Humans are, by nature, omnivore creatures. It means, we eat various types of food coming from animal and plant. Our digestive system is designed to eat both sources of food. Our body needs balanced diet from both sources to obtain healthy living. We are different from cats and dogs, for example, who are carnivore by nature. Their bodies are designed to eat meat and forcing them to eat vegetables regularly is not only against their natural instinct, it can be harmful for their well-being. Same goes for cows, who are herbivore by nature. Forcing cows to eat meat will only lead to various issues.
With these facts so well-defined, I wonder why do some people still think that it’s cruel for us, humans, to eat animals? Isn’t that how food chain works? That’s how ecosystem works, and we’re happen to be on top of the food chain.
I tried to read more. I found so many arguments about how eating animals are cruel because it killed and hurt them. Wait, does that mean that eating plants is not cruel? When we eat cabbage, does that mean the cabbage remains alive? No. We kill them too. We hurt them too. Just because cabbages don’t scream and try to escape, does not mean that they are not living thing. Does not mean that our act of eating them is not considered as killing.
Last time I check, the definition of living thing is organism that displays the key characteristics of life. These characteristics include the ability to grow, reproduce, take in and use energy, excrete waste, respond to the environment, and possess an organised structure. Nowhere in this definition mentions the ability to move, to walk, to fly, or to swim. Plants clearly have the ability to grow, reproduce, take in and use energy, excrete waste. Their way to respond to the environment might not be as fast as we’d expect from animals, but they do respond. Each type of plant clearly possesses organised structure more complex than non-living things. So plants are living things. Plants have life. The definition of killing is to remove the life of a living thing.
What about eating fruits? The plant producing the fruits would still be alive. True. We could probably compare that with eating only the ear of a cow. It’s still part of their body. And again, just because they don’t scream, doesn’t mean we are not doing them any harm. Causing any part of a living thing to be separated unnaturally is something undesired by the victim, that’s for sure.
Don’t get me wrong here, I eat food from both plant and animal sources. I used to avoid vegetables when I was younger, but now I am trying to improve my balanced meals. So I am not against eating plants. Why? Because that’s our place in food chain ecosystem. That’s how life works. Naturally, killing animals or plants for fun is something I despise and condemn.
I am well aware that what everyone eats is none of other people’s business. If you think eating only vegetables is good for your health, by all means please do so. If you do have some health requirements to eat or not to eat something, surely you have to follow. Or even it’s only a lifestyle choice, I don’t have issue with what other people eat. I do, however, have issues when hearing that some people think they are better than others because they don’t kill animals for their food. Heck… those vegetables in their plate are also killed living things, or part of living things’ body. Go ahead and try to live without killing or harming any other living things. If anyone can actually do that, I’d like to know how.
Leave A Comment