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If you're that concerned over causing something to suffer, just become a Jainist. They're so nonviolent they only eat fruit that falls to the ground as to not hurt the plant.
I won't discount this research to save myself here. Life's just cruel. Why deny it?
Is this what inspires fruitarians that only eat fruit that actually has fallen from the tree?
I think that plants are far more incredible than ordinary people ever realize. Their adaptation response to various environmental factors is quite interesting. There are some really 'strange' creatures in the ocean, if that appeals to anybody's curiosity.
Anyways, its evident that the world's food supply is each other, in some way or another. That's just how it was designed. We humans can't make fuel by photosynthesis to bypass eating anything, yet. Hey, maybe later some biotech company will figure this one out?
This sounds like a case of trying to understand everything in human terms, things "we" understand.
This is, in my opinion, why some people dislike hunters so much. They're killing an "innocent creature". It seems like most of the time, the "innocent creature" is one that has been humanized in a movie or on television. Think about Bambi, Free Willy, Lassie, Finding Nemo, Winnie the Pooh, etc. It seems like most of the time these same people eat meat. I guess they have a clean conscience because they just subcontract out the killing; their hands are clean.
There are some questions science may never be able to answer. As humans, we are too stubborn to accept that. This is where stuff like "plants have feelings, too" comes in. The only plant I can think of that might have any senses would be a Venus Fly Trap. There may be others, but I don't know their names. Saying our lettuce or broccoli screams when we cut it off is just, well, a little too much like some delusional fantasy, to me.
I guess the simple idea of the food chain is just too simple for some people to leave alone.
1. Does it make anyone have new thoughts about eating the next salad? Harvest that lettuce and that cut is "felt" (awareness of undesirable act against it) by the plant.
No, plants aren't sentient. Plants lack a nervous system to feel pain in a conventional way and they lack a brain to process that information.
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2. Does this put eating plants on par with eating meat?
Absolutely not. Even if plants did feel pain, which they don't, meat would still be far worse to eat because many plants need to die in order for meat to be made. So, a meat eater kills far more plants than a vegan.
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3. Does this mean that eating plants or meat are equally injurious to the organism being consumed?
No, even if plants do feel pain, which they don't. It is pretty clear that a bird or mammal suffers much more than a plant.
Oh my...what will vegetarians do? BTW...fruit is a plant, too! Actually, the fruit part is like eating an embryo! That's where the next plant comes from!
I think the fruit that holds many seeds is like a womb. The individual seeds (like fertilized eggs) are the embryos which will then become the new plant.
The work of Dr. James Cahill has revolutionized the knowledge of plant life. From research and findings, the following has come to light:
1. Plants are intelligent. They make decisions, communicate, wage war, know when it's being attacked, etc.
2. Plants experience trauma when it's attacked (cutting of leaves, etc) and release chemical "screams."
Knowing this:
1. Does it make anyone have new thoughts about eating the next salad? Harvest that lettuce and that cut is "felt" (awareness of undesirable act against it) by the plant.
2. Does this put eating plants on par with eating meat?
3. Does this mean that eating plants or meat are equally injurious to the organism being consumed?
So many people seem to veer off the road when a subject like this comes up. Does everything have to be all or nothing ?
We're humans who have needs, food needs, shelter needs, clothing needs, transportation needs etc... We live in the society we are in, you can't expect us to reinvent our society or culture overnight.
We all eat. Some of us eat meat and plant, some only plant. Why not start with trying to tread as lightly as you can with your impact on animal or plant species. Eat what you desire, but don't waste it. As my parents said, take all you need, but need all you take. When I see the amount of food waste when I'm in a restaurant it makes me shake my head in disgust. If you only eat 2/3rds of your hamburger, take the rest home for a partial lunch the next day, or feed it to the dog.....but don't just leave it on the plate for the restaurant to throw away.
Show appreciation and be thankful when you consume what you need for food. Don't feel guilty, but need what you take, and utilize it fully for the purpose you need it for. If you do feel guilty for one reason or another, then perhaps you should examine what you're doing and perhaps change your ways a little bit at a time as you see fit.
Trouble is, most don't appreciate much of anything anymore. We take what we want, and if we don't end up needing it we just toss it with nary a second thought to what was consumed to make it, or put it on our plate....plant, animal or any other natural resources.
Feeling appreciation for what we need and what we have.....that's a good start in my opinion.
People don't care that we torture animals, pluck out their feathers while they're alive, throw them into grinders as babies while they're alive, shoot 'em in the head with bolts that don't always work and gut 'em while they're still moving, etc, etc...and you think they're gonna care about a plant?
Personally, I don't "know" that plants are intelligent in any way comparable to even the most primitive and basic of animals...war, emotions? Sorry - need a lot more proof than you offer.
BTW - if we can't eat animals OR plants then WHAT do we eat to live?
There are plenty of plants producing fruits, in its vast meaning, that can be harvested without damaging a plant.
Thing is, humans malaligned their digestive system so that it can not properly digest food. As the result, most of nutrients is wasted and a lot of food is required. Also, many have food addiction.
That being said, anecdotally, I'll quote Kung Fu Panda movie. A true master can live off 3 grains of rice all day long.
Or, as I have heard, a person with properly functining digestive system is content with 2 apples a day. With no harm to the tree.
Plants do have equivalent of nervous system and communication. The surely have equivalent to skeleton and muscles. They absolutely, as I saw it, can sense danger and differentiate between people they know and strangers. Some of those responses can be seen in short instances, some take very long time to notice.
They are as much living organisms, in their celluar structure, as anything else on earth that lives. Simply different from animals and humans and of course, if you are not like I am, then you are good to kill, right?
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