Adaequatio Intellectûs Nostri Cum Re

Adaequatio Intellectûs Nostri Cum Re - Latin for "conformity of our minds to the fact" (and yes, I looked this up)

So, I have not mused as of late because I have either been busy or have lacked a decent subject matter to converse on. But, all is well in the world and a topic I do posses!

So, conformity of our minds to the fact. What fact, might you ask? Let me strike up a fanciful conversation on vegetarianism. No worries, I'll eventually get back to my use of this Latin phrase.

As you may or may not know, I was a vegetarian for a little over two years. It wasn't until more recently (within the last month) that I quit and went back to eating meat. But, the more I look upon this decision, the more disgusted I feel with myself over it. So, resolution number one for me is that to a life of vegetarian delicacy I shall return.

Yet, what has me so troubled as of late? No, I didn't get sick when I went back to the "old" days. I have discovered that I have no tolerance at all for beef products, though. It's a certain property to the whole issue that has me worked up and sick to my stomach, rather.

Adaequatio Intellectûs Nostri Cum Re. Conformity of our minds to the fact. The fact that eating animals is okay, is normal, is what we, as humans, should do. That is the issue! Century after century, this notion has survived. Kill animal, eat animal, be happy. Anyone divided from this set ideology is an outside and not normal. They transcend this mental conformity that meat eating is the right thing to do. It's no wonder that a peculiar resentment of vegetarians and vegans exists; its source dwells deep in human intuition and psyche.

So, let me explain further my side of this.

This deeper thinking began just a few days ago. Before then, my reasons to be vegetarian ranged from the usual animal rights argument to things as silly and trivial as doing it because your celebrity crushes are all vegetarian/vegan. The reasons in those times were senseless and meaningless. Thus, it was easy to quit on the grounds that I'm not that person anymore; on the grounds that I have become a more rational thinker (or so I would hope) and that to make a life changing choice such as becoming vegetarian/vegan would have to be built upon something much more significant than just the love of David Bowie or Davey Havok of AFI.

But, the other night I watched a show on the History channel that discussed the history behind vampires and the reality of them. I know vampires of varying levels exist. There are people, that for whatever reason, literally love the taste of blood. Perhaps a sort of erthryophillia, a love of red blood (oh medical terminology). Additionally, we have the more literary "vampires," which are merely those characters that are able to use people in ways that benefit them and harm the used. These vampires exist in many forms all over the world. But, they're not my focus.

So, this show talked about Countess Elizabeth Báthory as being a true vampire. She had discovered her lust of blood after a small incident involving a servant (basically, she slaps the servant, draws some blood, and feels that the blood is revitalizing her skin). This then leads to the deaths of over six hundred young women. Their blood is drained and the Countess bathes in it to restore her youthful beauty. Some accounts (and as depicted in the documentary) report her to have bitten chunks out of some of her servants while they still lived and worked for her.

What does this have to do with anything? Well, I fixated mostly on this whole blood fascination. As another subtle reminder, I used to be one of those Gothic sorts of people. Perhaps not as deep into it as you may think (certainly black was a dominating color in my wardrobe, poetry my literary choice at times, and a peculiar interest in death, but never the thick makeup, depression, drugs, alcohol, and so forth), but one of them nonetheless. This brings me to a second part in the tale before I relate this back to my argument.

Towards the end of the documentary (maybe...I stopped watching after this point as I was appalled), they talked about Rod Ferrell and his vampire gang, how he drove from Kentucky to Florida to kill his girlfriend's parents, and then drank some of their blood. He thought of himself as a vampire and then, after being in prison for some time, as Satan himself!

Now, to return to the main point of this musing. Ultimately, that steak or that thigh you consume came from a once living, breathing, moving animal. Blood ran (and in some cases, still does run) through that tissue you are consuming. In a certain, less theatrical way, we are all vampires. We consume the flesh (and in some instances, the blood) of these animals. We call it food and necessity, but is it so much that as it is "Adaequatio Intellectûs Nostri Cum Re," a conformity of the mind to a "fact?"

Let us back track to a less gruesome outlook. Is meat a necessity for survival? No. Several people live successful lives as vegetarians and even as vegans (vegans of course consuming as little animal product as possible...though it should be noted that in our day and age, it is nearly impossible to fully escape animal products, especially the store bought products as animal products must be used in the making of vegan items). In fact, it is considered healthier to be vegetarian/vegan than to consume meat. Your risk of heart disease decreases, your risk of diabetes decreases, and much more. And for everyone so in love with this notion of becoming green, becoming vegetarian/vegan reduces your carbon foot print dramatically (less feeding cows bad food that increases their methane production and less processing of meat in large factories that produces awful waste products).

Of course, so few people see it this way. Even fewer will see the whole meat eating frenzy as mass vampirism in disguise. In fact, most would probably be offended at this notion that I'm suggesting. So, let me now redirect my attention (and yours) to a different argument.

I acknowledge that becoming vegetarian/vegan is not the norm. It does not follow this "Adaequatio Intellectûs Nostri Cum Re" idea I keep mentioning. The societal norm is to eat meat, kill animals, and be happy about it. Well, I'm not following that mental conformity and constraint. I am a free thinker and will do so accordingly. Whether this be the path you decide to follow or not, that is up to you. Think about it long and hard and pick the right choice based upon your superior mental capacity, not over some trivial objective such as the love of a celebrity or secret crush. Be adult about it. And if you choose to remain with your meat eating citizens, then that is fine. But, allow me to enter upon one last issue that I hope everyone can have some role in fulfilling.

At the end of the day, we are all the same. We are all people and all part of the homo sapiens. We all have wants, needs, dreams, and desires. We all need food, water, fun, and each other. It doesn't matter if you're gay or straight, Christian or Muslim, man or woman - we are all people. If everyone could simply realize this, maybe the world wouldn't be as messed up as it is. Or maybe this is simply young adult naivety at work and I'm somehow very wrong in my views of the world as it is and as it could be. As any existentialist would tell you, humanity is far from operating at its full potential.

On the subject, whether you're vegetarian/vegan or not, we're all people. We all make our own choices. As a people, we need to respect these choices. I know, I'm the social "outcast" in this situation as I choose to eat my veggies while you chomp on your steak. But, it was my choice, one that I do not enforce upon you. I merely ask that you respect it. If not for the fact that I respect your choice to eat meat, if not for the fact that I respect all your other choices in life, if not for that fact that my choice helps save the planet (maybe), then respect my choice because I am human. And on a less academic note, respect my choice because it leaves you with more meat, lower demand, and lower prices for the stuff!

It is now time that I part from my musings, focus my attention on organic chemistry, and eat an apple for good taste. I bid you all farewell and have a wonderful day.