i am a vegetarian (rant)

i am a vegetarian. i don't have a problem with it, but others do. for some reason some people feel i should justify being a vegetarian.

apparently i need to have a full and rational justification for not eating animals. i don't need to justify who i vote for, what i wear, or where i sleep, but i do need to justify what i eat.

if i didn't know these people better i'd think my not eating meat was making them feel guilty.

well, folks, i'm sorry. i don't have a full rational justification. my reasoning is not 100% consistent. i do not intend to give a full logical treatise. if this makes you feel better (i would say less guilty, but hey...) then fine.

i don't eat meat because it seems wrong to kill other things just to eat them, when there is no need to do so.

in my life lots of things are wrong, in varying degrees. killing animals to eat them is pretty low on the list - way down below, for example, killing people (don't group me with the crazy people who plant bombs to kill people to save animals).

also, in my life, there's no point in offending friends for no apparent reason. so if i go to someone's house, and they've cooked me food, with meat, i'll happily eat it.

also, i own two leather belts and a couple of pairs of leather shoes/boots. on one hand, leather shoes are a lot more comfortable and durable than shoes made from synthetics. on the other, i buy maybe a pair a year - which makes what? a cow every decade or two?

also, i drink milk and eat cheese and yogurt. i know that cattle die because of this, and it worries me. i also don't like the idea that cattle are injected with gook to make them more productive. recently i've switched to organic milk, but i can't find a reasonably priced easily available organic fruit yogurt. as i said earlier - don't expect a full logical justification - my life is complicated, and i like cheese and yogurt.

i'm fairly happy with the compromises i've made. they fit with my life. maybe i'll change them - i'm flexible.

so, happy now? maybe i'm so inconsistent you don't think i should be called a vegetarian. fine. if it makes you feel better.