08/30/2021
ya know..? I didn't make this Mark Scumburg page for me to just speak my thoughts. I wish people would say their thoughts, even if they are totally against mine. One thing, which I may have said before, is I don't eat meat. vegetarian, but all humans, in my opinion, are vegetarian. I do have this problem where I think too much. so a few years ago, i wrote this essay, just for my own purpose, not in school or anything, just to exercise my thought prosess.
Often I will meet people, sometimes at a social function or going out and they will offer me some food that contains meat. I kindly reject it saying, "I do not eat meat". They, usually in return, say, "Oh, you are a vegetarian?" What does this mean to me?
Of course I am a vegetarian. I am human, and therefore a vegetarian. All humans are vegetarians. Unfortunately, some choose to eat meat. It is the same as some choosing to smoke ci******es; humans are not naturally smokers, but we are capable of doing it (for a limited time) and some choose to. So my answer is "I do not eat meat", and that should not even have to be an answer, just a given.
The selfishness that people show by eating meat just disgusts me. I have not consumed any flesh for over 31 years. What does that say? We do not need to eat meat. People eat meat for this simple reason: they enjoy it. Fine, they enjoy it, but that enjoyment comes from the pain and death of an innocent animal. Because you have the power and ability to destroy another's life only to satisfy your taste buds should be a rationale to cause pain? I would estimate that most people that do not eat meat, but have had it in the past, will agree that the taste can be enjoyed. Hence, there are many "meat like" products out there that give the same satisfaction without the death involved.
There are many FACTS that I believe prove that humans are designed to not eat meat. 1) We do not pant, but sweat. If you look at carnivores, they all pant (breath heavily through their mouths to cool down their bodies) rather than sweat. All herbivores (e.g. humans) sweat. [1] 2) Carnivores have sharp front teeth for tearing into flesh but we do not have these “fangs”. Instead we have rear molars for grinding like other herbivores. (Andrews, 1970) 3) We do not have the physical ability to hunt down, capture, and devour other animals without the use of tools and preparation (cooking). What carnivores use tools, weapons, or traps to kill their prey? Can you chase after a deer and kill it with your bare hands, eat it on the spot with your teeth? If you can, I guess go ahead, and well, I don't want to meet you! 4) Our digestive tract is not designed to process meat. The ratio of our intestines to our body size is the same as that of other vegetarians: 10-12 times our body length versus only 3 times meat-eaters bodies’ length. (Andrews, 1970) What this means is that food is supposed to stay in our system longer so that all the nutrients can be absorbed. Meat, however, becomes carcinogenic if it remains in the body too long and needs to be s**t out. So, that burger that you eat today is going to stay in your body too long.
These have been just some of the physiological points as to why humans are vegetarians, but there are other reasons, socially and economically as well. One devastating effect that humans eating meat has, in my opinion, is that it opens up the concept of violence. Generally speaking, the first experience of death, be it witnessed or just explained, is in eating a dead animal. Then as a human grows, they see more animals killed; more blood, more violence. I firmly believe that if these images were not burned into a young human's mind, it would be much more difficult for them to raise their hand or weapon upon another human, and the sight of blood would just war rant pain. Another aspect of humans eating meat that is hurting the planet is the amount of crop land needed to sustain an equivalent amount of livestock is at a huge deficit. It takes approximately 12 acres of land to produce the feed and living area that will accommodate 1 acre's worth of livestock; 1/12th the volume, production, worth, and efficiency. Additionally, a report was just released that stated the number 1 cause of greenhouse gasses is not automobiles, coal, oil, or aerosol, but the methane released from cattle ranches. I am serious. Look it up. [2]
You will want to argue with all these points, and don't worry, everyone does, but that is mostly due to your upbringing. Do you need to continue killing? I will help you find foods you need. I will help you with your diet, any advice, etc.
The next time you decide to eat some meat, or even are with someone eating the meat, look at it. Look at the fat strings, the tissue, and the veins. Look at the blood. Think of the face that was attached to it. Could you kill it yourself? Could you?
[1] Andrews, A.D. "Fit Food for Men." Chicago: American Hygiene Society (1970).
[2] Lean, Geoffrey; “Cow 'emissions' more damaging to planet than CO2 from cars.” Independent.co.uk 9 December 2006:1-5.
