Eating insects

[Tre]

I stopped eating meat and fish quite a few years ago now and no way would I eat any insect.
I have been cutting out so much and nearly reaching to being a vegan.

I go to the Triratna Buddhist Centre and when I started the introductory classes they spoke of how we do not have souls!

I don't know if insects feel pain, but I couldn't or wouldn't kill anything, not even a fly.
Having someone else kill and prepare any animal or inspect for eating is wrong. The insect might feel pain and even fear.
In my opinion, by eating an insect is negative, but that is only my opinion and other might disagree.

You have to do what feels right for you!

[bomega]

I generally think it is a good idea to listen to your conscience, certainly better than a dogmatic rule, which is often what results from a lot of phillsophizing outside of any context of our lives.

@ Middleway: I have spent some time thinking about your post but honestly it doesn't make sense to me. You seem all over the place putting together a serious of true statements that aren't related, and so your conclusion seems kind of arbitrary. Also, be assured...I actually took no offense...but you were concerned about the well-being of vegetables in a way a lot of meat eaters make fun of vegetarians so I just assumed you were being funny. But I didn't want to offend you if you were serious. (On this forum, I have seen some crazy behaviors that people meant in all seriousness, and you never know on the internet. .)

[Middleway]

Bomega,

Yes, I was trying to be funny but managed hit some nerves. In my subsequent rant, I was making a point that vegetarians and non-vegetarians are equally guilty in causing suffering to the animals by clear cutting forests to make way for agriculture. The best way to reduce animal suffering is to minimize food wastage and also by eating less.

kindly,

Middleway

[Marc]

Bomega,

Yes, I was trying to be funny but managed hit some nerves. In my subsequent rant, I was making a point that vegetarians and non-vegetarians are equally guilty in causing suffering to the animals by clear cutting forests to make way for agriculture. The best way to reduce animal suffering is to minimize food wastage and also by eating less.

kindly,

Middleway

Hello Middleway,

How are vegetarians and meat eaters equally guilty? I think Matthew already mentioned that the majority of the produce nowadays goes to the meat industry. If everyone became vegeterian we wouldn't use so much land. And not only that, we wouldn't be killing billions of animals every year. It seems like you are trying to stay comfortable in your skin by arguing that we are all equally blamable, but you don't give arguments.

[Matthew]

I have to make a confession that I do eat meat on rare occasions (lamb - I think it is Magnesium or some other trace element) and fish on a fairly regular basis. My physical disabilities make it difficult for me to gain enough nutrition without so. Both my root teacher and a Bhikku told me I would not live if I did not do this.

I buy local responsibly sourced produce that is organic and sustainable. I would like to return to vegetarian diet and am working on ways I can reasonably achieve this given the limitations I face.

[Middleway]

Hello Middleway,

How are vegetarians and meat eaters equally guilty? I think Matthew already mentioned that the majority of the produce nowadays goes to the meat industry. If everyone became vegeterian we wouldn't use so much land. And not only that, we wouldn't be killing billions of animals every year. It seems like you are trying to stay comfortable in your skin by arguing that we are all equally blamable, but you don't give arguments.

Please see the study summarized in the link below.

http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/2007/10/diet-little-meat-more-efficient-many-vegetarian-diets

It shows eating a little bit of meat is more efficient than going total vegetarian. We can argue both ways on this topic until the cows come home (pun intended!), but this is not what I was trying to highlight.

The main issue I wanted to highlight is eating more than what we need to survive is wrong.

The moral thing to do is to kill/cut to eat only minimum that we need for survival. Anything more is immoral.

I am saying the population growth, over eating, and food wastage cause significant suffering to other animals and life forms. It doesn't matter whether one is a vegetarian or non-vegetarian.

[Marc]

Hello Middleway,

I don't understand the point of the study. What are the grams refered to and how is efficience being mesured?

[Marc]

Ok sorry. The link didn't open completely. I will read it now thanks.

[Middleway]

No worries Marc. Cheers!

Middleway