Vegetarianism

I started some 25 years ago at around 8lbs and 20in. Since then my body has grown manifold in weight and volume. All this extra material came from what I ate. I am what I eat.

I am glad no part of me is made from chicken breasts, cow or pig intestines, goat brains or any part of any species from the animal kingdom. Some day, I might reflect and measure how much of the world's resources I ingested and what I made of it. If I don't do much in life, I'll be satisfied I didn't waste precious resources in the process.

I am told it took years to graduate from the life of hunting and preying to farming and agriculture. Different varieties of fruit/berries/nuts, vegetable/herbs and grain/lentils/rice have crossed the seas and now are available in parts of the world hitherto unheard of. Pesticides and fertilizers have made farming much easier. With all the advancement do we still need to depend on our primitive modes of livelyhood today?

It pains to see animals bred in crowded slaughterhouses, fed ground remains of slaughtered animals in their diet of grass and hay and injected steroids to grow big and fleshy just waiting to be killed and processed by large and heavy machines. I would guess the animals are fully conscoius of what's written in their destiny. Are we completely ignorant that karma runs full cycle and that we will reap what we sow?

With all the genetic engineering, the natural form of many foods will soon be extinct. With all the industrialization, farming and agriculture will cease to be the occupation of choice. With purchasing semi-cooked microwavable food or eating out in food joints run by large corporations becoming a fad, chemically and mechanically processed food kept under storage for long expiry periods will become more common. Chemical additives,that enhance flavor/aroma, are already becoming common to food and drink to grow a population of loyal consumers addicted to the product. These trends seem irreversible. With distribution of resources on earth increasingly being skewed in favor of the wealthy around the globe and citizens of developed nations, I won't be surprised if cannibalism becomes a last resort to satisfy the rage of hunger. I shiver from the possiblities and fear from the likelihood of reincarnating in the same world.

We need to go back to the basics. Eating simple and little. 2 simple things I must focus on: (1) regular pranayama (yup, Swami Ramdev has inspired my mother who urges me in each conversation to explore the potential my breathing has to make me healthier) and (2) drinking plenty of water (like air, I am told it has tremendous cleansing/purifying preperties) and as my father says, it's available for free, why not use it.