Can we be Deliciously Kind?
Whether you wear shoes merely for protection or as a calceophile, you must have heard of the phrase, ‘put yourself in the shoes of the other’. Empathy is regarded as one of the essential leadership traits. A recent study by Catalyst.org suggests that empathic leaders can transform their employees to be significantly more innovative and engaging. It can even establish a better sense of belonging. Although all of us feel the soles of diverse shoes at varying degrees, as strange as it may seem, empathy is a highly accredited emotional intelligence predominately only amongst humans and aww-looking animals.
Once upon a time when my milk teeth were fully developed, I vividly remember the day my great-grandmother pointed fingers towards the jet contrails in the sky, causing my jaws to open impulsively. All at once, her frail fingers forming the shape of gyan mudra subtly released a fillet of distinctly cooked fish. The sudden meow of my cat must have made me realise what was captivating my tastebuds wasn’t any other food but flesh, a piece of meat from a body not so different from mine. In T-minus 3 seconds, the piece of the bygone oceanic beauty rocketed out of my cavity. Thus, I first witnessed the blazing human anger, for spitting a token of life and love, a cuisine which was highly relished by the entire neighbourhood.
Hailing from a state in India which is famous for its scenic beauty and meat consumption, I was startled to see greater meat consumption in the UK. From witnessing a banana leaf holding a variety of grains, pulses and syrupy diabetes, in the UK, I began to witness a platter of the animal kingdom, representing highlands to the Atlantis!
I have been a vegetarian since birth, not by any beliefs, health fad or biomass consciousness. But because I love animals, not just cats, but all, maybe except snakes and spiders. Over the years I could never fathom how people ate chicken as hens in my grandparents’ farm were one of the first few animals that seemed to enjoy my company the most although we never understood each other’s languages, not even about the purpose of our lives.
Beyond tastes, it is purely selfishness, convenience and the law of the land that prompts people to decide and justify themselves what and not to eat. Animals appearing cute and loyal are treated with greater care than fellow humans, whereas animals which appear inutile and hostile are caught and feasted. Although they do roar ‘no’ in their vernacular language and praise the Lord Artemis or Pashupati based on their ethnicity, their mourning is often unheard and forsaken, only to sound like a Freddie Mercurian eeeeeoooooo for the humans, before another sumptuous meal!
If Nemo wasn’t a cute clown fish or if Dory wasn’t a blue tang but simply a shrimp, would Finding Nemo have become a blockbuster? While Messi, Ronaldo and Virat are portrayed as GOATS, can we let the real goats graze grass and play in their green fields? Yes, we are the superior race, for we built the pyramids to the AI. Our race must march on, sustainably, and for that good food is important.
Life of some sort must be consumed to stay alive. A meat-based diet certainly has its nutritional benefits, no doubt about that. Before we feast on some delicious corpse again, shall we choose the source of vital nutrients with consciousness, a lesser barbaric alternative, as long as we aren’t stuck in the middle of the Sahara or the Bermuda Triangle?
Walking past a supermarket aisle, I saw a piece of frozen meat shaped like Africa. It must have travelled a long route as it read, ‘imported from Spain’. The fleeting encounter with a former piece of life communicated something to me. And that’s what led to this memoir. We might be the only known animals with tender feet to wear any kind of footwear. Perhaps that’s why we often cannot stand in the invisible shoes of other divergent lives. Let love alone remain blind and passionate but not our tongues!
