A Vision from Hell...
Last Saturday I had a vision from hell. And no, it didn't involve sinners and losers and all the others that stay there. It involved innocents, and that was what made the vision all the more frightening, impactful, and lasting.
I was driving down Nandidurg Road, and suddenly I could smell this awful stench coming from behind me. My first thought, "Yuck! The garbage truck!" Then, "At this time of the day? Evening?" I leaned back slightly as the truck overtook me. The smell was overpowering. As it passed me by, I could see that it was not a truck. It was a big van.
It was a three-tiered van. Each tier was crammed, absolutely no standing space. With goats and sheep. They looked frightened. And they were bleating. I have never seen a more saddening sight, nor heard a more heart-rending sound. Those eyes, afraid, helpless... They were all bleating, some almost hysterically. With each bump the sound would rise, and then some would go quiet... Resignation? And then bleat again... Fear?
Death is something we all must learn to accept. Because it is the inevitable end to the concept of life. But violent death? That's a hard one. Violent death of the innocents? One can accept the fact of the death of a loved one due to disease, age...
But this? To be brought up, fed, even cared for probably, only to be sent to the slaughterhouse? Why?
If they could feel, they would probably feel the same way the millions of Jews felt on their last rides to Dachau, Auschwitz, Treblinka, Chelmno, Plaszow, Bergen-Belsen... We at least have the strength of consolation...
I know it is part of the natural order of things. That there is a place for every animal in the foodchain, and that goat and sheep and chicken belong there. Finally. On the truck to the slaughterhouse. Or under the knife. That there is the need to survive, and we as humans are better equipped at this game than all other species.
I don't know that my going vegetarian will make that much of a difference in the natural order of things. But I certainly know that I can sleep better because at least from now on, I would not be one of the millions waiting for the meat to arrive...
**I still haven't got over that sight.**
posted by The Wise Man From Hell @ 5:15 AM
14 Comments:
hurray for you!! and for the animal community!
I've always had a problem with this slaughtering thing...
still swimming in greys about ppl eating meat. I used to eat chicken for a short while but then I just had to stop.. had to..
I always felt if people had to do slaughter the animal themselves, cook them and eat them.. the number of meat eaters would come down drastically!
wot say?
rightly said, sou! earlier i never had a problem eating chicken as long as it was cooked outside, coz I then didn't have to see the grislier side of things...
silence of the lambs indeed
nice to know u have chosen to turn veggie after this sight..call it epiphany if you may
but does that mean you will condemn all those who eat non veg? can u think of alternatives to slaughtering. course it aint a pretty sight..but i mean dont u think there will be alternate repurcussions if all humans turned veggie?
predators and prey are a natural aspect of life..ppl are being slaughtered (metaphorically) everyday...
i know that owning a cow is a matter of pride n prestige in switzerland...they treat them well, feed them, milk them..and once theyve grown too old, slaughter them n eat them
n thats the way the ball rolls.....
silence of the lambs indeed
and seems to me that u had a moment of epiphany that has made you turn to vegetarianism
but would you codemn all those who are omnivorous? can u think of alternatives for the plight of those goats??
predators and prey are the natural order of life....ppl get slaughtered (metaphorically) almost everyday...n thats where the whole darwinian ideology comes into the picture
consider this:
its a matter of pride n prestige to own a cow in switzerland. they are looked after well, are given the finest grass to graze on, are milked, and once they stop yielding milk, they are slaughtered and eaten
do you think its better to have no feelings and stuff them in a vehicle to the slaughter house?
silence of the lambs indeed
and seems to me that u had a moment of epiphany that has made you turn to vegetarianism
but would you codemn all those who are omnivorous? can u think of alternatives for the plight of those goats??
predators and prey are the natural order of life....ppl get slaughtered (metaphorically) almost everyday...n thats where the whole darwinian ideology comes into the picture
consider this:
its a matter of pride n prestige to own a cow in switzerland. they are looked after well, are given the finest grass to graze on, are milked, and once they stop yielding milk, they are slaughtered and eaten
do you think its better to have no feelings and stuff them in a vehicle to the slaughter house?
sorry dude..was trying out the word verification code forthe disabled feature...ignore the oevrload of comments..i kept wondering where they had disappeared
well, tq, like i said... i understand where the goats and all are supposed to end up, that they have their place in the food chain, etc.
and no, i have nothing against non-veggies - to each their own. All I am saying is that I would not want to be a party to the screams and the bleats...
the rate at which we are going, we are knockng off many of the elements of the fod chain - so many have gone extinct - and are filling their positions...?? is that good when we talk of 'the natural order'? they are all related, these issues...
and no, it wasn't their silence...
:-)
Dude, what a sight! I could imagine the whole thing. Congrats on turning green.
I always appreciate how well everything is packaged around us. Cut them, slice them and everything turns gory. Never try to remove the layers that cover/hide the unnecessary details. They are all there for a reason :->
u paint a very wrong picture of me when you post comments like the one you did on my last blogpost
I am sooo sooo soorrryyy... I was only kidding...please please don't have me executed...
whatever are you so touchy for anyways? not like i called you something bad or anything like that.
gr8 one...i was born and brought up veggie, but the choice to remain one is only mine. i am told, many a time, i project my emotions on others, but dont we all? i once saw a video of a man being beheaded, i felt a panic rise inside me, an animal terror. i felt sick and repulsed. but do we give a thought when a goat or sheep is slaughtered in front of the rest of the flock? do teh screams of a chicken matter when the shopkeeper holds it in front of his knife and indulges in senseless bargain? bravo. your effort is commendable.
Hey Aj, welcome aboard the once-meat-eaters-turned-veggie gang!
I read the post quite late I guess.
So howz it coming along? Still on?
Me on for the past 1 year :)
And I totally agree with Sou's suggestion.
That was a good change "The Wise Man From Hell".
It takes a living being to live life, it takes a human being to live and let live.
My grand father always said, "Ever wondered what we humans do when someone slaps us :). Yes, JUST A SLAP and we want to destroy every thing that comes in our way, we get restless, we need justice, we file a law suite, we gather crowd, and the list goes on. Now, what do these innocent animals do for what we have done with them? Probably they will seek justice in the ultimate court of law."
Accept it that we justify, we justify our whole existence and now we justify what we are doing is "the natural order". Well, then lets see if we justify when someone kills "just one" from our list of near and dears. Its not we who decide the "natural order". Nature decides its course of action and today its course is definitely not what it was suppose to be. Who is responsible for it? If we stop eating non-vegetarian food, don’t think we are disturbing the "natural order". Isn't it true that one should eat to live and not live to eat? If it means one has to kill to live then let be it but, not the other way arnd. Would you accept there was a time when we prayed before killing because we had nothing to eat, and look at where we are headed today. Ample food is probably an understement but still an ummmm comes out only if the serving has a lot of pain and suffering. Dont you think so?
That was a good change "The Wise Man From Hell".
It takes a living being to live life, it takes a human being to live and let live.
My grand father always said, "Ever wondered what we humans do when someone slaps us :). Yes, JUST A SLAP and we want to destroy every thing that comes in our way, we get restless, we need justice, we file a law suite, we gather crowd, and the list goes on. Now, what do these innocent animals do for what we have done with them? Probably they will seek justice in the ultimate court of law."
Accept it that we justify, we justify our whole existence and now we justify what we are doing is "the natural order". Well, then lets see if we justify when someone kills "just one" from our list of near and dears. Its not we who decide the "natural order". Nature decides its course of action and today its course is definitely not what it was suppose to be. Who is responsible for it? If we stop eating non-vegetarian food, don’t think we are disturbing the "natural order". Isn't it true that one should eat to live and not live to eat? If it means one has to kill to live then let be it but, not the other way arnd. Would you accept there was a time when we prayed before killing because we had nothing to eat, and look at where we are headed today. Ample food is probably an understement but still an ummmm comes out only if the serving has a lot of pain and suffering. Dont you think so?
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