A Different Path

One day, I realized that what I was doing was wrong: I eat meat. In as much as Owls are natural predators, I decided six years ago that I would not kill for food anymore. Hence, I became a vegetarian.

Queer, you may say, but I resolved that I would not live in delight at the expense of another's life, whether it be a large mammal or a tiny fish.

Since then, I must admit that I would slip, as now. But I know heaven will smile upon me knowing that another one of her creatures has embraced the path to compassion, and no matter how many times I fall, I will always keep on pushing on. No more fish for me, pork or beef -- I would thrive on the bounty of the land, of legumes, leaves, nuts, fruits and grains.

An unusual Owl indeed. But then again, didn't another offbeat fellow say once that:

"Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet."

His name was Dr. Albert Einstein (1879-1955; Nobel Prize, 1921)

Those who have heard the preceding quote probably aren't aware he said the following too:

"So I am living without fats, without meat, without fish, but am feeling quite well this way. It always seems to me that man was not born to be a carnivore." (Letter written to Hans Muehsam dated March 30, 1954)

"I have always eaten animal flesh with a somewhat guilty conscience." (Letter to Max Kariel dated August3, 1953)

and my favorite:

"A human being is a part of the whole, called by us the 'Universe', a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separate from the rest - a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is in itself a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security." - Published in the New York Post, 28 November 1972