Circle of Life

It was a long drive from Hillston, a regional town in NSW to Sydney. I had my headphones on, with music blaring in my ears, till I caught notice of the massive truck in front of our car. It was packed with sheep from head to toe. I could not see an inch of space between them. Wondering how they were coping with the claustrophobic environment, I suddenly noticed one of them, at the edge of the truck. With its left leg stuck outside, it was desperately trying to free itself from the bars of the cage it was trapped in. It kept trying to shake its leg off to relieve itself of the pain the awkward position must be causing it. I watched horrified, almost disgusted that I was promoting this industry. I was party to animals being ruthlessly transported from one place to the other, to be slaughtered for someone's afternoon meal.  I never spared one thought of guilt at any point of my childhood, to re-think what my lifestyle choices must be doing to other living beings. However that one incident really shook me up. I looked it up and was relieved I wasn't the only one perturbed about the way these poor animals were being transported http://www.stopliveexports.org/

The way the animals are being transported, is not one of the only concerns. The conditions in which they are made to wait for their end is another.

Family and friends were a bit taken aback when I told them that I am trying to transition towards being a vegetarian. I have a reputation of being a hardcore foodie, barely ever filtering any kind of food that I would say no to. I am currently trying to be vegetarian for small blocks of time. I am certain many of my friends would laugh, but being vegetarian for a month was a big commitment for a foodie like me. I am currently on day 10 and I can definitely say it's not that bad!

Whenever I would bring up the morality issue of eating animals to my parents, they would bring up the age old argument of the "circle of life" (they totally stole that from Lion King). I was too hungry to even argue and would dig into my chicken without a bat of an eyelid. However as years passed by, I began questioning this argument. Sure, it would apply to lions in a jungle, as this is the only source of food they know. However, does the same apply to us?

Don't we have enough options to sustain a balanced diet, which would provide us with the strength and nutrition to live a long and healthy life? Yes we do. Which is why, I am going to put it in all my efforts to evolve towards a vegetarian lifestyle. If you are struggling with trying to make the switch, learn about how it will benefit you here: http://time.com/9463/7-reasons-vegetarians-live-longer/

Disclaimer: I did not write this blog to make all the non-vegetarians feel bad, but simply to discuss the issue :). You may not wish to change your diet but I would encourage you to support the causes of stopping animal cruelty in transportation, slaughter houses and others. I myself may not be able to radically change to a vegetarian diet, however the first step is the hardest. The best part is finding out that the grass is still greener on the other side, and that you still have plenty of "fun" options in a vegetarian meal. Think chocolate!