1703:
Edited by CJ Tointon
We are awash with
information these days. The media pumps out facts and opinions and generates
plenty of fear. What should we read? What should we listen to? What should we
watch? It's a continuous series of decisions we have to make as to how to spend
our input time. Every spare moment is a chance to check out information
sources. But are we sure we want to? One source spreads pleasing news; the
other is more unpleasant. Education is a fine thing until it unlocks a few too
many doors into a world we'd rather not enter. And if we do choose to look more
closely at that world, it can set off concerns almost
forcing us to say: "Please don't tell me too much. It'll only make my life
more difficult!" This is how we end up when we choose not to look at
certain issues deeply enough.
If we see things too
superficially (as most people do when it comes to matters pertaining to Animal
Rights) we are confronted by shocking information and unwelcome news. On the face
of it, the prospect of eating a healthier diet and having a clear conscience
should add up to a more bearable and pleasurable life. But it's likely we'll
only be focusing on the 'losses'. Respecting animals (which means being vegan)
just seems like a lot of self-sacrifice and missing out on the good things of
life. It seems too self-denying to give up so much just for the dubious
benefits of better energy, fewer colds and less guilt!
But if we dare to
look a little deeper, if we open Pandora's Box, it often becomes difficult to
close it. The same acuity of mind that we reserve for important matters, isn't
as easily applied to our senses, especially when they're seduced by the
'pleasure foods'. Beefsteak, cheesecake, prawn cocktails, chocolate fudge - and
a thousand more 'delights' - keep us coming back for more. We use these 'foods'
to give us a lift. We depend on these readily available, animal-based treats
because we think our lives would be unthinkable without them. This is why we so
hotly resist contemplating animal rights and plant-based diets and why the
deeper issues are never exposed to rigorous scrutiny. Debate will not willingly
be entered into!
Our routine use of
these animal-based foods (these 'treats', lifters and boosters) is not as
quickly destructive to us as heroin use; but over a longer period it's just as
deadly! Animal-derived products may not be as cancer associated as tobacco or
as 'liver shrivelling' as alcohol; but they comprise a whole army of 'pleasure
giving' eatables, most of which we've grown up with or acquired a taste for.
Nearly every fridge and kitchen cupboard in the land contains a variety of
animal-based substances which are seen as essential to the smooth
running of our domestic and social lives. Whether to satisfy the munchies, for
celebration or to alleviate anxiety, we bring out the meat and dairy, the
salted and sweetened snacks and 'ready-mades' - all of which originate wholly
or partly from the slaughterhouse!
To the thrill of our
taste buds (and the long suffering of our bodies) we bypass the warnings of our
inner wisdom. We know the danger of a live now/pay later approach. We
also know that most people are battling food seductions whilst nibbling away at
health and conscience - but the seduction is irresistible. Today's rich foods
are made to taste delicious and they're made to feel safer than they really are
because they feature so prominently in our lifestyles. The matter of food is
never portrayed as a fight between good and evil - only as a self-benefitting payoff
for what seems like such a minor lapse of clear thinking.
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