was just reading thes site http://www.nhsf.org.uk/publications/veg.htm and read ths paragraph and wondered whether people agree or disagree with what it says... Psychologically we can also see certain differences between groups of beings which eat different types of food. Calmness of mind and action seems to accompany the non-eating of meat, and the opposite, i.e. arrogance, envy, anger, hatred, violence and an unaccepting nature, for the meat eating beings. For World Peace, which do we think will be the more progressive? I know what I think I am just wondering what others here think of it?
I would agree with the statement, but I think there's more to it than just vegetarianism. I think patience is a big deal too. Meditation seems to help build patience, so maybe vegetarian meditators are necessary for world peace (?).
Pretty big generalisation, no idea if it's true or not. Is there a proper study and research to back it up? I've been vegetarian for the last two years and if anything have got more confrontational during that time. Might just be growing up and becoming more confident generally, but there are only so many dumb omni comments you can take. I'm pretty sure that people with those positive traits are more liking to become veg*an. As it would appeal to their sense of logic and compassion. So it wouldn't be the diet that prompts it, but the other way round.
Total agreement. It's easy to say A = B (vegetarian = emotional control). But in this case I think both A & B are results of something else. Whatever made us go vegetarian is the same thing that enables us to control our emotions better. The key phrase in the original quote is "Calmness of mind and action seems to accompany the non-eating of meat..." So yeah, they're not saying vegetarianism causes calmness. But the two seem to travel in pairs.
wow it's at 50/50 I disagreed... this statement "Calmness of mind and action seens to accompany the non-eating of meat" Sure I am not a violent person and what not--- but I don't think that statement completely fits me, and I'm a vegan--- I'm always pretty tense, and I tend to get irritable often. I look at my father who is juggling a company, a divorce, selling a house, me...etc and he's, for the most part, really laid back, calm and content with life overall--- He doesn't get irritable or angry half as often I do and he is a meat eater. I think this statment has NOTHING to do with what you eat--- Its the personalities of people. I actually think my vegan lifestyle is the way it is for the opposite reason stated--- it's because I AM angry with society and the way we treat other life and such-- Sure I'm caring and compassionate when it comes to other life, but I find myself angry with the world on almost a daily basis
I was about to agree with your disagreement, seeing as I have quite a temper. But then thinking about it, even in my worst moments of extreme anger, I retain the ability to remain reasonable and rational. So perhaps there's something to it *shrug*
While the statement does make sense, as food does influence the way a person acts, the generalization is a little too broad for me to take it seriously. There are many people with the "calmness of mind and action" attributed to vegetarians who do consume meat. As well I'm sure there are many vegetarians who are extremely violent and angry. To me, this is the same as a statement I read in a sociology text book in high school: "It has been observed that many violent criminals who have been put into prison claim that they consumed mashed potatoes as part of their normal diet. As such, the conclusion can be drawn that mashed potatoes are one of the potential causes of violent acts against society." Clearly we know that this isn't true -- EVERYBODY, over the past billion years, eats mashed potatoes. That doesn't make them violent criminals. When the generalization is too broad, the statement looses its validity. Bright Blessings! Aphrodite Pretty
I think that's silly. I mean all dogs eat meat, but that doesn't mean they are all nasty! And I know plenty of nice people who eat meat. Also, maybe some people become vegetarian because they are kind?
That's a hidious generalization. I would agree that most vegetarians I know are rather peaceful people, but I also know some rather negative people who choose the vegetarian diet. I myself am a devoted meat-eater, but that doesn't mean that I am negative in any way.
I am currently reading a book about food and healing. It is not a vegetarian book, it is neutral in terms of that. Foods are described by what physiological and psychological effects that have. There is a section of the book explaining how eating lots of meat invokes anger, aggression, and war. Thus, yogis and those who meditate typically fare best on a vegetarian diet. (They recommend meat only for those who do hard physical work daily, such as a lumberjack.) Those who seek enlightenment will be inhibited by consuming animal products. Something about it has to do with the hormones in meat... causing the aggression. But then again, it may not be a cause/effect. Rather it could be a correlation. Perhaps those who are more peaceful are more likely to eat vegetarian, and vice versa. Perhaps those who agree with war and ignore human suffering are also more likely to ignore animal suffering. These are not meant as stereotypes for all individuals, but as general trends that many have noticed. I think that such a concept could extend to nonhuman animals. Take a gorilla and a lion for instance. Both are large animals, but a gorilla fares on a plant based diet (besides eating bugs while grooming), while a lion fares on a meat based diet. A gorilla seems to be more gentle and pensive, while a lion seems to be more on-the-go and dangerous.
