My switch in my diet to becoming vegetarian has had its up and downs. The reasoning, the logic, the countless decisions for every meal has been made with the best of intentions. While I always strive to become 100% vegetarian, it doesn’t always happen. But isn’t a vegetarian suppose to be vegetarian 100% of the time and no excuse? Yes I believe so. Does it always happen for myself. No it does not. One view I have always had in many things, is that I am a realist. Not everything is bright and shiny. Not everything is perfect. People’s lives and decisions can have many obstacles and I’m realistic about them.
So I eat vegetarian 90% of the time or 50%? What does that make me? Am I good vegetarian or bad one? What sect of diet does that make me out to be. I talked to my cousin Andrew and he said that means I”m a flexitarian aka I”m flexible on what I do and eat. Even though I don’t like the sound of it, I still claim to be vegetarian. What I want to do with my life and how I approach it fall behind a vegetarian values. Maybe I am bad? But I will always try to follow for people trying to and learning to be their best.
I’m come under a number of situations where it wasn’t always easy to a vegetarian. Sometimes I’m mad at myself, sometimes I make excuses. And this is not an article to make an excuse or seek solitude from others. I’m just being real. Maybe I’m at relatives and they only have meat dishes? It’s somewhat rude to not eat what was prepared for you. Or I go to a restaurant and eat the most vegetarian dish? And throw away the meat? I’m so exhausted from work and my wife has prepared dinner but do I make her cook another meal that’s purely vegetarian? There is this and countless other situations I’ve come upon on. The worst is when i’m so tired from working in the yard and the quickest and easiest meal is something with some meat in it.
I think people delve too much into the minor parts or classifications of what people are and are not. It starts to come a battle with two sides and one is right and wrong. If you talk about these issues it gets heated and dirty. So I’m vegetarian, but i’m no vegan? Then i’m not good enough. Or I’m vegetarian but blame others for eating meat? What is good or bad. I think in the public realm, you’re not going to change peoples minds by blaming them for what they are doing. They aren’t going to change your mind and you’re not going to change theirs. What needs to be done is a simple discussion on what and why somebody eats meat and help educative them and let them make the decision on their own. Hopefully through you’re own efforts they can see why it might be good to do it themselves. So what if they eat meat and won’t stop. Maybe try to do once a week at first. Or leave big meat eating just for holidays. Eating meat has been something humans have been doing since our existence. You can’t just stop it on a dime. Help them understand but don’t blame them.
Imagine if someone choose one meal a day or one one day a week not to eat meat? What if they used holidays to stop eating? 3 meals a day and 7 days a week. 1 meal can be a be change to help. Imagine if millions of people stopped eating meat for one meal a week. Its millions of countless animals that would be saved. Need to start small and grow as people can adapt to the idea.
Now I have to say the reasons to get meat are logically. I get it, I understand. But for those not willing to discuss, they seem to lack a good reasoning behind it. They throw back childish attitudes on the discussion. No one is particularly superior. YOu’re not better to be vegan but you’re also not just because you eat meat. I don’t understand that mentality to gloat that you eat meat. What positives come from that and at the end better than me in life?
A recent satire video on meat eaters and vegans came up. I have to saw its pretty funny and I’m sure true for many situations. And their in lies the problem. The bashing and elitism by those vegans aren’t swaying anyone. And then you have to ask yourself, whats the point and what positive are you doing? This discussion can go on and on. BUt I think this is a good start and a discussion is what is needed.
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