order to combat global warming? Let me assure you, the next time you fire up the barbecue it is more than just the steak getting warm.
I recently visited India, part vacation, part pilgrimage. But the India I enjoy most is rural agrarian India, an India that is fast being swallowed up by globalization. Vegetarian India, the land of the sacred cow. I needed to understand how the cow, an animal integral to the rich spirituality of India, could also become such a villain, belching and passing methane, a gas responsible for much of the worlds global warming.
It was mid-flight from Singapore to Mumbai, global warming on my mind as I gazed out the window at the Air India jet exhaust.
The airline steward assisted me with the vegetarian meal order; no meat, no fish, and no egg.
“And no onion or garlic”, I added, understanding that these are also foodstuffs prohibited (except medicinally) by traditional Indian standards. She happily took my order.
A moment later, I felt a tapping on my shoulder. The Indian gentleman sitting behind wanted to talk.
“I have not witnessed such a high dietary standard from a westerner before”, he said. He proudly told me how his grandmother used to follow the same standard, but then informed me that modern India is a different place. “We even have MacDonald's now“, he added, shamefaced. He introduced himself as Mr. Agrawal, and invited me to visit him during my stay.
I ate my rice and lentils in silence, while those around me enjoyed lamb. Meat eating is the norm worldwide after all, not only in western countries, but also on the increase in developing nations. Vegetarianism, although a lofty value held in high esteem in some circles, is usually scorned and ridiculed.
A vegetarian will often endure persecution and defamation similar to that suffered in recent decades by feminists, the gay community, and civil rights activists. A constant barrage of advertising assaults us, and flesh products are on display in every shopping district. But tolerance is only human, which is after all, a derivative of the word "humane".
A few weeks later, I had the privilege of visiting Mr. Agrawal, a wealthy businessman, at his home in New Delhi. He welcomed me graciously and the afternoon was spent in convivial chatter.
He then showed me into his study. He opened an ancient book, explaining that it was a translation of scripture written 5,000 years ago. His edition was written in Sanskrit, so he translated it for me.
'The sages gathered before the teacher of divine wisdom, who spoke as follows, “In the coming age of Kali (quarrel and hypocrisy) there will be an increase of anger, greed, and envy. The people will be so spiritually destitute that they will eat mother cow.”
The assembled sages were shocked, “No…not possible!, humankind will never degrade to the point of eating the cow.”
At this point Mr. Agrawal closed the book, turned to me and said, “Thank you for reminding me of my heritage and of the important values in life.” He hugged me in sincere gratitude.
It was a sultry night in New Delhi. I sat outside on a rattan chair, pondering the future of our planet, which is warming up at an unacceptable rate. Development and technology are known to be the primary culprits. Yet modern globalization based on manipulation of Earths finite resources is seen as the sacred right of governments worldwide.
Scientists are clutching at inventive methods to solve this new problem, whilst traditional wisdom is entirely overlooked. Surely traditions with respect for Mother Earth, environmental sustainability, and a simple vegetarian diet deserve serious consideration as an alternative approach.
Is it just me, or does it seem that agricultural methane emissions are being overlooked as a global warming threat? In all the literature, news reporting and political diatribe on greenhouse gas emissions, just how much understanding is there on the effect of animal agriculture?
Yet global warming poses one of the most serious threats to the environment ever faced in human history. By focusing entirely on carbon dioxide emissions, major organizations have failed to account for data showing that other gases are the main culprit behind the global warming we see today.
As a result, they are neglecting what might be the most effective strategy for reducing global warming in our lifetime: advocating a vegetarian diet. These may sound like the words of a global warming skeptic, but they are not.
a really superb and enlightening topic...........keep it up.