No sight is pure
join" Green Monday” After the activities, I realized that the reason why musician Zhang Jicong was vegetarian was not about religion, but pure unbearable.He used to be a carnivorous beast, especially Wagyu beef. He always thought that the reason why vegetarians are vegetarian is because they have never tried really delicious beef.Until he occasionally watched a set of documentaries about slaughtering on the Internet, he, driven by curiosity, took the initiative to search for more information, and the more he read, he finally reached an unbearable level, and then he gradually forbidden all meat.After hearing his confession, I was very moved and admired.Because there are many people who have heard of the horrors of industrial meat production process; but most people only regard it as an inconvenient truth, and it is enough to understand it a little. They have no intention of delving into it in depth, and they will only turn their heads and bury it in the bottom of their memory.However, Zhang Jicong was able to make up his mind, understand the dark side of his wiseness, and change his old habits based on his conscience; this is really not something that everyone can do.
Many friends who are vegetarians like to spread the cruel scenes of animal, poultry and fish being slaughtered, trying to impress the sympathy of most omnivores.It seems that after seeing the calf crying and the rooster cutting his throat, those who still keep eating meat are all bad people who have lost their conscience.Over time, many people began to lose their way, thinking that this was a threat that was almost terrorist attacks.Of course, it is best not to let everyone see such an uncomfortable truth.So we can continue to live happily, just like the pilot of a US military unmanned fighter jet, sitting thousands of miles away from the war zone, sitting in a secret room with air conditioning, a cup of coffee at hand, and a screen in front of us.For us, killing is just using the thumb button, while war is like a realistic virtual reality game.You just need to press the red button down, and a spot of light will light up on the screen. There will be no blood and body fluids splashing on you, nor can you hear any screams of extreme fear and the sorrow that will follow.After finishing, you can go home for dinner without washing your hands and listen to your child’s homework under the warm light.
Our current era is the era when we kill the cleanest, and it is also the era when humans have separated the animals and humans the most farthest in history.Most of the cows that children have seen with their own eyes are just marketsinsideIt's just a bright red beef; it's hard for them to even see cows eating grass and feed, and they won't run into the scene of slaughtering.And the more modern it is, the more civilized it is, the further the distance will be, and the slaughter will become more abstract.More than a decade ago, we could see trains loaded with pigs passing by at the station of the "electrified train" and smell them. (And hurriedly covered his nose and said "It smells so smelly" )，They can even hear their screams.Today, civilized Hong Kong has long been able to block this inconvenient process from the extreme north of the city, eliminating the burden of most citizens to witness the source of pork.So, I can imagine why children in some big cities in the United States don’t know the relationship between chilled chicken in supermarkets and the chickens you see on TV.They joked that those naive children actually thought chicken was like potato chips, an industrial product that had nothing to do with animals.I believe this may not be a joke.Coincidentally, today is the era with the highest per capita meat consumption in human history.
Vegetarians' life killing
Paul •McCarney and his daughter Stirla •McCarney is a well-known promoter of animal rights sports, and he spares no effort to introduce vegetarian food.Many of my vegetarian friends especially like Paul •A famous saying by McCartney: "If the exterior wall of the slaughterhouse is made of transparent glass, probably everyone will become a vegetarian."The essence of this sentence is indeed a common strategy for the current vegetarian exercise. Try to let more people see the invisible parts of our daily meat supply chain, so that everyone can find the cute calves and plates.insideThe pink and tender veal made everyone think of a bloody pig whose internal organs were hollowed out when they were eating crispy suckling pig on the dining table.If the slaughterhouse is in the center of the city, if the slaughterhouse is really a transparent building, everyone can see itinsideThe killing of the head, the dirty blood on the ground, the feathers on the wall, and the compassion that everyone has, I am afraid we really cannot ignore vegetarian food.
But I often doubt whether this kind of practice of bringing killing back to our eyes has its limit? Moving it with emotion may be a good starting point, but if you think rationally and follow the same logic, you may encounter the time to hit the wall.
A recent book by Cai Zhuer, a Taiwanese writer who travels to Hong Kong, "The Book of Farming"insideThere is an article "Dancer Killer", which is worth a long quotation, about her own vegetable garden in Lantau IslandinsideEmbryonic experience:
“Dutch beans were the first to suffer, and the old leaves of the bean seedlings were gnawed. When I found out that the emerald green satin had become a transparent veil, the pods were curled and wrinkled, and it hurts. I looked for the culprit among the plants. It was a brown-yellow striped caterpillar. I pinched it and splashed out thick green juice.When I was washing vegetables, I had to use a clip to pick them off when I saw them. Now I was furious and didn’t care so much. When I saw one, I pinched the other one, and I would pinch two pairs of them. I would kill them without mercy.After catching it for a long time, I got it clean. The next day, I saw the ghost. The insect seemed to be resurrected and returned to my soul. A pile of insects emerged from somewhere, squirming and drilling holes in the beans.I continue to be violent ***，The killing was weak, but this end was not calmed down, and the other end was riot again. The Taiwanese cabbage was also edible, with the leaves full of scars like broken nets, and some of them were only vein stalks. The vegetable crawler was fat and fat, and the ears were chewed happily with big mouths.”
In addition to the cabbage worm, Cai Zhuer also has to deal with fruit flies, dandrites and a small insect that is shaped like bird droppings.In order to completely annihilate these "pests", she decided to investigate their life experiences to gain the effect of knowing the other person.After this investigation, she found out:
“It turns out that yellow-patterned caterpillars will turn into white butterflies, hanging worms will turn into diamondback moths, and green cabbage will turn into white butterflies. The bird droppingworms on dead leaves will turn into babies of citrus butterflies, and will transform into broad-sleeved, narrow-sleeved dancers and black-patterned red flowers in the future. They are common beautiful creatures on the island. I have also taught my neighbors' children to identify it.The more I looked, the more frightened I was. I didn’t expect that I was the butterfly killer, with green blood on my hands, strangling many dancers from nature.”
Cai Zhu'er's story reminds me of an old man near my home who also runs a small vegetable garden in the hollowed-out area of the village.Every spring and summer is a good time for the butterflies to fly, with pink, yellow and light red among the trees, which is very beautiful.But the old man rushed around them like a girl, not for fun, but really wanted to kill them.The reason is to eliminate the roots and not even give you the chance to masturbate and lay eggs.
I can't forget my experience of visiting a modern farm that year.Needless to say, it is common to kill insects and eggs. In many bean-growing blocks, even ants cannot be spared.Searching for ant nests and extermination are tasks performed by workers regularly.Every morning, they have to get up before the dawn is revealed, in order to hunt down the snails that have only climbed out of the surface until this moment.Those small snails with bright red shells come in a large group, and sometimes they can even cover the entire field.The strange and tragic scene is beyond description.
After I was free, I asked the young farmer to calculate the numbers.After thinking about it, he said, "If you plant vegetables from these dozens of acres of land, you will probably kill a ton of insects in a month."
sacrifice
Since farming inevitably leads to sacrifice many innocent little lives, vegetarians cannot avoid the confusion of killing.And imitate the transparent slaughterhouse designed by Paul McCarney, set up a vegetable garden in the center of the city, and then set up a transparent cottage. Chen puts snails and caterpillars killed on the fields every day, so that everyone can see the price of eating their own vegetables.Will this make us dare not even eat food?inside,I know that some people must think that I will condemn Ru Ve’s hypocrisy next: “Look, you see, you say you don’t kill, but the result is that countless creatures have been destroyed?”
No, this is not the worst, because we can follow the idea of the group of people who deploy vegetarian food and ask further: "Are plants not considered biological? Eating vegetables not considered killing"? This question seems tricky, but it is not as difficult as it seems to solve.Because most vegetarian propositions that stand on the standpoint of animal ethics do not care about life with the most abstract and broadest definition; what they really mind is perhaps the approximate degree of those being eaten creatures and humans (The more you look like a human, the more likely you are to have the same value and dignity as a human )，Perhaps it is the ability of those creatures to feel pain.Feeling pain in particular is the fundamental reason why many vegetarians refuse to eat meat.In their opinion, animals have nerves and brains, and like us, they will feel the great pain of cutting water.How can we kill chickens, ducks, cattle and sheep for our own desires and let them suffer from physical torture? On the contrary, although plants are also organisms, they also share some genes with humans. (For example, bananas have 30% of their genes that are exactly the same as humans. );But they are neither afraid nor painful, which is very different from animals.In other words, the reason why we can eat bananas is not because they only have 30% of the dignity of human beings; but because when you cut a banana from a tree with a knife, it will not hurt.However, some people believe in a very alternative "scientific" view, believing that plants are as sensitive as animals, not only know what pain is, but they even like to listen to gentle and beautiful melodies.The once popular "The Secret Life of Plants" is the master of this kind of view. The book is full of all kinds of hearsays and unqualified so-called experimental results. The purpose is to make plants very mysterious, as if they have souls.
Vegetarians who don’t want to let plants suffer can rest assured that this view is simply untenable because it completely misunderstood the differences between the “sensations” of plants and the senses of animals and confuses them.Yes, plants can sense the direction of light sources, can distinguish the odors of other plants and animals, and even have some form of "touch" (Venus flytrap is a typical variety to explore plant touch );But the biggest difference between these sensory abilities and animals lies in the existence or absence of nerves.In other words, even if the plant has a mechanical feeling based on telecommunications, for example, when the bean seedlings touch the railing, they will automatically tangle into vines; but they have no nerves to transmit these signals to the brain, and they have no brain.Therefore, how can plants be said to be painful or not? Whether it is pain or pleasure, this will be a subjective feeling that only animals know.
Of course, if you are a loyal believer of a certain religion or spiritual tradition and have a special and firm view of plant life, then the power of science is not very useful.For example, Pythagoras, one of the greatest mathematicians in human history, the mysterious wise man in the legend of the ancient Greek world.Do you know how he died? That evening, his enemy led a large group of gangsters to attack the residence where the Bi disciples lived (This enemy was a noble young man with status. He wanted to join the Bi family, but was rejected and felt ashamed and hated. )。They first set fire, forcing everyone to snatch the door in a hurry, and then ambushed outside the door with swords and swords.The disciples fought to the death to block the pursuers so that the teacher could escape successfully.Unexpectedly, the elderly Pythagoras finally took a few steps first, but stopped in front of a bean field.Because this mysterious master who insists on vegetarianism believes in DouziinsideHiding human soul is a part of human reincarnation.He never eats beans, and even at this time, he is unwilling to step on a large cluster of bean seedlings to death for his own benefit.He stood on the edge of the field, facing the setting sun and stared at the golden nursery in front of him. Some people said that his eyes were gentle and infinite pity, because he knew that this was the last scene he had seen in his life.Then, a sharp knife stretched out from behind him and stroked his throat, and the splattered blood spilled on the bean field under the dusk sun.
Indians are not harmful
I'm afraid there is no more variety and taste in the world than in India.If you are afraid of the ambiguity of mediocre Arhat vegetarian food and tired of the repetition of old-fashioned Guangdong vegetarian food, Indian vegetarian restaurants are usually the best choice.Why do Indians know how to cook vegetables so well? The reason is very simple, because the number of vegetarian population in India is too large, with 1.2 billion peopleinsideThe number of vegetarians is nearly 40%, and there are more than 200 million who don’t even eat eggs.In order to accommodate this huge market, McDonald's in India also specially opened the world's first vegetarian takeaway station.Old Mai has to bow his head, let alone Pizza-Hut , their Indian chains have long changed more than half of the options on the menu to vegetarian dishes.
In addition, many people also believe that India is the birthplace of vegetarianism, with a history of at least three thousand years.Like the Pythagoras I mentioned last time, some scholars believe that his vegetarianism was influenced by Indian culture. (The cultural exchange between India and Greece is indeed prosperous and ancient than ordinary people imagine. Although Alexander the Great brought Greek art to India, Indian philosophy and mathematics may have been introduced to the Greek world for a longer time. )。
Think about it, a culture has a vegetarian tradition that lasts for three thousand years, and also has rich products from the Himalayas to the Ganges Delta. There are 400 to 500 million people who insist on eating vegetarian food every day. How can their vegetarian dishes be poorly cooked? How can they not be unique?
We can find many reasons to explain such a unique Indian road.Environmental restrictions, population pressure, and even political structure are important conditions that determine how much meat a society eats.But compared to ideas, the impact of these conditions is nothing.According to the common sense of our Chinese people, the class with the highest social status and the greatest power should eat the most meat, so "meat eater" was almost synonymous with those in power in ancient China.But you see, the Brahmins in India are at the top of the caste system, but they are more vegetarian than vegetarians. Instead, they give the "welfare" of eating meat to lower groups below who are inferior to him.Among them, the difference is in concept.The most important concept that dominates Indian dietary choices is "not harming" (Ahimsa， It can also be translated as 'no killing', 'no harm', or 'non-violent' )。
The so-called "not harming" basically means not to harm sentient beings.Influenced by ancient Vedic thoughts, almost all major schools of thought and religious beliefs in India have accepted the saying of causal cycle. They all believe that the cycle of life and death of sentient beings in the world, and that no end of life is the true end. It will always be "reincarnated" and then appear in this world in another form and another face.So it is similar to hurting another person if you hurt any creature.And this cause and effect is not only the cycle of life and death, but also a complex connection between various creatures, which is a bit close to what we call the ecosystem today.If the opportunity to survive in other lives is excessively destroyed, disasters will sooner or later fall on humans.
Simply put, "not harming" is a moral law that tries not to harm living beings as much as possible, and is a basic way to avoid evil retribution and even get rid of the suffering of reincarnation.Therefore, eating vegetarian food seems natural, and it is the necessary duty of those who focus on spiritual practice and believe in pious people.However, the old question that has been wandering around the heads of vegetarians is back: Are plants considered "sentient beings"? If plants also have life, why can we eat them again? Of course, modern science has told us that plants are different from animals, without consciousness or emotion, and are not among the "sentient beings" mentioned by Indians.But how should this problem be solved among thinkers and religious people two or three thousand years ago? Could it be that believers really need to eat mud?
The strictest vegetarian food in the world
It is natural for Buddhists to eat vegetarian food, because today's Buddhism will not include plants in the ranks of "sentient beings".However, according to the research of some scholars, the earliest Buddhism's attitude towards this issue was actually quite ambiguous.From the perspective of the law and precepts, plants seem to be like life that can be reincarnated and must be treated with respect and kindness.It's no wonder, because plants are indeed the "bottom line life" in Indian ideological traditions (borderline beings)，It is both a living creature and must be "not harmed"; it is also a basic food that humans cannot survive without eating, and they cannot eat it.Between not killing and not committing suicide, between ethical principles and the reality of life, the Mahatma of ancient India thought of various ways of mediation.
The most famous and strictest method is orthodox Jain vegetarianism.According to their statement, life can be divided into several different levels, and the upper and lower levels are determined by the number of sensory species; plants only have touch sense, so the level is the lowest.But a low level does not mean that you can let the mermaid meat, because even the lowest level of life is life, and it also has its feelings and pain. Practitioners who are determined to be liberated must not ignore it.
However, if the life of plants is also valuable, then a complete "no harm" will not be achieved.When you pass by the grass, you will trample on the living creatures; even if you walk into the woods, you will brush the leaves intentionally or unintentionally, causing them to feel uncomfortable and painful.If you want to live until tomorrow, you have to swallow a lot of plants, trees, flowers and fruits.So from the beginning, Jains knew that their plans could only be considered a compromise and the next best option to minimize damage.
This undesirable solution is: only eat fruits that have fallen on the ground and vegetables, rice and wheat that are about to fall on the ground, because they have "dead".Eat only freshly made cheese and cheese because they have not yet rotted, and there will be mold when rotted, and mold is also life.Of course, the egg cannot be touched, because it will give birth to a high-level life with five senses.Sweet potatoes and potatoes cannot be eaten, because they grow in the soil.inside,It is the "root" of a plant. If you pull out the roots, the whole plant will not be able to survive.Figs cannot be eaten because they are pollinated through wasps, and babies are often living on them. Even if they just eat "dying" figs, they may harm the life of the wasps.Apples, eggplant, tomatoes and pomegranates cannot be eaten because they have too many seeds. Eating one is equivalent to brutally killing more than a dozen lives.You cannot eat broccoli and broccoli because their leaves have too many layers, and maybe there are some small insects that are invisible to the naked eye.If other vegetables look "very dying", they can be enjoyed with confidence. They must carefully peel off the leaves one by one. Otherwise, if they accidentally eat vegetable insects, they will commit the serious crime of killing.
This is not finished eating.Because even if you are careful to this level, it is still difficult for you to be 100% sure whether you have killed any creatures by chance.Therefore, it is best to control the amount of food to a minimum that is only sufficient to maintain life, just like the Theravada Buddhist practitioners do not eat after lunch, and then periodically fasting (Of course, don't even think about snacks )。
Do you think I want to laugh at them? No, on the contrary, I am full of respect for Jains who are rigorous in the martial arts.Because of compassion and principles, they can restrain their innate desires to such an extraordinary level, and this is just a helpless compromise.In my opinion, this story also answers the questions that many vegetarians often encounter, such as "Plants also have life, can they not kill animals?", or "The process of growing vegetables also kills a large number of insects. Can eating vegetables avoid harm?" Yes, it may be difficult to eat vegetarians that do not kill animals at all, but there is still a difference in the number of animals killed between vegetarians and non-vegetarians, and the intention behind it is even more distant.As Taiwanese scholar Qian Yongxiang said, killing a person is considered a murder, but this does not mean that a person who has killed someone by chance can let go of his arms and massacre.
We may not be vegetarian, but we are not qualified to question vegetarians who are kind-hearted and say they are hypocritical.Why did Hitler condemn the murderer? Isn't this a joke?
