Meat and evolution

29.

By cleaning up our own conscience in the knowledge that diet change is safe, our eating habits can accord with plant-based survival. Because it has been shown that humans have no reason to keep and kill animals for food, other than for reasons of convenience, we are experiencing a unique step forward. We have for the first time in history been able to suggest that, since animal farming is plainly unethical, there’s no reason to continue it! In addition, the environment would benefit in so many ways. Without the millions of animals taking up so much food and fertile land, deforested lands could be returned to tree cover, ruminant methane eliminated and waterways no longer polluted by effluent run-off. If that can interest and move humans to change their diet, then it would even more so, in the knowledge that animal products won’t be poisoning our bodies. By lifting these dead weights we help to restore so many damaged elements of our world that one might say that a mere change to our daily eating habits can save our very souls! For those who do go vegan, they feel a sense of relief. It’s good for body and conscience, and surprisingly straightforward ... almost.

There still remain arguments for not changing, held by people who are still locked into the ‘conventional’ diet. They will say that animal protein has been used for feeding humans since time out of mind. That we are what we eat! That every advancement of the human brain is down to there being meat in the diet.

            But has the human race ‘advanced’ or been ‘held back’ by its much heralded, meat-fuelled brainpower? Has it achieved everything it can achieve or is it yet to reach its true potential? If we are proud of our artistic and scientific endeavours, then aren’t we ashamed of our warfare and violence? Is the world making progress, or is it about to self-destruct?

            Many ‘thinking people’ today see the writing on the wall;  they follow the logic which suggests that where humans have used violence, they’ve brought about chaos. If violating animals has made a meat diet normal, then that diet could well be responsible for our violating the subtlest machinery of the human body, bringing us close to our own self-destruction.