-Genesis 1:29-30
Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.
-Genesis 9:3
Indeed the both statements is attributed to God. But it is interesting to note that God initially intended for us to eat only plants. Then for those of us who are thinkers, we find it strange that on the basis of Noah's righteousness, the flesh of animals was now permitted for food after the flood. It is as if God made meat a reward for righteousness. Prior to the flood, Adam and Eve and their descendants until the generation of Noah were only allowed plant food. Another question arises again, according to genesis 1:29-30, if God established the plant kingdom as food for the animal kingdom also, at what point did some animals started eating other animals? But more important, does righteousness equate violence or the taking of a life? Should therefore meat be a reward for perfection or righteousness? Thinkers all over the world know that this cannot be. These are dark statements which can only mean something too deep for the consciousness of man to absorb. Man still needs to evolve to a certain consciousness before he can comprehend these dark sayings. Hence the reason the biblical Paul made the statements that meat is for grown ups. After 2000 years the statement was made, it still seems men are still babies. At this point I can't help but recall the statement of that great thinker Plato. He said,
"We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the Light."
We see this everywhere. Till today some grown ups still believe that Noah actually took two of every animal creature on earth onto his saving ship. That aside, the very nature of God necessitates that he is the ultimate reality that can't be changed. If we are to assume it is the same person who made both statements in genesis, what does that inform us? Some have gone to the extent that he/it/she (God) should not be questioned but when the fate of the Universe rests on a being as volatile as Francium and indeed more than that, the universe would already cease to exist. Therefore we know that such a being cannot be the author of a universe as orderly as Nature to the extent that the model of the universe is reflected in the microscopic cells of man.
Biblical students must have noticed that in the book of Genesis there are two different genesis account. It seems therefore that the God who rewarded righteousness with meat is different from the God who only permitted plant food for man. Since this blog is not about genesis, this blog will refrain from further comment on the genesis story.
It should be stated early on that this blog is neither for nor against the ideology of a vegetarian or vegan diet. This blog is only attempting to look at the issue from a natural and neutral perspective. The blog will only attempt to present facts as observed in Nature.
Sometimes for the sake that we are under the dominion of western civilization, this blog tries to draw biblical reference for support not because the Bible is a standard for what is true or false but because it is what the western civilization is familiar with. As regard what is true or false the consciousness of man is already enough to determine that. When therefore a book is now the standard to determine truth, like our protestant brothers have claimed, that book becomes an idol and the practice of that becomes idolatry. The Catholics on the other hand claim that the basis to determine truth is through the written word of 'God' (the Bible) and the tradition of the apostles who they claim were disciples to a guy called Jesus Christ. No damage to the soul could be greater than selling your consciousness to the beliefs of a race or a person or even worse, that of worshiping a being who is just like us in every way except that he or she must have mastered the path to oneness with the Universe and therefore have access to universal powers which we all can have access to if we can but withstand the discipline needed by the universe if we are to be in at-one-ment (atonement - of one mind) with the universe. It is through this that mystics see religion for what it is. That it is there to divide rather than unite. The same reason why some mystics are not interested in politics.
So enough of the digress, a short history of vegetarianism/Veganism will be well in place. Has man always eaten meat? The bible made us known that at first man only ate plant based diets. It was sometime in the evolution of man or probably the devolution of man that man had to eat the flesh of animals to survive. Whether this resulted in the canine teeth of man or man have always had canine teeth is difficult to say. If the Universe had intended for man to eat only plant based food it wouldn't make sense to equip man with canine teeth to eat animals or cut flesh. But if on the other hand we evolved out of the universe with canine teeth, then it is only natural that we should eat meat as well as plants. But a misconception must be pointed out. We constantly hear the statement that, meat is necessary for the survival of man. Some claim that there is a nutrient in meat missing from plant based food. But this is wrong because when we see such animals like Bulls and Gorillas and Hippos that dwell mainly on vegetarian diets and still have enough muscles and strength that man can't even compete with, we know that the statement 'meat is necessary to balance the nutritional value needed by man' is wrong. Another misconception about veganism/vegetarianism is that it is a new ideology and that humans have always eaten meat. But as we are going to see, journeying back to the most ancient of times, we see clearly that veganism is not a new philosophy. Although the term 'Veganism' was coined in 1944, it was coined to clearly differentiate it from Vegetarianism. For the sake of clarification, Vegetarianism is the practice of not eating meat or fish. It was seen that while some people may object to the eating of animals, they were fine with the by-product of animals like milk, cheese, eggs and even honey. Vegans opted out from this practice for the sole reason that violence is being carried out in some form. Hence they were seen as extreme in their philosophy. Vegans who I will say are more conscious (sensitive) than vegetarians would rather not eat or use anything made from animals. Hence Vegans not only do not eat meat or fish but they also do not eat by-products of animals like milk or cheese, eggs and even honey. (Damn! As nutritious as honey Vegans had the nerve to say no to it.) They don't wear clothes made from animals or use any products tested on animals before released to the public. Talking about the history of veganism, the earliest source of it according to Emily Moran Barwick a Vegan activist, dates back to 7000 BCE in a region called Mehrgarh belonging to the Indus River civilization. 'Indus' being the root word for 'Hindus'. Hence the reason many practitioner of Hinduism are vegetarians. In this regard, it is unfortunate that Africa history is obscured. I like to think that Africans must have been vegetarians prior to colonialism. As a digress, an unfortunate thing about colonialism is that while these Aliens introduce alien traditions into an established order, they leave taking the traditions of the people invaded while leaving poisonous traditions behind so much so that the indigenous people tend to now think that the adopted culture has always been theirs. Before colonialism, it is rare to find diseases which are rampant today in African society. And what is worse is that, Africans today now see African vegans as some sort of aliens. Indeed it could be stated that colonialism is even worse than an atomic bomb. Even many generations after the deed, people are still feeling the impact without them even knowing it which is why it is worse than the atomic bomb. People have basically lost root. It is almost like an original sin, people are just born with the stigma.
So regarding the Hindus, we know now through the internet and books that most of them are vegetarians. So we find in the Bhagavad Gita, the sacred book of the Hindus the statement,
What a sublime statement. As
regard religion and sacred scripture, Bhagavad Gita is one of the
oldest known in our present history. Hence as far back as 7000 BCE,
people are already admonished to go vegan. Imagine if that word had been heeded by people of all nations. We would have experienced
heaven here on earth a long time ago.
We have already looked at
the Book of Genesis and the first admonition of God regarding what
humans and animals are to eat.
In Egypt, of course this
blog is not complete if Egypt is not mentioned, we find Akhenaten, an
Egyptian Pharaoh, although he has earned a bad reputation among some
scholars, it is said that he forbade the eating of meat or the
sacrificing of animals in the temple. He is also among one of those
who first instituted a monotheistic religion. This was way back as
1380 – 1362 BCE. Also in the Old Testament there are many
utterances which seemed to be advocating a Vegan diet. One of them is
from the Book of Ecclesiastics which is claimed to be attributed to
Solomon, the wisest man that ever lived. It stated,
“I
decided that God is testing us to show that we are no better than the
lower forms of animals. After all the same fate awaits man and
animals alike. One dies just like the other. They are the same kind
of creature. A human being is no better off than an animal. How can
anyone be sure that a man's spirit goes upward while an animal's
spirit goes down into the ground.”
Other
ancient religions that also advocated non violence to all living
creatures are Jainism, Buddhism, Taoism and I believe Confucianism
must have also fallen into the ranks.
Also
down the ages, various philosophical schools have also proposed
vegetarian and vegan diets. Among such philosophers are Pythagoras,
who taught that animals also have souls contrary to what our
Christian brothers believe. According to him, we will never know peace, joy, health and love if we continue to destroy the lower forms of life. For
lack of space, other philosophers who propagated vegetarian/vegan
diets are Plato (Although not sure of his stand since he claimed only
Humans have immortal souls. He is like the John the Baptist of
Christianity. Most of his teachings were infused into Christianity by
early Church Fathers.) Aristotle, Xenocrates, Plutach, Apollonius of
Tyana, Plotnius, Porphyry, Seneca, Zeno the founder of Stoicism, Ovid, Hippocrates and even Hitler (although debatable). Of course there are many more.
Enough of history, what exactly is this that makes men suddenly turn from meat diets to vegetarians or better still vegans? It must be realized that man by nature is a spiritual being having a human experience. Unfortunately materiality has blinded most that they are only interested in the physical aspect of themselves. Man by nature can be said to be comprised of four bodies. The Physical body as we know it, the Astral/Emotional/Soul body which is the seat of emotions and desires, the Spirit/Etheric which is responsible for our will, it is the Life Force of an individual and the Eternal body which does not know birth nor death, the 'I AM'. Rudolf Steiner, an Anthroposophist and the founder of Anthroposophy (Human Wisdom or Self Knowledge) made some distinct remark concerning nutrition and how it affects man including the non physical aspects of man. In his book, Nutrition, (although I must point out that citing his book is not in any way endorsing all that was written in it) he first made it clear that the human body is a tool of the Spirit or Human Being. From this angle it makes sense to say that the human body as a tool is useless if it does not serve the Human Being efficiently. Thus a healthy human being is not one who is healthy only in the physical body but a healthy human being must in addition to the human body also be healthy emotionally (Astral) and mentally (Spirit). We have all heard the statement, "A man is what he eats". In this regard, food therefore becomes very personal as the spirit of an individual. In other words, what works for one may not work for the other. One prays to Mary and got answers, another prayed to Jesus and claims it works and another instead of praying decided to employ his imaginative faculty, visualizing his result with full concentration got results almost instantaneously. While one depended on others for result, the other depended on self. Food can also be likened to this. When we eat meat for protein and fat, we are depriving that organ responsible for producing fat in us from functioning. Just like animals, humans also have that capacity in them to produce fat. When we become dependent on animals for our protein and fats, we lose or put to sleep that organ which Nature has designed us with. The result then becomes slavery. One then becomes a slave to one's appetites. One loses the ability to function fully as a human being. But man's destiny is not to be dependent on others and not even God. Nature has designed man to be self dependent. But when we depend on others for what we want, we stunt our evolutionary growth. Hence, the dependence on meat for our protein and fats stunts our evolutionary growth. So we see a sound reason why men suddenly turn from meat eating to vegetarianism or even veganism. Man needs to be free and if one is addicted or depended on meat from animals, one is just a slave to it as any chronic cigarette smoker to cigarette. Anyone interested in the development of the soul must at some point make that decision to give up meat. Another important reason has to do with the astral body of animals. Animals also feel joy and pain. Except we are morally dead I don't think anyone in his right conscience would like to inflict pain on a creature who also feels pain. If for instance Aliens should invade the world today and start eating humans, humans will definitely protest to that. But that is the case with animals, if we can but live in their world we might say man is the devil. If we cannot see the fear and pain in a chicken's eyes before we cut off their neck, then we need to check ourselves if we are really alive. Sometimes the fear so captivates them that it paralyses them for a moment or two. A story is cited in India where a cow because of the death of a member of the household looking after its welfare, was crying. Animals love also. We have all seen the love of a pet. I think animals to some extent are here to remind us of how to love. Some have claimed that eating meat is necessary but like the example cited earlier on regarding Hippos and Gorillas, man can survive just eating vegetables. Of course, geographical location must be taken into consideration. There are those who live in places where there is hardly varieties of vegetables. These people may have no choice but to supplement their meals with meat if necessary. But when it comes to Africa and other geographical locations where vegetation is in abundance, what excuse is there to kill animals for food when Nature has blessed these regions with natural food like legumes, seeds, nuts, vegetables etc?
When we eat certain food we feel a certain way and when we eat another, we feel another way. In this regard, caution must be taken in what we digest. More often than not, doctors fail to tell us that our cure to diseases resides in the right food and right way of life, what we eat and how we eat it and in what proportions is our chance to healthy lives. But eating the wrong way can also cause all sorts of sickness. As spiritual beings it is therefore necessary to ask ourselves, are we eating to maximize our full potential or is the food we are eating hindering us from our full potential? Back to Rudolf Steiner and his book on Nutrition, he made some analysis which I think is worth mentioning. He pointed out that since man is a being on four different planes, the food that we eat goes a long way to contribute to the health or illness of these other beings on the different planes. Hence, when we eat a food substance, that substance not only affects our physicality but also our astral and mental bodies. This can be seen clearly in food substances such as tea, coffee marijuana, garlic and even onion. We all know what caffeine and marijuana does to our nervous system. This of course changes our mood and affects our emotions and mental abilities. Others like onion and garlic may not be so obvious but the effect can be felt. The same goes for all food substances. Like previously said, the fact that individuals are different, the food we digest may also work differently on our psyche. So while the eating of meat can be good for one, (although i doubt it) it can be dangerous for another and vice versa. But this blog is not concerned about the junk and treasure of people, rather, this blog is coming from the angle of morality. Do we really have the right to take the lives of other living beings? Does being born into cannibalism take away from us of our sense of morality? Even in the animal kingdom where animals sometimes have to kill other animals for food, they do it for survival reasons and not for fun. I have seen documentaries where lions protect the babies of other animals. They only hunt when it is absolutely necessary. But when we look at man, we cannot help but notice the cannibalism in man and not only that, they do it for fun. All you have to look out for is that smile across the face of someone who sees a plate of fried chicken on the table. How can man be truly independent if he kills other living creatures for food? Steiner pointed out that Humans have their life or etheric body in common with plants while their astral body is in common with animals. This can be readily seen in nature. We take in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide while plants on the other hand take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen. This very relationship between man and plants is very sacred and can be stretched further. Nature by way of this arrangement is encouraging humans to be dependent on plants for their food. How far we are to go regarding this arrangement is not too clear. Clear in the sense that, some, in an attempt to be vegetarians may actually be treating plants with some measure of disrespect by killing plants that ought not be killed. Although some Vegans (fruitarians) and these are the ones my utmost respect goes out to only live on fruits, nuts, seeds and other plant materials so as to avoid killing the plant. Our astral body which we derive or have in common with animals like said before is the seat of emotions and desires. When man displays violence, it the animal nature (astral body) in him manifesting. When he has an uncontrollable sex drive, it is that animal nature manifesting. So anger (foolish anger), jealousy, greed, pride, hatred and other emotional sickness has its root in the astral body. When we then consume meat, we may not only be consuming the meat but also the astral bodies of these animals. Some have proposed that this is the case when we eat meat but that is still left to be proven. Spiritual science holds that the four fold part of Nature is reflected in man. Hence the physical body of man corresponds to the earth (minerals), the etheric body corresponds to the plant life, the astral body corresponds to the animal life (indeed, it is no coincidence that most symbols of astrology are animals), then the 'I' body, the 'I AM' corresponds to the spirit. Further on, this is also reflected in the physical body of man. The 'I' body has its seat in the head of man, the etheric body has its seat in the lower part of man and the astral in the middle part of the body of man.
As regard their functions, it is the etheric body that prevents us while alive from decaying. That is why after transition or what is known as death, the body decays because the etheric body is no longer there to prevent the decay. The Astral body is what prevents or fights the impulse of the body going rancid. That which is experienced when the astral body departs at transition. The swelling of the body. And the I body fights fermentation. When we drink too much alcohol, it is the I body it affects the most. Alcohol which is also gotten from starchy food can be dangerous if the I body is not there to break down the alcohol. For more on this, The book "Nutrition" by Rudolf Steiner will provide more insight. Now what is the point of all these jargon? What has it got to do with vegetarianism or veganism for that matter? When we eat meat compared to plant food, it seems like a foreign material for the body to break down. It actually takes longer period for the meat to be digested. Where plant food may take a few hours to digest, the meat diet will take days. That is an extra work for the body to carry out. The result of this is the weakening of the body tissues which leads to old age quickly. Secondly, it is my opinion that meat diet which to a large extent is contaminated goes a long way to affect our invisible bodies. It is due to this contamination that it becomes necessary to boil it so as to reduce the contamination. This is also another reason why eating meat can be dangerous because if not well boiled, we might be taking in deadly substance into our bodies which can affect our invisible bodies like the astral and mental. When we eat plants and fruits, there is a distinct feeling from it. Not that it makes anyone self righteous but the body benefits well from it compared to meat. Plant diets also increases brain capacity, one is able to think efficiently. It is for this reason coffee and tea have gained popularity in Europe and America. Coffee has the ability to make one focus on a task and see it through to the end. Although, too much of it can affect the nervous system. Tea on the other hand while similar to coffee has a different influence on the nervous system. While coffee makes one focus on a task, tea makes one universal in thoughts and actions. In other words, one tends to multi task. Doing different things at the same time or when in conversation makes one to be able to follow various discussions. Lastly, there is the issue of life and death. Plants, seeds, nuts etc, have life in them compared to dead animals. Of course there are those who might try to eat animals alive but that doesn't help the situation of good health. The moment a living organism like animals is dead, immediately, it begins to decay. What people therefore who eat meat are eating are dead decaying substance. Technology is only trying to paint it white. Death cannot contribute to life. Hence the life of that individual who indulges in meat diet is slowly dying. If this trend is not stopped, in the nearest future, we might be like the Zombies who eat people. And indeed that is the case already except now it is on a micro scale. I have already pointed out that eating meat can cause old age quickly but worse is that we actually die before our time. Because when we put dead substances into our bodies, even though it might seem good for a time, it inevitably causes our untimely death. This is Nature and Nature can't be cheated. It is a scientific fact that those who abstain from meat live longer than those who eat meat. Although it must be pointed out that abstaining from meat is not enough, what goes into the body must be done in moderation. A person who claims to be a veggie and dwells on french fries can't be said to be eating healthy. Other diseases related to meat eating are diabetes, arthritis, obesity, stroke, cancer (including the various forms) which is mostly not the case with a plant diet. Then it is also my opinion that this psychological disease of child abuse affecting catholic priests and others all over the world must have its root cause from meat diet. For when the astral body is unclean from a meat diet, it affects the psychological behaviors of people who eat meat. They are no longer connected to the life source and therefore have a false perspective of life. They become short sighted. Indeed, this does not even require an experiment. People who eat meat will defend with their life that it is their right to eat meat. They usually employ that glorious statement, 'God said so' A God nobody, NOBODY has seen. It is also my opinion that the ruthlessness found in government and business and other areas of life where people are treated as objects stems also from meat diets. With all these, getting old quickly can be seen as the brighter side of hell. In the end what matters is, are we in love with life or is it death that thrills us more? As with salvation, a vegan diet is personal.
I know I said earlier that this blog is neither for nor against a vegan diet. But now it seems all this blog has done so far is promote a vegan diet. But the one million dollar question is, should our taste bud be more important than a beautiful creature such as a chicken, cow, pigs, dogs, cats, horse, fish, insects etc? Easter is just around the corner. Is the mythical story of a being who lived about 2000 years ago worth the killing of so many innocent animals?
As regard their functions, it is the etheric body that prevents us while alive from decaying. That is why after transition or what is known as death, the body decays because the etheric body is no longer there to prevent the decay. The Astral body is what prevents or fights the impulse of the body going rancid. That which is experienced when the astral body departs at transition. The swelling of the body. And the I body fights fermentation. When we drink too much alcohol, it is the I body it affects the most. Alcohol which is also gotten from starchy food can be dangerous if the I body is not there to break down the alcohol. For more on this, The book "Nutrition" by Rudolf Steiner will provide more insight. Now what is the point of all these jargon? What has it got to do with vegetarianism or veganism for that matter? When we eat meat compared to plant food, it seems like a foreign material for the body to break down. It actually takes longer period for the meat to be digested. Where plant food may take a few hours to digest, the meat diet will take days. That is an extra work for the body to carry out. The result of this is the weakening of the body tissues which leads to old age quickly. Secondly, it is my opinion that meat diet which to a large extent is contaminated goes a long way to affect our invisible bodies. It is due to this contamination that it becomes necessary to boil it so as to reduce the contamination. This is also another reason why eating meat can be dangerous because if not well boiled, we might be taking in deadly substance into our bodies which can affect our invisible bodies like the astral and mental. When we eat plants and fruits, there is a distinct feeling from it. Not that it makes anyone self righteous but the body benefits well from it compared to meat. Plant diets also increases brain capacity, one is able to think efficiently. It is for this reason coffee and tea have gained popularity in Europe and America. Coffee has the ability to make one focus on a task and see it through to the end. Although, too much of it can affect the nervous system. Tea on the other hand while similar to coffee has a different influence on the nervous system. While coffee makes one focus on a task, tea makes one universal in thoughts and actions. In other words, one tends to multi task. Doing different things at the same time or when in conversation makes one to be able to follow various discussions. Lastly, there is the issue of life and death. Plants, seeds, nuts etc, have life in them compared to dead animals. Of course there are those who might try to eat animals alive but that doesn't help the situation of good health. The moment a living organism like animals is dead, immediately, it begins to decay. What people therefore who eat meat are eating are dead decaying substance. Technology is only trying to paint it white. Death cannot contribute to life. Hence the life of that individual who indulges in meat diet is slowly dying. If this trend is not stopped, in the nearest future, we might be like the Zombies who eat people. And indeed that is the case already except now it is on a micro scale. I have already pointed out that eating meat can cause old age quickly but worse is that we actually die before our time. Because when we put dead substances into our bodies, even though it might seem good for a time, it inevitably causes our untimely death. This is Nature and Nature can't be cheated. It is a scientific fact that those who abstain from meat live longer than those who eat meat. Although it must be pointed out that abstaining from meat is not enough, what goes into the body must be done in moderation. A person who claims to be a veggie and dwells on french fries can't be said to be eating healthy. Other diseases related to meat eating are diabetes, arthritis, obesity, stroke, cancer (including the various forms) which is mostly not the case with a plant diet. Then it is also my opinion that this psychological disease of child abuse affecting catholic priests and others all over the world must have its root cause from meat diet. For when the astral body is unclean from a meat diet, it affects the psychological behaviors of people who eat meat. They are no longer connected to the life source and therefore have a false perspective of life. They become short sighted. Indeed, this does not even require an experiment. People who eat meat will defend with their life that it is their right to eat meat. They usually employ that glorious statement, 'God said so' A God nobody, NOBODY has seen. It is also my opinion that the ruthlessness found in government and business and other areas of life where people are treated as objects stems also from meat diets. With all these, getting old quickly can be seen as the brighter side of hell. In the end what matters is, are we in love with life or is it death that thrills us more? As with salvation, a vegan diet is personal.
I know I said earlier that this blog is neither for nor against a vegan diet. But now it seems all this blog has done so far is promote a vegan diet. But the one million dollar question is, should our taste bud be more important than a beautiful creature such as a chicken, cow, pigs, dogs, cats, horse, fish, insects etc? Easter is just around the corner. Is the mythical story of a being who lived about 2000 years ago worth the killing of so many innocent animals?
For further links:
http://www.bitesizevegan.org/bite-size-vegan-nuggets/main-nuggets/vegans-in-ancient-times-the-history-of-veganism-part-one/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDx0DW8GN_w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMuFUUfAeAM
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