On Vegetarianism (sorry Gopal)

I've had this thought rolling around in my head for a few days now and I thought I might as well get it out. I was thinking about how many people assume that Buddhism requires one to be vegetarian in order that we not kill any animals. It turns out that The Buddha was not a strict vegetarian, but would eat meat if presented to him as a guest. However, only if it were not slaughtered for him specifically [See here for more as it gets somewhat sticky]. This brought up the thought that many vegetarians (and non-vegetarians) think that it is better to eat plants than it is to eat animals. I disagree with this view; not because we should kill animals, but because we should view all life as equally valuable.

How can we judge the worth of any living creature, "conscious" or otherwise. When a plant senses something that is detrimental to itself, does it not grow in another direction? Just because plants and other non-animal creatures do not have many similarities to us does not mean they are not worthy of life.

My point in this post is not to say that we should live off dust and rocks, but that we should thank and respect any creature who gave it's life to grow ours. And in that respect does it really matter whether we eat meat or not? I agree with moderation in all things, but to essentially say that an animal's life is more worthwhile than a plant's seems to be against what most people think of as the philosophy of vegetarianism.

I'm not going to get into fruitarianism as that seems a bit overboard. Death is a natural process of life and I don't think we should feel the need to not kill anything, but we should certainly treat every living thing with respect. That means sustainable practices and humane treatment. In general I think we should all try to eat less and not gorge ourselves; eat more slowly so that we may enjoy our food and be mindful of how it came to be in front of us; and of course, before eating take a moment to be thankful to the living beings who gave their lives so that we may be sustained. And one more thing, every once in a while turn off the TV and enjoy the company of others around the table or the company of ourselves when no one else is around. Just by being mindful and enjoying life we pay tribute to those creatures who gave us so much.