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It has been established now by Vegan movement protagonists that for producing more milk, cows are kept pregnant continually. 70 to 80 per cent of baby calves are slaughtered within six months by Veal industry or within five years by beef industry. Mother cows are being slaughtered after only five years of their fertile life as against their average life expectancy of 15 years.Nearly 130,000 cattle and 7000 calves are being slaughtered every day The practice of vegetarianism by Jains is also an integral part of highly disciplined restraint (Ahar achar and ahar shuddhi) in food consumption. Jain scriptures lay down clear guidelines for avoiding over-consumption as well as eating below one's appetite, observing periodic fasts, giving up or restricting consumption of certain food items, eating food cooked in a healthy and clean ambiance, eating fresh food items and avoiding junk food, stale food and fat-rich food.
On nutritional grounds also, vegetarian food is gaining popularity. Cornell University srudies have shown that wisely chosen vegetarian diet is fully nutritional. Those who ate the large quantity of protein froms animal sources were found to have the highest rates of heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
Jain religion puts considerable emphasis on the emotional and ethical perspective. Human beings detest with revulsion at the very thought of eating human flesh. Cannibals are regarded barbaric and inhuman. Then how it is that eating animal flesh does not raise the same sensitivities. It only reflects exploitative, distorted and illogical greed and vanity of human beings. It is also the subtle desensitization that consumerism, taste buds, and not wanting to know is covering the non-vegetarian world.
One also needs to pause and think about the ordeal of the animals being slaughtered in slaughter houses, howsoever modern and equipped,. The intense feeling of horror, anger, hurt, pain and suffering which goes into the freshly dead meat goes to shape the emotional fibers of meat eaters, and develops in them the psychology of callousness, anger, revenge, hate, disgust and
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