Ahimsa in the Mirror, Part One

I: Practice Makes...More Practice

If you are alive, you killed something today.

One of the things that veg*ns hear constantly is the worn-out old argument about the "suffering" of plants; one of the things that veg*n Pagans hear ad nauseum is that everything dies and death is just a natural part of the Circle of Life, Simba, so we might as well take all that bacon with us to the grave.  Some even accuse us of being afraid of death or in denial of the dark side of life.  We kill microorganisms by the million just breathing, we hit bugs with our windshields, and insects and rodents die every day in the course of vegetable farming--even organic farming.

So obviously if you can't be 100% vegan--and you absolutely can't in this world--you shouldn't even try, right?

To me the question is not one of death.  Vegetables die for me at every meal.  Granted, about thirty pounds of plants are required to raise one pound of beef, so if you're worried about vegetable suffering I'd still say veg is the way to minimize that, but still, being alive and taking up space means that something else can't.  Law of physics, you know.  Every morsel I eat is one that another being couldn't.  Just like me getting a job means someone else didn't.  Does that mean I should be unemployed?

Literalism is often used to justify unacceptable behavior.  Look at fundamentalist Christians and homosexuality, or Islamic extremists and...everybody.  Taken literally, the mere concept of veganism, Ahimsa, or even the Wiccan Rede is utterly ridiculous, impossible, and just plain silly.

Great! Let's all give up and pull the wings off flies!

That's why I view Ahimsa as a practice as well as a virtue.  Notice that a lot of worthwhile aims--yoga, Wicca, medicine, tantric sex--are all referrred to as "practices," not "perfects."  Just because you can't go all the way doesn't mean you shouldn't try.  Don't think you can stop eating meat?  Eat one less flesh meal a week.  This doesn't just apply to what you eat, either.  Just because you can't stop worldwide poverty doesn't mean you can't help one person.  It may not seem like much but I guarantee to that one person it was everything.

It may be just a burger to you, but to someone, it was life.

Whether or not it's justifiable to kill and eat animals for food is, to me, unimportant.  We could argue about that all day and get nowhere, just like with any fundamental belief.  But the fact is that our appetites have created a system that causes immeasurable suffering to living things, all kept carefully out of sight, torture and murder performed for us by hit men who have next to no worker's rights and are barely paid a living wage, only to come home and transfer the violence of their employment to their families. This isn't some kind of out of proportion veggie propaganda.  Find any video of a slaughterhouse killing floor or read interviews with workers and you'll see what really goes on behind those faraway walls.  If it were only death meted out by the industry, the numbers would still be outrageous, but the abuses and horrors perpetrated against defenseless animals are inexcusable.  There's simply no reason for it. 

All of this to satisfy our taste--not our needs.  Whatever you think about eating flesh, the fact is, nobody needs a Big Mac.

The irony is that this cruelty is also slowly killing us.  Broccoli isn't the culprit in the rising cost of healthcare and the swelling cancer statistics.  Nobody has a heart attack from eating rice every day.  I would take perverse amusement at this, but really it saddens me that people are able to live with blinders on, when the human race is capable of so much more.

I am working to remove myself from the system of innocent blood spilt over willful amnesia.  I am not perfect and never will be.  I can't guarantee I won't go on a cheese bender one day any more than I can guarantee I won't accidentally hit a butterfly with my car.  I have no idea what life has in store for me, but I can make the solemn and earnest declaration that I am committed to the practice of nonviolence and will do the best I can to minimize the suffering of other beings especially in the name of my desires. 

(Sounds awfully Buddhist of me, doesn't it?  I think Paganism needs a version of the Boddhisattva Vows--of course, that would require a much more organized view of the universe than most Pagans have.)

Next post I'll talk about what it means to commit to nonviolence toward the self.

Comments

[L.]

I generally agree but would add two caveats: 1) it is possible to make a range of ethical decisions within the choice to eat meat or dairy products. If you're going to do it, you can choose local, free-range, grass-fed, all those adjectives that people mock but really do make a difference (if the choice is made with education). Better for the person eating the item as well as for the animals involved.
2) Nobody *needs* a Big Mac, but in my experience it is arguable that some of us do need meat or dairy products. I eat maybe 95% vegetarian, but there is a noticeable difference in my mental and physical health if I do not eat a little meat. I know other vegetarians who have had the same experience. Also, although this can be a controversial topic, I think it's very hard to raise a small child vegan and healthy (vegetarian being easier). So that's when I turn to #1.

I'm not trying to persuade you to do any differently than you are doing. I fully support and applaud your choices! I'm just trying to explain why there's a gray area for me and others, and how I try to address this as ethically as possible.

[Sjh]

Bravo! I'm so glad you are talking about all these things. And you are right! Wicca could use some Buddhist ideas mixed in. I've been thinking a lot about how/if the wheel can be matched to the limbs of yoga. What would happen if every major pagan holiday was a time to reflect on ideas like right action or non-harming? I'm not sure, but I think it could be wonderful.

[Jessica]

I agree with the person who spoke of making ethical choices when eating meat. The only prob with that is, it can be expensive to do so, and depending on where you live, certain foods might not be avaliable. Some have a fundamentalist attitude when it comes to eating-vegetarian and meat-lover alike.

Eating a vegan or even vegetarian way is ethical, and *normally* better for your health. As a vegetarian myself, I can say I feel better. I gave up meat because:

1) Never been a big meat-lover anyway. Love carbs more than anything.
2) Love animals more than people, and hate to hear about animal suffering.
3) I wanted to be healthier
4) I realized how we produce meat had effected the environment, other issues, etc.

However, I do believe eating meat is natural, and not something to look down upon others about.

It is the cycle of life, but the cycle of life does not advocate suffering of humans or animals, I don't believe.

This is my personal choice. Not everyone dislikes meat like I do.

The key is to stop animal suffering, and the effect we have on the world through how we produce meat/dairy.

You can do that while eating meat, if you make ethical choices, and are strict about where your meat comes from, etc.

[Lyda]

It would be impossible for me to go through my entire life without ever hurting another human being. Sometimes the hurt might be accidental, sometimes it might be part of a necessary action, like breaking off a relationship that isn't working. However, it would be ridiculous for me to go on a killing spree just because I can't be perfect and never hurt another person. Likewise, I'll eat plants and accidentally smash bugs while driving, but I won't pay someone to kill tortured chickens and baby cows for me to eat. Hard to understand?