Good afternoon my dear friends and tutor! Can you still remember the topic we discussed last Wednesday morning? Yes, that was vegetarianism. I can clearly recall the author's opinion toward it, which stands on a strongly positive side, and its supportings, among them environmental benefits, health benefits, and his own experience as a vegetarian. On that class some interesting ideas popped up in my mind and I just integrated them into my oral report.
There is one thing I want to claim before my formal report that is I hold the same point of view as the author and I won't state the redundant words about the supportings that the author had already listed.
Alright, let's start our journey.
Right after that class, I asked some of my friends who are non-vegetarians about their opinions towards vegetarianism. 3 out of 4 mentioned the nutrition problem and the health concerns. They thought they will be fatigued easily and lack of some necessary amino acids. For this question, I searched with Google and found some facts in Wikipedia. The research has already proved that the necessary nutrients, proteins and amino acids for the body's sustenance could be found in vegetables, grains, nuts, soymilk, eggs and dairy. We all heard about vegetarianism, but 'meatarianism' is unheard-of. We are not able to gain longevity with only meat supplied, but we can live without many age-related diseases, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, etc., and some devastating disorders, just like cancer, with a vegetarian diet.
There is another reason for my nodding towards vegetarianism is the energy chain theory. It is undeniable that energy is the thing that every creature exists in this world can't simply do without, and it makes up the only reason of dinning. In other word, we eat only because we need enough energy to support our lives. The energy chain is formed when a predation, which is a broad sense, happened, that the energy of the lower level of the food pyramid flow into the higher one. Virtually speaking, energy flows in the energy chain derives from the sunlight and the green plants, such as grass and vegetables, which are considered to be the ground of the energy chain, take it in. Then the energy will flow with the chain, and finally into our bodies. According to the menu of the restaurant, we have beef, pork or chicken as our usual meal, which means we are at least the third consumer of the original energy stored by the green plants. Everything seems so bright so far, but we just omitted the consumption of the energy during the assimilation and transference process. Actually, only 10% to 20% energy will be transferred to the next level of the chain. It's obvious that the more levels energy flows, the less will be left. In other word, we may consume more resources in order to feed ourselves because our level is so high. Thus, converted into a vegetarian can help the world to save resources for we are direct consumers of the green plants.
At the last part of my report, I want to share my point of view toward the reason that leads to the rejection of converting to a vegetarian. In my opinion, the dignity of being a human is a great obstacle of converting. The weak are the prey of the strong is always the law in this competitive climate, thus to have other animals as prey is the most original way to show the absolute power and strength of us human-beings, and this dignity is the last thing we would give up. Then it comes to the greed and the desire. It is apparent that the taste and the feel of eating meal are totally different from eating vegetables. In a common word, meat is 'delicious'. So we eat not to fulfil the need of energy but to satisfy the need of our desires and our greed. The last thing is the stereotype of 'we are born omnivores'. The interesting fact is that our bodies are more similar to herbivores, ‘with long intestinal tracts and blunt teeth’, unlike other omnivores and carnivores. Our ancestors evolved into eating meat as a result of huge climatic change that took place million years ago, when jungles and forests dried up and turned into grassland which increased the opportunity of opened hunting. I think these are the main reasons why we reject to convert into a vegetarian, and just like I said, they shouldn’t have been in our way.
It would be my honour if you keep what I said with your critical view in your mind, thank you all.
No comments:
Post a Comment