Wednesday, November 25, 2009

the mud god is my new god

the mud god is my new god,
because it never expects adoration
never demands virgin crimson
nor a glorious edifice

the mud god is my new god,
because it never clutches at gold
never crusades against the infidel
nor sends souls beneath it

the mud god is my new god
because it only wants rain



© Joseph E. Arechavala 10/5/09

Friday, November 13, 2009

What’s For Dinner

I read recently that Natalie Portman, the actress, decided to change from vegetarian to vegan.

I find the worldview of vegans to be quite interesting. Only in the late 20th and early 21st century we live in would this view now even be considered, let alone put forward as a moral choice.

Vegans ignore the basic, fundamental fact of life on this planet: everything alive - except plants - consumes something else, also alive, in order to live itself. So, we have grass eaten by gazelles, who are then eaten in turn by predators like lions, cheetahs and hyenas. We have ants who survive on various foods, which are in turn eaten by frogs, who in turn are eaten by snakes, who are then in turn eaten by birds like hawks.

In nature, mice function pretty much solely as food for other animals: snakes, owls, coyotes, foxes, lizards, etc. To claim that mice serve any other function than food other animals isn't really looking at reality. That’s why they breed so fast and have so many baby mice in each litter. In fact, this strategy applies to most of the animal world. Produce many young because most of them will get eaten.

I could go on, but you get the point. And while I’ll agree with vegans we should do our best to treat animals humanely and minimize their suffering, it’s more than a little ludicrous to claim that humans shouldn’t be eating meat and eggs, drinking milk or wearing leather on some moral ground when every other creature on this planet lives that way. Nor have I noticed predators being particularly 'humane' to their prey; in fact, some animals eat while their victim is still alive.

Argue your case on environmental grounds. Argue your case on health grounds. But arguing your case on moral grounds is inherently stupid.