Guilty carnivore

Thank you, Carlos.  I think it was easier to respect the animals we eat when we saw them roaming the land.  It is easy to forget that these were majestic animals when all we see is some flesh wrapped in plastic.  You are right though ~ it is the circle of life.  Every day I watch my girl cat kill mice, birds, red squirrels, and know this is the way it was intended to be.  I guess it is an inner struggle I will always have to face.

Thank you, Spirit Dog.  This has nothing to do with other people's feelings.  I don't think anyone I know gives a rat's rump what I choose to eat and why I choose to eat it.  I live in an area where hunting is a huge part of their lives.  I understand the need for hunting on an intellectual level, but for the life of me I cannot understand the desire to do it.  I sit at my computer each morning and watch the deer nibble at my lawn and just cannot understand the desire to put a bullet through that beautiful hide.  So, periodically, usually during BBQ season, I get attacked by my own conscious.  Like I said, I tried to forgo animal flesh, but felt as if I was hurting myself by doing it.  So, there really isn't an answer to this dilemma.  I simply have to reconcile myself to who I am and what I need.