Rhetoric

Why does nobody ask a smoker why he/she smokes?

Do smokers have to justify their being smokers?

Why must a vegetarian be asked and justify his/her being vegetarian?

Just a few days around, ergo...

My becoming vegetarian (lacto-ovo-vegetarian, well, rather lacto-vegetarian now since I rarely ate eggs or anything containing egg...in fact i was never laco-ovo-vegetarian but became directly lacto-vegetarian) dates some months back. There was no big and sudden reason -of course-, but gradual changes in my awareness and concerns towards creatures and life. The process was slow and gradual and might have begun earlier than I think and meant some inner changes, aiming improvements. There was a need to be more coherent with some ideas and i was differently aware of each action, of every single moment.


In mid November meat disappeared definitely from my diet but I kept eating fish and sea-related creatures (which was difficult to justify to myself). By the end of 2007, the amount of creatures I ate was sharply reduced. New Year? I don’t believe in such big-purposes-for-the-new-year. I didn't celebrate the coming of 2008, just like the previous year...But the fact is that I took somehow the definitive step toward vegetarianism as the New Year came. I started feeling differently towards sea-creatures in a clearer way and felt ready to take the step. Now I’m more coherent with several ideas and points of view. We’re just for a few days around in this world, so better to contribute the less the better to harmful situations, better to have a more compassionate attitude (there’s already too much harm, too much aggressively, attacks, even in people’s language). Human animals are not that superior as it's said to other animals and in fact we should learn a lot from many creatures. This personal change won’t make many dynamics more sustainable (just like one vote means too little). But the fact is that we’re too small, too almost-nothing, so inhuman and not so rational as we say...Even the fact of writing here about this change is almost-nothing, just like me...but sometimes the tiniest actions reach the less unexpected changes and cause something positive, no matter if it’s something small, something that lasts a couple of seconds.

A hard part is the “social” one. If it was seen as something odd not to drink alcohol and to say “no, I don’t drink alcohol” when being offered a drink meant declaring oneself a strange person (even after several years people who know me keep asking it)...people’s reactions toward vegetarianism aren’t much “better”. Fortunately I don’t care much about this “soft-ostracism”, difficulties and so on. I don’t even care about having to cook twice or to cook several different dishes at home. I don’t even mind having to read the labels on food packages to check the ingredients.

The body is besides quite thankful. Now I feel much better both emotionally and physically and can offer better things and offer a much better attitude. Why now? Had to be now, I guess. After getting proper, decent and good/serious information I could take the step.