Vegetarian vs Non vegetarian

Hi

I think you have done a good job by making him a compassionate person at a young age. My son too tells his friends not to kill and eat animals. What I have told him is that each person has a choice to do somethings and not to do somethings and we have to respect people for the choices they made as they only know what is best for them and we as outsiders cannot decide. (A similar discussion comes when his friends eat junk food whereas I prevent him and he asks why they can eat and not him). I also tell him in each family, the beliefs are different and the child should listen to his/her own family and not compare.. Afterall the parents are ultimiately responsible for teaching the kids what is good or bad. So tell him politely that his friends' family may not think the same about killing and eating animals, they might change their mind one day, but till then we cannot force, we cannot hate them and just be as friends. At the same time, we should continue what we think is right and not get influenced by others. Also talk about people who have no choice sometimes but to eat non-veg like those living in antartica or deserts where they have to kill other living beings to eat. I know it sounds too much to tell a 4 year old, dont talk all of these at once, bit by bit..also ask him what he feels than giving directly the answer...like ex, some families go to church every sunday and some other families dont go to temple so regularly..which is better..why..etc so he understands that not all that he thinks/does is always the best..

I think many research has proved that a complete veg diet is not only equal but even better than non-veg diet in the long run. He is not losing anything vital by eating a veg diet unless your doc says he has some deficiencies.

Let me know what happened. All the best

Hi Roshmom,

I completely agree with Chaplin  that research has proved that a complete veg diet is not only equal but even better than non-veg diet in the long run . So u need not worry so much about  your child not eating non-veg. Give him more of soy protein , nuts, grains and dairy products.

Fruits and vegetables are believed to stimulate mental and physical purity, while meat is said to cloud the mind and makes a person more aggresive.

Rgds,

Mickey

I am agree with all of you. Killing animals is really a brutal job. But plants also have life. So, cutting trees is as brutal as killing an annimal. And collecting fruits/vegetables from various plants are as brutal as cutting some organs from our own body!!.......... Even drinking cow/buffalo milk is not a fair job, as it is made for them only.......... That means man, either veg or non-veg, are killing lives for their livelyhood.

Hi,

Since that last post isgetting philosophical I cannot help but add my bit!

It is true that plants are living things too. But the extent of damage done cannot be equated.

a) A leaf pulled out of a plant cannot be compared to - say - a limb chopped off an animal. The simpe reason is that a plan can grow more leaves/fruits/vegetables, but an animal is decapitated for life. What is lost cannot be regained by the animal.

b) The nervous system of animals are better developed than those of plants. The physical feeling of pain - as is clearly exhibited in a wounded animal  - is likely to be much more intense than the same sense in plants.

c) We follow a basic rule that we live as unintrusive a life as possible. Given the choice between eating a baby lamb and an apple, we can only choose the less harmful food. We cannot starve ourselves to death to avoid harming anything around us. That would be doing injustice to ourselves.

d) Along to same vein, if we are attacked by an animal, I would say we are justified in even killing it to save ourselves. But to willfully kill a weaker animal to satisfy our tastebuds - that is a totally different story.

Anyway, like Chaplin said, it is a matter of choice. A vegetarian has no right to scorn a non-vegetarian for her beliefs. And it sounds silly if you equate the killing of animals and plants to justify non-vegetarianism!

"The nervous system of animals are better developed than those of plants. The physical feeling of pain - as is clearly exhibited in a wounded animal  - is likely to be much more intense than the same sense in plants" -- 

that means we need not bother about any one who cann't express his/her pain , am I right?

which one is intense or not, that depends on the way of your lookings......

I don't need to justify non-vegetarianism as I , myself, is fond of vegetarian dishes.........But if it sounds silly to equate the killing of annimals and plants to justify non-vegetariantism, then it sounds equally silly to be an annimal lover to justify vegetarian-ism.

hi

i hav read ur problam...actually if your son eat good amount of green veggies and atleast 200 gm of pulses per day,taht is very good. actually non veg hav good quantity of protien,but there is no issue if he does't eat non veg,you can provide him soy and milk base protien supplemenrt,because according to w.h.o. we need protein per kg per gram minimum.

take care and don't worry.

Thanks everyone for your replies...