The Vegetarian Myth: Food Justice and Sustainability by Lierre Keith, Essay Example

The book of Lierre Keith on The Vegetarian Myth considers more than just the idea of being a vegetarian or following an all-vegetable diet for the sake of developing a better health practice for those who do not want to take in meat as part of their daily diet. Instead, it talks about deeper issues considered in par with the vegetarian way of living which is directed in focus to the practice of industrial agriculture or factory farming. Apparently, the writer wants to show how the imbalance of nature has gone haywire due to the fact that humans desire to have more than what they are intended to use for their survival. The birth of factory farming specifically comes from the ideal consideration of people towards the creation of a more sustainable system of farming that could support the growing number of human individuals residing on earth. Somehow, the author wants to point out that humans have been readjusting the natural systems towards the path of sustainability without thinking how these adjustments affect the natural process of growth that the environment and its elements need to develop into. Remarkably though, if closely observed, certain points of consideration should be given attention to especially in analyzing the position of the author of this reading when it comes to animal butchery. Somehow, she utilizes the logical fallacy on the appeal to pity simply to impose on the idea that animals are living beings too and should not be killed for food. Sadly though, the truth is, unfortunate as it may seem, animals were practically created to be below the human food chain and are then considered to part of the food groups that humans need to survive. The author ought to recognize this and not specifically impose that killing animals for food is something that should be shunned. True, vegetarianism is a way of life, and for those who choose it, they follow through the beliefs that accompany it; nonetheless, over exaggerating on matter such as eating meat should be abolished in the reasoning of such individuals. It is the idea of imposing factory farming that is being imposed to be unnecessary and not that of the regular farming procedure, and this ought to be clarified by the author herself.

True, disturbing the natural system of the environment in providing the chances of growth to all the different elements included in it has caused many different devastating effects to the human society. These effects however have been given less regard by many because they basically want to incur changes that would best support their needs. Sustainability on the other hand tries to bring back the balance that was lost through the embracing the developmental systems of modern living. The process by which sustainability brings about the balance needed by the world today shall take into consideration the need to balance out the process from which people envision their survival. Contentment on sustenance is a very important aspect of this adjustment. Living with the rightful benefits of home-grown food is one particular aspect of development that aims to bring human individuals to the basic points of survival. The argument on whether or not advancement and modernization of human live has actually provided a course of development for the human society has been considered in this reading as the source of debate among individuals today. Taking note the example on how humans have disturbed the actual production of the sources of food has created a definite source of environmental stress. With advancement came the price of paying for the adjustments that the environment has had to deal with so as to comply with what the humans want and what the humans need.

The complications that modern living has brought to the world have specifically affected the vision of the society towards the importance of sustainability. Could it be that it is the basic ways of living that caused the ancient generations of humans to live longer compared to the human individuals today? This question is considered to be one of the most intriguing part from which the idea of Keith regarding vegetarianism as a way of life comes from. The basic ways of living have sustainably supported the growth and life of human individuals; however, with the desire of making things better for the sake of progress, changing the system of living has been the course to take. Somehow, this course however has placed the human society in the middle of the current turmoil it is in right now. This is the reason why perhaps the vegetarian living is seen by Keith as the way of living that is supposed to be given attention by the society today to be able to survive the challenges of sustainability in the face of modern living.

Reference:

Kieth, Lierre. The Vegetarian Myth: Food, Justice and Sustainability. http://lierrekeith.com/vegmyth.htm. (October 2, 2011).