^ Vegetarian’s Dilemma

After a decade of strict vegetarianism, I started eatingmeat again about a month ago. At the time, it was firmly rooted in the physicaldemands on my body from strenuous exercise. I was building muscle like a fiend,and there was no craving for a tofu patty, but there sure was for a nicehamburger. So once or twice a week, I would patronize a business that offeredgrass-fed, locally raised beef. I can only hope the slaughter process ishumane; as a consumer, I am so far removed from the production process that itis anyone’s guess if the cows are terrorized as they die.

And therein lays my dilemma. I stopped eating meat because Ididn’t think it was (1) fair to ask someone else to do my slaughtering for me,and I certainly was not going to rip the feathers from a chicken or bleed out adefenseless cow, and (2) I think it’s part of my obligation as a thinking humanbeing to be responsible in my food consumption, and it doesn’t seem defendableto make other animals part of my diet.

I know this rationally, but that soundtrack gets suspendedwhen I am sitting down with my burger. I feel myself consciously reach into mybrain and push the “pause” button, where it stays well past the end of my meal.

I can’t stay on pause forever.