On the Slaughter of Cattle and the Saving of Lives
Posted on July 31st, 2013
R Chandrasoma
It is the conventional belief that if a poor animal is ‘rescued’ from a slaughterhouse, a life is saved and great karmic merit accrues to the doer of this compassionate deed. Things are not so simple – as with most issues involving life and death.
In the first instance, no life can be truly saved – death conquers all. (Religious concepts of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Final ReleaseƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ and ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”SalvationƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ are ignored here). Thus ‘saving a life’ is no more than ‘the postponement of death’ which is not unambiguously a good thing. A being in great suffering may welcome death – this is epitomized in the Neo-Hippocratic maxim – ‘Though shall not kill but needst not officiously strive to keep alive’.
A religious aura clouds thinking on these matters but let us be ‘down to Earth’. In the wild most animals terminate their lives by being killed and eaten by predators or by succumbing to the ravages of sickness and injury. Their bodies are ‘recycled’ by an efficient force of scavengers and decomposing micro-organisms.
Problems arose after the domestication of wild animals which resulted is the production of ‘spent stock’ – that is animals , old and decrepit, that cannot be maintained for any reason other than the sentimental. In Africa, where hearding of stock is an ancient way of life for people such as the Massai, there is no problem as they slaughter and eat those unfit or incapacitated in some way.
The contrast is with India (a spiritually muddled nation that is not renowned for public compassion) where the spent stock is abandoned to die miserably in public highways and temple -grounds. Since man is omnivorous, there has always been a demand for viands that are meat-based but (understandably) hemmed in by taboos and restrictions rooted in culture and religion.
Except for faddists and the ultra-orthodox, Buddhists (unlike Hindus) eat beef but they have a ‘meat supply problem’ which – untl recently – was solved by surreptious sales of spent stock to those who made a business of killing animals for the market and supplying dressed meat to eateries and to those who ate gluttonously without asking pesky questions about the trials and tribulations of the beast from which the flesh was harvested.
In future, most of the killed animals will be from well-managed farms and techniques of humane slaughter will replace the horrors that condemned animals are exposed to in their final hours. A ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Good DeathƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ and departure from this sorry world may actually be good for most living things. Suffering is the ineluctable consequence of being alive and to die is arguably a welcome release from the curse of life. To exploit this existential misfortune to ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”score marksƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ or ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”karmic creditsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ is (arguably) a great betrayal of our highest values.
Thus when a monk burns himself to death he is more concerned with his salvific future than with the pain of the dying creature. It should be otherwise ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” our prime concern should be to promote well-being and reduce suffering in all.
This has little to do with religion – as the empathy which sensitive individuals feel for their fellow-beings (animals included) is truely innate . It is only remotely linked to ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”peregrinations of the soulƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢. Joy at the well-being of all (eudaimonia) and the revulsion felt at the needless suffering fellow-creatures are pre-religious traits.
The aim, then, of all sensitive individuals must be to foster well-being in all living things ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” not to defy death. Cattle (and other animals in our care) must live well and die peacefully without pain or trauma. After death the flesh can be eaten with a clear conscience ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” knowing well that this violates no definable moral law.
August 1st, 2013 at 6:06 am
Mr Chandrasoma has addressed a difficult topic with logic, for which we thank him.
Use of animals for human needs has been the practice from eons ago. This is the ground reality. In the present times, to do so with care for health of the animals concerned as well as humans, and in as compassionate ways as possible is the challenge for us all.
August 1st, 2013 at 8:16 am
Meantime, to reduce use of animals for food purposes, organic Soy ought to be grown in Sri Lanka. I suggested earlier that some of the Buddhist Temple lands be used for such purposes with the the aid of Dayakayas from the area. Soy can almost replace meat for nutrition and milk (Soy milk & cheeses, even yoghurt type desserts), from animal sources.
As most people know by now, apart from the well known tvp (textured vegetable protein), there are delicious soy protein based burghers in many different flavors now available in western countries. Soy products (Tofu, Tempeh) have been used as a tasty alternative in the East for many centuries. We hope McDonalds will use this need for vegetable protein in the East and produce a delicious Soy McBurgher with an equally delicious Soy McShake – all done with locally grown organic Soy !
August 2nd, 2013 at 11:48 am
FRAN ! I have been drinking Soy Milk for about the last fifteen years. It is available here in USA, in three flavours, Organic, Vanilla, and Chocolate. It is a high protein drink. Sri Lanka should, as you say, go in for large scale plantation of Soy, and produce the much needed end products, Milk and TVP.
August 2nd, 2013 at 12:21 pm
Thank you for more info, Susantha !
May our tribe increase ! Best of health to you and your family.
August 3rd, 2013 at 6:43 am
Buddhist Sri Lanka is concerned with slaughter of Cattle (and rightly so), while our Economic issues are not looked into. The crude Oil off Lanka shores goes unnoticed ! Lanka Economics must make note of the Oil off Lanka shores and let the Public know the issues. For the Economy to succeed, all Lankans must prepare the ground work to use some of the crude oil to produce plastic and goods locally. It will generate jobs & money ensuring Economic success. I was amazed to learn that there are 6,000 uses from Crude Oil mostly through Plastics. Here are some uses of Crude Oil via different types of plastic :
A partial list of products made from Petroleum (144 of 6000 items)
One 42-gallon barrel of oil creates 19.4 gallons of gasoline. The rest (over half) is used to make things like:
Solvents
Diesel fuel
Motor Oil
Bearing Grease
Ink
Floor Wax
Ballpoint Pens
Football Cleats
Upholstery
Sweaters
Boats
Insecticides
Bicycle Tires
Sports Car Bodies
Nail Polish
Fishing lures
Dresses
Tires
Golf Bags
Perfumes
Cassettes
Dishwasher parts
Tool Boxes
Shoe Polish
Motorcycle Helmet
Caulking
Petroleum Jelly
Transparent Tape
CD Player
Faucet Washers
Antiseptics
Clothesline
Curtains
Food Preservatives
Basketballs
Soap
Vitamin Capsules
Antihistamines
Purses
Shoes
Dashboards
Cortisone
Deodorant
Footballs
Putty
Dyes
Panty Hose
Refrigerant
Percolators
Life Jackets
Rubbing Alcohol
Linings
Skis
TV Cabinets
Shag Rugs
Electrician’s Tape
Tool Racks
Car Battery Cases
Epoxy
Paint
Mops
Slacks
Insect Repellent
Oil Filters
Umbrellas
Yarn
Fertilizers
Hair Coloring
Roofing
Toilet Seats
Fishing Rods
Lipstick
Denture Adhesive
Linoleum
Ice Cube Trays
Synthetic Rubber
Speakers
Plastic Wood
Electric Blankets
Glycerin
Tennis Rackets
Rubber Cement
Fishing Boots
Dice
Nylon Rope
Candles
Trash Bags
House Paint
Water Pipes
Hand Lotion
Roller Skates
Surf Boards
Shampoo
Wheels
Paint Rollers
Shower Curtains
Guitar Strings
Luggage
Aspirin
Safety Glasses
Antifreeze
Football Helmets
Awnings
Eyeglasses
Clothes
Toothbrushes
Ice Chests
Footballs
Combs
CD’s & DVD’s
Paint Brushes
Detergents
Vaporizers
Balloons
Sun Glasses
Tents
Heart Valves
Crayons
Parachutes
Telephones
Enamel
Pillows
Dishes
Cameras
Anesthetics
Artificial Turf
Artificial limbs
Bandages
Dentures
Model Cars
Folding Doors
Hair Curlers
Cold cream
Movie film
Soft Contact lenses
Drinking Cups
Fan Belts
Car Enamel
Shaving Cream
Ammonia
Refrigerators
Golf Balls
Toothpaste
Gasoline
Americans consume petroleum products at a rate of three-and-a-half gallons of oil and more than
250 cubic feet of natural gas per day each! But, as shown here petroleum is not just used for fuel.
August 3rd, 2013 at 6:44 am
Read as “Lanka Economists …”