My favorite childhood book has helped me solve a troubling grown-up moral dilemma. That’s not surprising, since childhood experiences often hold the key to resolving issues later in life.
I’ve long felt like a hypocrite for one simple reason – I’ve always eaten meat, despite the fact that animal rights issues top the list of things I care very deeply about. I was sick over the recent undercover video from California showing crippled cows being tortured and dragged to their death by despicable people lacking in compassion.
That finally did it for me.
I have a feeling a lot of people also face the same meat-eating moral dilemma. Personally, it’s a struggle between what I inherently know is the cruel practice of taking animals to slaughter, and the love of a juicy Porterhouse steak, or liver and onions.
For all of my life, thus far, the steak and the liver have won.
When I lived in Louisville, Ky., I used to pass the slaughterhouse when going downtown. I hated that drive and avoided it whenever possible. Seeing cows on the trucks headed to the meat-packing plant always bothered me. It’s one of those things you try to put out of your mind, but it’s always there.
So, there is no time like the present to try and do what’s right to reconcile this long-standing moral dilemma by becoming some form of vegetarian.
That’s the rub.
There are a number of variations to the vegetarian diet and I haven’t quite figured out how far to go. Is there such a thing as a little bit of a hypocrite? I’ve pretty much decided that in order to look in the mirror and not see a big “H” on my forehead, eating beef, pork and chicken needs to be a thing of the past. That’s a start.
But is seafood OK? Just when I think so, I recall having to turn my eyes away passing lobsters in those tanks, piled up on each other as they await their selection for the evening’s surf and turf. I’ve always pitied those lobsters for their miserable existence, but I sure do love lobster.
This is going to be harder than I thought.
According to Wikipedia, vegetarianism excludes from the diet all animal flesh, including poultry, game, fish, shellfish or crustaceans and slaughter by-products. Something called Lacto-ovo vegetarianism does include eggs and dairy. That’s good. I can work with that.
There is even something called fruitarianism, which consists of a diet of only fruit, nuts, seeds and other plant matter that can be gathered without harming the plant. By “harming” does that mean if you pick an apple, it hurts the tree? Come to think of it, it sure did in “The Wizard of Oz” and those trees turned really mean.
Admittedly, I am a little bit nutty, but I can’t say that I’ve ever felt sorry for peanuts, so fruitarianism is definitely too extreme.
Similarly, as an animal devotee, I’ve always had a big problem with hunting. However, I know some very wonderful people who are devoted to hunting. Socialization plays a big role in such things, I think. Then again I will never wear fur, even though my mother treasured her fur coats, so there is room for rejecting aspects of one’s upbringing in order to take a stand.
The solution to this meat moral dilemma really isn’t as difficult as it seems. It’s all in the mind and heart. So, the next time I am craving a steak or baby back ribs, I will visualize what had to happen to get that meat to market.
Then, I’ll go pick up “Charlotte’s Web,” read my favorite passages, and settle for veggie pizza and some chocolate.
Chary Southmayd is the editor of the Belleair Bee.
