Book Title: Ahimsa is not Religion It is way of Life
Author(s): Clare Rosenfield, Linda Segall
Publisher: Clare Rosenfield and Linda Segall

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Page 24
________________ people to think of other people's needs, to place a limit on their own, to treat planetary resources with respect and frugality, to end habits of profiteering and consumer greed, and to develop ways for everyone to receive adequate nutrition. * * * HOW CAN REVERENCE FOR ALL LIFE AND VEGETARIANISM LEAD US CLOSER TO WORLD PEACE ? Meat-eating is the small print; war is the blown-up picture," Shree Chitrabhanu points out. In the seemingly small arena of animal exploitation, the seeds of war are growing. Why? Because each time we refuse to consider where our dinner has come from and at what cost to life and the environment, we are causing pain and devaluing life. As soon as something--profit, the tastebuds, muscle power, a concept-is more important to us than life itself, we are supporting and perpetuating a mentality which can lead to war. The mentality which can treat other sentient beings as if they were feelingless machines* is the same as that which can conceive of dropping bombs on whole populations and sending its own sons to carry *In the U.S. alone, about 134 million mammals and 3 billion birds are slaughtered each year for food. Almost all are subjected to an assembly-line process. Chickens, àurkeys, and other birds hang by their feet from a moving conveyor belt as their throats are slit, the blood drained out, and the feathers removed. Cattle are branded with a red-hot iron, dehorned, and castrated before being sent to feedlots. Millions die before ever reaching the slaughterhouse due to 23 Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

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