Guiding Light: Compassion Begins On Your Plate

A study conducted by a group of medical toxicologists found that when meat is processed by the body, it produces toxic by-products that affect the body as well as the mind. As a result, the digestive system has to work hard to break down the meat. This process involves oxidation, which produces free radicals. These scientists believe that these free radicals are responsible for most of the damage done to the body internally. Another study, done by a distinguished clinician and scientist, revealed that eating meat leads to aggression in humans. While elaborating on the study, the team of doctors said that phosphorus and calcium are found in meat in a ratio of 50:1. And eating meat leads to excess phosphorus, which is not natural for humans. On the other hand, electrical activity in the brain monitored by EEGs has shown that a vegetarian diet induces alpha waves, which indicate a state of neuromuscular relaxation not just of the brain but of the whole body.

It is so ironic that the largely meat-eating developed countries of the world have stringent laws when it comes to treating a pet, and it is ensured that if the pet is hurt, the owner can even be imprisoned. However, in these very countries, millions of animals are killed every day for food, and yet no one goes to jail. Isn’t it surprising that so many animal lovers continue to be non-vegetarians because they are unable to connect with the cruelty that goes behind the making of such food? It's high time all of us asked ourselves the question: Why does our conscience need a rational argument, sanctioned by a research institute in the West, to realise that killing other living creatures is a form of cruelty? Can’t we realise that a heart that heaves no sigh at the sight of violence cannot be a source of compassion for other fellow men? Aren’t we just walking on one path while seeking another's destination? Just give it a thought and then decide whether to kill or heal?

(nikunjji@gmail.com --- www.brahmakumaris.com)

(Writer is a spiritual educator & popular columnist for publications across India, Nepal & UK. Till Date, 8500+ Published Columns have been written by Him)

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