Are you a non-vegetarian? Or, a vegetarian? Or a vegan? If you are a non-vegetarian, have you ever seen the moment when this animal is fighting for its life, with all its might, to run free? I am a non-vegetarian; partly. Once, when I was a child, I went to market with my parents, and what I saw shredded my heart into pieces. There were bodies of goats, hanged upside down, with much of their intestines out. God! This caught me like nothing else. I was not able to eat properly until 2-3 days after that. I have not eaten mutton till date, and neither I will, in the future. The same is the case with fish. I once saw a fish fighting for its life; I do eat that but not with my whole heart. But what's interesting is, that I do eat chicken, occasionally. And, eggs!! That I am die-hard fan of! Now you might think what kind of hypocrite am I? Shouldn't that scene awaken a general empathy in me? And how am I eligible to write on this topic, given that I am myself a non-vegetarian. But on the contrary, my opinion can be very important in understanding the opinion of people who eat animals to understand the very ideology behind it.
A middle ground between humans and animals. Will that ever exist? This is a question that blankets in it various other concepts. Such as, food chain, humans being carnivorous, health, empathy factor, the existence of humans, and animal businesses supporting it.
To start easy ,middle ground between humans and animals should not always have to be about the highest concerns only. Yesterday morning, I saw a lady far away, walking with her dog. Her dog was eager to go faster and she was rather slow. So what she did is, she was pulling the belt of a dog to control him. The belt was constantly forcefully pressing against its neck.
A cruel way of handling the otherwise most adored pet. The slightest of changes can make the biggest of differences. The middle ground can start there.
India's most loved and successful businessman, honorable, Mr. Ratan Tata, hired Mr. Shantanu Naidu as his assistant. Mr. Naidu did a very innovative job in saving the lives of street dogs. He saw a dead dog run over by a vehicle and came up with the idea of noticeable belts for them. Motopaws is the start-up started from a simple idea that pushed the middle ground a little ahead.
The argument of the food chain seems crazy to some while seeming perfectly logical to another. We human beings have a carnivorous digestive gut. The proteins and vitamins we get from meat and eggs are so important. If they weren't, nature would have probably eliminated this mode with evolution. We might all have turned herbivorous. I have seen a person suffering from bone cancer; she had extreme faith in God and didn't ever touch meat. But when it came to survival, doctors told her to consume eggs and she had to.
The animals produced in poultry are already excessively produced in number just for the sake of meat. If it was not for that, probably they weren't existing at all in the first place. I, personally, am not against meat consumption what I feel can be improvised is the way they are handled before that. The eggs are unfertilized eggs that were never going to give birth to a chick. Therefore it is also a question in people, whether or not an egg is a non-veg. It's all fair until the food chain was balanced. But now, humans have crossed the limits. The meat production and fish consumption to feed the ever-growing population are finding inhuman and ill-empathetic ways that are cruel to animals. That's where we need a middle ground. A ground where at least there is balance in coordination with nature's will.
One thing that can and should be cut down is the exploitation of animals for leisure purpose. The ornaments and clothes made from animal bodies should completely be banned. They keep opening the gateway for trafficking and harassment of animals. The illegal trading of tiger skin has significant contribution to their decreasing number. A mere shift to not using products made from animal skin can be a start towards a middle ground between humans and animals.
Our beloved celebrities like Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma are promoting a brand named blue tribe which produces plant-based meat. This is a fantastic alternative to animal meat consumption. With the advancement of food technology, they have disintegrated the formula for the taste of meat. Now, it's being used to create all the meat-based products like momos, nuggets, biryani, etc. This will be an outstanding movement in creating a middle ground between humans and animals. Every one of us should start being part of it once it reaches our cities.
While we are talking about animals, how can deforestation be left out. Deforestation is major issue that's snatching the home from animal's to give home to humans. I remember a lesson in Hindi, it was about a bird who was fascinated by the city life. It leaves the forest only to encounter a black water to drink, black air to smell and zero trees to find shade. Frustrated it goes back to its home and finds out that the forest has been cut. Prioritizing everyone's wellness rather than just of humans can be a footstep towards middle ground between humans and animals.
Another concept that's gaining popularity is of becoming a vegan. A vegan who denies using anything and everything related to animals. It means not even drinking milk. Milk and meat are considered best for health. We don't know yet the long term impacts of turning vegan. Perhaps not enough studies are done about it.
One thing that should be our goal in achieving this middle ground is balance. Following nature's course along with maintaining balance should automatically lead to prosperity of humans , animals and every other species.
We are all humans. We come in all kind of shades. Just as there are some who dismantle the balance of nature, there are others who try to fix that. Animals NGOs, PETA , Bluetribe, Shantanu Naidu and all such people deserve a huge shoutout!
With hoping for continuous betterment of humanity and our coexisting species, I hereby conclude this essay.