The fact that you are reading this means that you have access to the internet. I’d like to thank Captain Obvious for pointing that out. That means you are among the 35% of the world that has access to the internet. You’re also part of an even smaller percentage that uses the internet for entertainment, and then within an even smaller percentage of people that are reading blogs. This means that you are probably doing pretty damn well compared to a lot of the world. This is an important point to reflect on before reading the rest of this post.

So… why don’t I eat meat? Because I don’t need to.

This simple answer is the core of why I think I shouldn’t eat meat, and why I think some other people shouldn’t eat it either.

Let’s examine this from a very basic level.

Why does a tiger eat meat? Because it is the only way (I’m assuming) that it knows it can get the nutrients it needs to survive. It is a primal animal instinct. This is why if you met a tiger in the wild, you would most likely be scared for your life.

We on the other hand have been lucky enough to have evolved into creatures with glorious thumbs and brains that allow us to think about situations rationally. We are problem solvers. I’m not saying that we are the only species that can do this, but we do have this ability.

We have the ability to cultivate nutrients for ourselves in the form of grains, rice, vegetables, nuts, etc that most other animals do not. To eat meat simply because we can and have for thousands upon thousands of years is to refuse evolution. We have the resources and the know-how to survive without killing millions of animals. I think that is reason enough to stop doing it.

I was in Laos earlier this year, living with some families in rural villages. The families in the village work together to grow all kinds of produce that they use to feed the village, and to trade with other villages. When they do eat meat, they eat very small amounts, and have to kill and prepare it themselves. While I wish this didn’t have to happen, I understand that they find it very hard to get the nutrients they need from other sources, because they simply don’t have the ability to do so.

Compare this to people like me. We can go down to the super market and buy everything that we need to survive. You don’t even need to grow it or kill it. It is amazing that we can do this. Shouldn’t we take advantage of the fact that we are in a position where we can survive and live a healthy life that doesn’t rely on the deaths of animals?

What if everyone stopped relying on animals for nutrients full stop?

I think that would be awesome, but I’m not sure that we will see it happen any time soon.

What I am suggesting is that we only hunt animals when it is a matter of life and death. Because that’s exactly what it is.