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活動
「我為何吃素」作文比賽優勝作品
(上)
翻譯/阿胖 資料授權/美國人道對待動物組織(PETA)
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Did You Go Vegetarian Contest
去年年底，美國人道對待動物組織(PETA)舉辦了一次「我為何吃素」的作文比賽，消息公佈之後，有超過1100位的素食者投稿，提出他們為何由肉食轉變成為一位素食者的心路歷程。許多人在文中表示他們無法從邏輯上一面愛著陪伴他們的動物，卻又一面吃肉，因此決定成為素食者。除此一最常被提出的原因外，也有討論到素食所帶來的健康益處以及肉、蛋與牛奶工業對環境的破壞。
絕大多數的投稿內容關注在現代化工廠型農場的殘忍行為，以及動物不是我們用來監禁與宰殺的觀念。有些人提到因為看到生產雞蛋的業者，在將小雞塞入非常小的鐵農籠子前，將牠們嘴巴燒掉的情形後，決定成為一位吃全素的素食者。也有許多人談到豬肉製造業者用來裝懷孕期母豬的籠子，在這根本無法轉身的小籠子當中，母豬被裝在裡面達五個月之久。許多人引用PETA”被擊倒的母牛”的報導內容，這是關於一隻受傷的母牛，被牛肉製作業者無情地拖著走並射殺的故事。許多人說被關在農場的動物會感覺痛，且像貓與狗一樣有感情，而且如果你還繼續吃肉的話，你不配稱為是一位”愛動物的人”。
有百分之四十的文章中討論到吃肉與心臟病，中風，結腸癌，乳房癌及前列腺癌之間關係。另有超過100個人提到，在他們選擇吃素之後，不但變得更有力量與活力，還減去了過重的體重。
其中不只80個人說對環境的關心是影響他們吃素的主要原因。一位來自北卡羅來納州的PETA會員親眼見到養豬工廠對他們所住社區的污染，從此不再吃肉。一位加州的會員談到他父親在一家製造牛奶工廠工作時，在一肥料沼澤中因為吸入有毒氣體而沿生出健康的問題。也有許多人引用雨林受破壞、水污染，以及製肉工業使用低效率能源等，作為他們斷絕吃肉的原因。
比賽最後由美國人道對待動物組織在1100多位參賽者當中，選出10位參賽者的作品，刊登在他們出版的新聞刊物上，10位作者並且可以享有一頓豐盛的素食大餐。蕃茄小屋在取得PETA同意之後，將分兩期在這裡介紹給大家，這10位獲得優勝獎的朋友，他們是因為什麼原因而吃素的。-----強力推薦
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(1)堪薩斯州，David
Potter
有許多原因讓我選擇吃素。在我很小的時候，我就是一位喜歡動物的人。我喜歡觀賞在我家後院遊玩的鳥兒，也喜歡到附近的公園，看鴨、鵝、松鼠及其他小動物們。對於動物的愛，在我童年成長過程中一直滋長著，然而，我還是一面吃著肉。
每當我看到電視上揭露屠宰場負面影像的錄影帶時，我總會覺得可怕，然而，長時間以來，我只是簡單的試著將這些可怕的影像與想法，從我腦海中移除，目的是為了方便繼續我”正常”(儘管是沒人性且不健康)的飲食。
接著，在我14歲時，整個變了。我逐漸了解肉類與其他動物產品應該為大多數人們的健康問題負責。除此之外，我眼中開始從過去所吃的漢堡、雞翅、與燻肉中，看得到懼怕與無依的牛、雞與豬。這些不是食物，而是有父母、有家庭、有感覺與權利的生情生命。
這些認知讓我見到餐桌上的肉時，將叉子放下。很快的，不同於大眾的認知，我發覺吃素既不困難，也不是一種對味覺的吹噓。我在我們這裡的健康食品店找到相關豐富的素食食品，包括口味很棒的仿肉食品。吃著”仿熱狗”，但卻不會對環境造成傷害或殺害其他活的動物，這種感覺真好。
幾年後，我將注意力轉到我所吃的蛋與牛奶製品上。我很高興選擇了吃素，且開始懷疑這些動物性副產品，對一個讓動物免於殘酷的生活型態是否是可以接受的。於是我決定做些研究，且很快的知道了人道對待動物組織(PETA)。
在本地一個展示會上，我拿了一份PETA的宣傳單，並驚嚇的發現這些動物副產品的製造環境。雞的嘴被烤焦，牛被榨取牛奶至死，這些都只是剛開始。在PETA的網站上，我發現更多的訊息，於是我決定吃純素，且不再回頭。
現在我21歲，不但比以前健康快樂，每天吃純素與運動，讓我具有最佳的運動員身材。我的血壓與脂肪指數均低，且比以前更有活力，每天晚上睡覺時我知道我過著在一個不再傷害地球上其他同袍的生活。畢竟我們是相繫在一起。我希望在像PETA這一類人們的幫助下，能讓我們這個星球成為它的子民(包括人類與非人類)一個更仁道、更慈悲的家。
David
Potter, Kansas
I suppose there are several
reasons [why] I became
vegetarian. Even as a
small child, I was an
animal lover. I had always
loved watching the birds
in my backyard and enjoyed
going to nearby parks
to see the ducks, geese,
squirrels, and my other
small friends. My love
for animals continued
to grow throughout my
childhood; however, I
continued eating meat.
I
was always horrified when
I saw undercover videos
from slaughterhouses (frequently
[videotaped] by our friends
in PETA) in investigative
reports on TV, yet for
a long time I simply tried
to put horrific images
and thoughts such as these
out of my head merely
for the convenience of
maintaining my “normal”
(albeit inhumane and unhealthy)
diet.
Then,
at 14, it became too much.
I came to realize that
meat and other animal
products were to blame
for the vast majority
of humanity’s health concerns.
On top of this, I began
to see frightened, innocent
cows, chickens, and pigs
where I once had seen
hamburgers, wings, and
bacon. I realized these
items were not food—they
were sentient beings with
parents, families, emotions,
and rights.
These
realizations led me to
put down the fork when
meat was on the table.
I quickly learned that,
contrary to popular belief,
conversion to a vegetarian
diet was neither difficult
nor a blow to the taste
buds. I went to my local
health food store and
found a bountiful selection
of delicious vegetarian
foods, including wonderful
imitation products for
the meat dishes I had
abandoned. It felt great
to enjoy a “hot dog” without
harming the environment
or ingesting another living
creature.
A
few years later, I turned
my focus to another element
of my diet: eggs and dairy
[products]. I was very
happy with my decision
to go vegetarian and began
to wonder if these animal
byproducts were really
an acceptable component
to a cruelty-free lifestyle.
I decided to do some research
and soon learned about
PETA.
At a local show, I picked
up a pamphlet from PETA
and was horrified to learn
of the conditions to which
these “byproduct” animals
were exposed. Chickens
with their beaks seared
off and cows milked to
death were just the beginning.
After learning more at
www.peta.org, I made the
decision to go vegan—and
never looked back.
Now,
at the age of 21, I am
as healthy and happy as
ever. My vegan diet, along
with daily exercise, has
put me in the best athletic
shape of my life. My blood
pressure and cholesterol
are low, I have more energy
than ever before, and
I can go to bed each night
knowing that I live my
life without harming my
compatriots here on Earth.
After all, we’re ALL in
this life together. I
hope with the help of
people like those at PETA,
we can all make our planet
a more humane, compassionate
home for all its residents,
both human and nonhuman. |
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(2)德州，Laurette
Timms
多年來我在吃素的路上，進進出出，只因為我不很喜歡吃肉。後來在芝加哥市樹屋避難所(Tree
House shelter)當獸醫助手照顧病貓時，我遠離了吃牛肉、豬肉、雞肉與火雞肉。我只是開始想如果貓有感覺的話，那麼，牛、豬、雞與火雞也應當有感覺，因此就不想再吃牠們了。接著，我看到一條魚在水霸上跳動，於是我想牠們也不會很舒服才是。2003年4月在德州大學聽Garyv
Yourofsky(PETA)的一次演講後，我從一般素改成純素，我先生則從一位肉食者成為一位吃純素的素食者。從播放的影片上，我們真實的看到農場動物為了成為一片鮮美的肉味所遭受到的痛苦。當我們知道牛肉製品業的暴行之後，我們說，夠了，夠了，把起司拋掉，改買豆漿吧。
我們覺得我們可以與其他上百萬的素食者發表一大篇聲明，不讓一個靠動物受苦來換取利益的工業獲得任何一毛錢。市面有可口的仿肉、豆漿、蛋替代品，與便宜的合成鞋。也有不含牛奶成份的冰淇淋，所以我們有足夠的東西了。在Wal-Mart或Kroger等超市，我們可以買到許多東西。此外，我們也可以開車到Whole
Foods或Central Market買東西。
素食產品比以往更普遍了，整個大肉類與奶製品工業也在關注當中。Dean
Foods買下了Silk soy milk公司。ConAgra，Kraft，與Kellogg也買下了仿肉製造公司。甚至Burger
King也賣起素漢堡。麥當勞正在加州測試素漢堡的銷售市場。Denny有素漢堡，Pizza
Hut也在印地安納州的Ft. Wayne測試黃豆起司披薩。
錢會說話。而我們準備為動物代言。
Laurette
Timms, Texas
I was a vegetarian on and off
for years, because I just didn’t
like meat that much. I went
off beef, pork, chicken, and
turkey permanently, while working
with sick cats as a vet assistant
at Tree House shelter in Chicago.
I just started thinking that
if cats had feelings, so [did]
cows, pigs, chickens, and turkeys,
etc., and I just didn’t want
to eat them anymore.Then, I
saw a fish flopping around on
Survivor and thought it just
can’t be too comfortable for
him either. I went from vegetarian
to vegan, and my husband went
from meat-eater to vegan, when
we attended a lecture by Gary
Yourofsky (PETA) at the University
of Texas in March 2003. We actually
saw, on film, the way farm animals
suffer, just for a tasty piece
of meat. When we heard about
the atrocities of the dairy
industry, we said enough is
enough, threw out the cheese,
and bought soy milk.
We
feel we can make a big statement,
along with millions of other
vegetarians, by not giving one
dime to an industry that profits
from animal suffering. There’s
tasty fake meat, soy milk, egg
replacer, and Payless synthetic
shoes. There is also nondairy
ice cream out there, so we’re
all set. We can get a lot of
stuff at Wal-Mart or Kroger.
Otherwise, it’s a trip to Whole
Foods or Central Market.
Vegetarian
products are more commonplace
than ever, and the big meat
and dairy corporations are actually
taking notice. Dean Foods has
bought Silk soy milk. ConAgra,
Kraft, and Kellogg’s have bought
fake meat companies. Even Burger
King has a veggie burger. McDonald’s
is test marketing a veggie burger
in California, Denny’s has a
veggie burger, and Pizza Hut
is test marketing soy cheese
pizza in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.
Money
talks. And we plan on letting
ours talk for animals.
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(3)路易斯安那州，Jacklyn
Tejada
在一次閱讀線上新聞時，我選讀了一篇關於影星帕米拉•安德森(Pamela
Anderson)反肯德基炸雞的報導。文章中連結到http://www.kentuckyfriedcruelty.com/一個介紹肯德基殘酷對待雞隻的網站，這對我起了作用。從一個網站接著一個網站。在這網站上停留大約三秒之後，我就下了決定。我感到罪過的是，在我可怕又沉重的內心底，我知道我是造成這些雞隻被屠宰的原兇之一。除此之外，我對於因為不知道這些訊息，而沒去看待這件事，感到生氣。我想一般人很難理解，電視廣告上鼓勵人們喝牛奶及吃果凍的背後意義究竟是怎麼一回事。
現在我對於我自己覺得很滿意。現在的我，不但身體更健康，而且不再是造成那些動物被宰殺的禍首。對於我過去所吃的肉，你最好相信肉類與牛奶加工業已受到重創。
謝謝人道對待動物組織(PETA)，以及每一位參與這個驚人且令人開眼界的組織。
Jacklyn
Tejada, Louisiana
I was reading the news online,
and I clicked on the story about
Pamela Anderson being against
KFC. In the story was a link
to KFCCruelty.com, and that
did it for me!! One site led
to the next and the next. It
took maybe three seconds on
KFCCruelty.com for me to make
my decision!! The guilt that
I felt, that awful heavy feeling
inside of me knowing that I
contributed to the slaughtering
of these poor animals. ... On
top of it all, I was angry at
myself for not looking into
this, for not knowing this information.
I think it’s hard to realize
what goes on when TV ads are
urging people to drink milk
and to eat JELL-O.
I
now feel so good about myself.
I am in better health, and I’m
happy knowing that I don’t contribute
to the murdering of animals.
With all the animal products
I was consuming before, you’d
better believe that the meat
and dairy industry has taken
a big hit!!
Thank
you, PETA, and everyone involved
in this amazing, eye-opening
organization!! |
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(4)田納西州，Rebekah
Bowen
在自小對吃肉一直有罪惡感以來，我看到一件讓我永遠停止吃肉的事情。
2003年5月一個多雲的下午，在我沿著I-24開往田納西州的Antioch路上，我發現我開在一輛龐大的卡車之後，當時車兩旁有一堆白色的東西飛飄出來，一、二秒間，看似下雪，但當我加速開到卡車旁時，我知道是怎麼回事了。
那些白白的東西不是雪，而是從上千隻活生生困在一個疊著一個的條板箱內的雞隻身上，所掉出來的羽毛。可悲的是，這些可憐的小動物即將被宰殺。牠們用可憐的眼睛看著我，彷彿試著對我說，”我們究竟做了什麼事要遭受如此得對待，你為什麼讓這樣的待遇加諸我們身上呢？”
慚愧的回到家後，我感覺自己像是個世上最可憎的人，我進入房子，然後坐在沙發上沉思，….，我是怎樣的一個人呢，我想成為一個什麼樣的人呢？我自言自語的說，我怎能支持這種殘酷對待其他生命的行為呢？我決定是我結束我罪惡行為，並且從新開始的時候。我接著上網看能否找到與素食主張相關的資訊，我發現PETA「你吃的是什麼樣的肉(Meet
Your Meat)」的錄影帶。看完影片後，我哭了一整天。
從此之後，我再也不吃肉了。
Meet
Your Meet：http://www.petatv.com/tvpopup/Prefs.asp?video=mym2002
Rebekah
Bowen, Tennessee
After always feeling guilty
about eating meat throughout
my life, ever since I was a
small child, I saw something
that made me want to stop eating
animal flesh for good.
One
cloudy afternoon in May 2003,
I was driving down I-24 going
toward Antioch, Tennessee, when
I noticed that I was driving
behind a giant truck with a
bunch of white things flying
out of the sides. For a second
or two it almost looked like
it was snowing, but then, when
I drove up by the left side
of the big truck, I figured
out what was going on.
The
white things were feathers,
and they were coming off of
the few hundred, live, uncomfortable-looking
chickens that were stuffed in
crates on top of one another.
Sadly, those poor little animals
were about to be slaughtered.
They all looked at me with their
pitiful eyes as if they were
trying to say, “What did we
do to deserve this, and why
are you letting this happen
to us?”
After
driving home shamefully and
feeling like the most horrible
person who ever lived, I went
into the house, sat down on
my couch, and contemplated …
what kind of person I was and
what kind of person I wanted
to be. I thought to myself,
“How could I support this kind
of cruelty toward another living
creature?” I decided that it
was time to end my evil ways
and start over. I then got on
my computer to see if I could
find any useful information
on vegetarianism, and I came
across PETA’s “Meet Your Meat”
video. After seeing that footage,
I cried for the rest of the
day.
I
haven’t eaten another animal
since then and never will again.
Meet
Your Meet：http://www.petatv.com/tvpopup/Prefs.asp?video=mym2002 |
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(5)賓西法尼亞州，Jill
Linta
我已有多年沒吃紅肉了，但卻一直無法成為真正的素食者。1997年的勞工節那天，我參加位於賓州Hegins市反對射殺鴿子的活動。那是我一生當中最糟糕的一天。射殺活動中的”觀眾”是由當地居民所組成，每當一隻鴿子被射中但沒有死時，人們就會快樂的歡呼。這表示會有一位10至12歲的小孩必須跑到現場去折斷那隻鴿子的脖子。我們的工作是跑在那些小孩子前去抓起受傷的鴿子，然後將牠帶到獸醫的旅行車上治療。這些”觀眾”當中有許多人也許是喝醉了，竟威脅要傷害我與我妹妹。其中有許多人還擁有來福槍。開車回家後，我決定如果我願意冒生命的危險來救那些鴿子，但如果還繼續吃其他鳥類的肉的話，這是不合乎道理的。從此之後我成為一位真正的素食者。
Jill
Linta, Pennsylvania
I hadn’t eaten red meat for
years but had still not gone
completely vegetarian. On Labor
Day 1997, I took part in a protest
against pigeon shoots in Hegins,
Pennsylvania. It was one of
the worst days of my life. The
“audience” was made up of [locals],
who cheered in delight when
a bird was shot but not killed.
That meant that one of the children,
about 10 to 12 years old, had
to run out to the field and
snap its neck. Our job as protesters
was to run onto the field and
grab the injured birds before
the little boys did and take
them to a veterinary trailer
to be healed. Several men, probably
intoxicated, threatened to hurt
me and my sister. Many had rifles.
Driving home that day, I decided
that if I was willing to risk
my life to save pigeons, it
didn’t make sense to eat any
other birds. I have been a vegetarian
ever since. |
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