MEET THE MEAT
By Disha Gahlot
While we tend to submit a blueprint of how our lives should be to our imagination process, a grotesque path usually crosses our way to create a crossword with its own significant plots, twists and turns! Whether we choose to get lost in the puzzle or make our way back to the printing machine depends not just on our ability to think clearly but our creativity to play along while making a new way out of it! What often thwarts Mr.Z from doing what a rational being needs to do is his conceived notions about himself and his life. There's a thin line that differentiates a rational and an irrational person (let's say Mr.A & Mr.B) which is often determined by the belief system of that person!
Let's say that Mr.Z has never tasted meat in his life because he believes that life transcends all the forms and we, a tiny fragment of that life have no right to take another life. If you ask Mr.Z to eat meat, he will:
a) either do it straight away
b) politely refuse it
c) convince you why not to have it
d) not tolerate the non-sense you just said and will fight over it.
The scenario will be different for different individuals functioning with similar frequency like Mr.Z depending on how firmly they believe in the righteousness of being a vegetarian. On a scale from 1 to 10, depending on the intensity of Mr.Z's belief, the probable outcome will be:
Belief scale score = Option
1-3 = a)
4-6 = b)
7-9 = c)
10 = d)
Mr.Z is likely to choose any one of the above options, if:
a) No rigid ground has been established by his family, religion and society on his choice of consuming food but he has not been exposed to non-vegetarian food before.When Ms.X offers her to try chicken wings, he accepts it without having to think of being by questioned by anyone. He shall continue to have non-vegetarian food in future if he likes the taste or it might be a one-time-out-of-curiosity-trying-something-new kind of experience.
b) Mr.Z has been brought up in a background setting where everyone is a vegetarian but they're open to people outside their setting who're non-vegetarians. If Mr.Z were to meet Ms.X at dinner where Ms.X offers him to taste butter chicken, he is likely to refuse it politely giving some excuses but is understanding enough to be around Ms.X who loves non-vegetarian food.
c) Mr.Z has grown up in a family where having non-vegetarian food is not allowed. He has been taught why not to have it and why a vegetarian diet should be followed by everyone. When Ms.X offers chicken tikka to Mr.Z, he refuses to have it. At the same time, he puts forth his ideology for not having a non-vegetarian diet citing his religious beliefs, his concern for the environment and preserving life.
d) A community where non-vegetarian food is considered as a sin, its members are guided to look down on anyone who eats non-vegetarian and refrain from people who do, is home to Mr.Z. He goes for lunch with his new friend Ms.X who offers him to try tandoori chicken. He not only gets offended for being asked to do so; a feeling of foreignness, disgust and anger fills him. He immediately strikes her down for her intolerant action by giving a long speech and walks away. His last words echoed,' Our paths shall never meet again.'
These situations are encountered on an everyday basis in one form or the other. The ingredient ( here food preference) for the discussion differs, the fire ( here opinion) to cook the dish ( debatable topic) sparks from the same source ( here our belief systems).
We often say that intolerance is increasing day-by-day because even though we live as unity in diversity, we often disintegrate ourselves into groups based on our respective belief systems (old and new). We partly unite to fight against other foreign groups whose beliefs antagonize with ours . Plots are created to discuss the issues; each group has its own set of twists and turns to favor its agenda. Who gets the benefit here, Mr.A or Mr.B and why?
By Disha Gahlot
While we tend to submit a blueprint of how our lives should be to our imagination process, a grotesque path usually crosses our way to create a crossword with its own significant plots, twists and turns! Whether we choose to get lost in the puzzle or make our way back to the printing machine depends not just on our ability to think clearly but our creativity to play along while making a new way out of it! What often thwarts Mr.Z from doing what a rational being needs to do is his conceived notions about himself and his life. There's a thin line that differentiates a rational and an irrational person (let's say Mr.A & Mr.B) which is often determined by the belief system of that person!
Let's say that Mr.Z has never tasted meat in his life because he believes that life transcends all the forms and we, a tiny fragment of that life have no right to take another life. If you ask Mr.Z to eat meat, he will:
a) either do it straight away
b) politely refuse it
c) convince you why not to have it
d) not tolerate the non-sense you just said and will fight over it.
The scenario will be different for different individuals functioning with similar frequency like Mr.Z depending on how firmly they believe in the righteousness of being a vegetarian. On a scale from 1 to 10, depending on the intensity of Mr.Z's belief, the probable outcome will be:
Belief scale score = Option
1-3 = a)
4-6 = b)
7-9 = c)
10 = d)
Mr.Z is likely to choose any one of the above options, if:
a) No rigid ground has been established by his family, religion and society on his choice of consuming food but he has not been exposed to non-vegetarian food before.When Ms.X offers her to try chicken wings, he accepts it without having to think of being by questioned by anyone. He shall continue to have non-vegetarian food in future if he likes the taste or it might be a one-time-out-of-curiosity-trying-something-new kind of experience.
b) Mr.Z has been brought up in a background setting where everyone is a vegetarian but they're open to people outside their setting who're non-vegetarians. If Mr.Z were to meet Ms.X at dinner where Ms.X offers him to taste butter chicken, he is likely to refuse it politely giving some excuses but is understanding enough to be around Ms.X who loves non-vegetarian food.
c) Mr.Z has grown up in a family where having non-vegetarian food is not allowed. He has been taught why not to have it and why a vegetarian diet should be followed by everyone. When Ms.X offers chicken tikka to Mr.Z, he refuses to have it. At the same time, he puts forth his ideology for not having a non-vegetarian diet citing his religious beliefs, his concern for the environment and preserving life.
d) A community where non-vegetarian food is considered as a sin, its members are guided to look down on anyone who eats non-vegetarian and refrain from people who do, is home to Mr.Z. He goes for lunch with his new friend Ms.X who offers him to try tandoori chicken. He not only gets offended for being asked to do so; a feeling of foreignness, disgust and anger fills him. He immediately strikes her down for her intolerant action by giving a long speech and walks away. His last words echoed,' Our paths shall never meet again.'
These situations are encountered on an everyday basis in one form or the other. The ingredient ( here food preference) for the discussion differs, the fire ( here opinion) to cook the dish ( debatable topic) sparks from the same source ( here our belief systems).
We often say that intolerance is increasing day-by-day because even though we live as unity in diversity, we often disintegrate ourselves into groups based on our respective belief systems (old and new). We partly unite to fight against other foreign groups whose beliefs antagonize with ours . Plots are created to discuss the issues; each group has its own set of twists and turns to favor its agenda. Who gets the benefit here, Mr.A or Mr.B and why?
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