Rotten Vegetarians

Vegetarian principles comprise more than simple dietary constraints. Its philosophy surpasses the kitchen/dining room parameters and has found its way into deep-rooted conversations on politics, the environment and even spirituality.

I personally do not have a problem with people who have a vegetarian lifestyle. In fact, I was a herbivore myself for 2 years. But I do have a problem with vegetarians who impose their "vegetarian-ish" values on others. I am sure you know what I mean because everyone has felt the glare from a vegetarian merely for using a plastic container. In addition, you’ve probably come across several vegetarians who tend to speak out on several issues, not necessarily related to food, who truly believe they are right all the time! And quite a few non meat-eaters I know are extremely fundamental and dogmatic about almost everything under the sun. I see that a culture of vegetarians who portray self-righteousness and superiority is increasingly growing. Dang it! It's so annoying! Do they really have the right to take a moral high ground?

A woman I used to work with was a proactive vegetarian and made known her issues whenever someone heated up meat in the microwave or forgot to recycle a can. It amazed me how oblivious she was to the friction that occurred every time she impressed her views upon the staffroom. Understandably, this woman wasn’t well liked around the workplace. She did not know that by attacking others she was losing respect and making herself look bad. So, this makes me wonder. Why do vegetarians so often feel the need to preach? It's a completely backward and hypocritical line of attack. As far as I know, they see themselves as loving, sympathetic and humane. But often they ridicule, judge and sneer at others. I would say some vegetarians can be fanatical extremists who are no worse than sinister, evangelical leaders. Which brings me to the woman I worked with. I later learned that her father is a pasture. I heard her tell me how rigid and unapproachable he was. Funny to think how 'the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree' for that family.

Like I said I have nothing against the vegan/vegetarian lifestyle. Only I can’t stand those who take up a holier than thou, elitist attitude. Attacking others and putting them down, it only makes you look like an ass!

What's the hullabaloo?

Drama, drama, drama! Have you ever noticed that some people get overly excited for no good reason? I have to admit that I can be at times guilty of being overly sensitive or reactionary, but lately I’ve realized that it’s totally not worth it. It just takes too much energy to be a drama queen.

The following is a conversation I overheard of a woman talking on her cell phone. It went something like this: “What? Are you serious? That is weird…so creepy. Like oh my god. What? I’m so angry! Okay, wait. Well you can’t do that with people who are not your friends, seriously!” I don’t know, she was like…” blah blah blah.

And that’s when I thought about how I used to be like that. It’s interesting how when you get older you care less and less about shit things like that. Now hold on, I’m not being a big jerk. Really, I’m a compassionate person…(maybe my friends would agree?) But I truly don’t want to get that involved in other people’s lives anymore.

It safe to say that women are the worst culprits of getting overly emotionally involved. We dish out the drama and we also eat it up. We are mentally, emotionally, and psychologically capable of gabbing, nagging and bitching for hours. And at the end of it all, we say we feel a lot better…but we really don’t. What happens is that gab/nag/bitch-fest lingers in our minds for the next few days. Some of us go on to retell our loved ones what was said and then we continue to dissect the “issue.” It never ends.

Well I’m here to say that I no longer want to be a participating member. I’m tired of it and so is everyone else. Let’s move on already! How about just letting it go? (Or better yet dealing with it personally rather than making everybody else suffer?)

People (especially women) get so worked up because they feel that it is their god given ‘right’ to feel or even defend. Furthermore, our feelings need to be validated. We sometimes attach too much meaning to feelings. “Well, I feel like this because… or that made me feel ‘blank’ because…” Basically, our feelings are a response to something outside of ourselves.

But, why does it have to be so? Feelings should be a direct correlation to us, and us only! No wonder women feel wiped out or like they don’t have enough time…because they sometimes spend most of their energy on things that don’t even affect them. I don’t know, maybe I really AM a big jerk. What do you think? Should people just shut up and keep their personal lives and negativity to themselves? Maybe that's just the way some of us are and perhaps some people can't or don't want to change.

But I want to ask you: " How does the world around you affect you?"