I've been a vegetarian since I was 12, when I figured out that humans actually don't
need meat. I was raised on a farm and never felt right about eating my "friends". Until I turned 12 I believed (thanks to my mother!
) that I would basically die if I didn't eat meat , so I really think that's the only reason I didn't stop eating meat the day I realized what meat was, when I was probably about 4 or 5. I hesitated to jump in on this conversation, as I've seen how upset some people can become when confronted by a vegetarian, but well, here I am! I will say though, that I have far more respect for all the meat eaters in on this conversation for several reasons. First, they are fully aware of what meat is, and are choosing to eat it with complete awareness, and secondly because everyone seems to care about the life of the animal prior to its demise, and holds a certain amount of respect for the entire process. And lastly, the meat they're eating they raised or hunted/fished themselves, rather than looking for the cheapest deal at
Wal-mart from animals raised in horrific conditions. I do wish everyone who chose to eat meat could be at this level, but unfortunatly we are a grocery store society for the most part, and not only are people not being mindful when taking a bite out of their burger, but they become angry and disgusted when faced with the reality of what they are eating. I think if someone has to make up their own little fairy tale to feel okay about what they're eating, they have no right to eat it. So being raised on a farm certainly impacted my decision to not eat meat, and actually, since I started raising chickens this past year, my beloved, suburbia-born DH has stopped eating chicken and has basically begged me to never get a cow or else he knows what will happen next!
