The world of Tzu Chi April 2020 (Vol.121)

linked to the pandemic. Times have changed, but the consumption of meat has been integral in the evolutionary development of the human diet since ancient civilizations. A feature report published in a 2017 issue of the China-based Super Science magazine highlighted the increasing severity of the illegal bushmeat trade, particularly the smuggling of wildlife from Africa. This has raised concerns among scientists over the transmission of diseases stemming from the handling of bushmeat across borders, which potentially leads to an epidemic of catastrophic proportions. The report also traced the origins of infectious diseases to myriad pathogens of various shapes and sizes, ranging from prions, microscopic infectious agents responsible for several neurodegenerative diseases found in mammals, to parasites such as tapeworms. Bushmeat has been cited as a major carrier of numerous pathogens. Scientists have discovered that infectious diseases that erupt into pandemics in recent history share a common trait: the disease-causing pathogens have largely evolved from ribonucleic acid (RNA) viruses that residewithin animals. These infectious diseases essentially take the form of zoonotic diseases – animal-borne diseases that are transmitted to humans. Pandemics that have claimed countless lives around the world, including the Great Bubonic Plague (caused by bacteria found in populations of fleas), the Spanish flu, acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), avian flu or bird flu, swine flu, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), Ebola and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), are some examples of zoonotic diseases. Therefore, vegetarianism has emerged as a sustainable alternative to a meat-based diet and merits renewed evaluation of its relevance – be it from the perspective of religion, maintaining a balanced ecosystem, health and wellness or disease-causing factors – in an era where mankind remains susceptible to health hazards manifesting from animal-borne viruses. The variety and versatility offered by a modern-day vegetarian diet is by no means inferior to a meat-based diet. After all, the taste of food is merely a fleeting sensation, stimulated by a surge of sensory signals captured by our senses of taste and smell as we consume every morsel. When religions endorse the cultivation of compassion by preserving lives and the positive impact of a vegetarian diet on environmental sustainability and overall wellness is supported by ample scientific evidence, the decision to go vegetarian boils down to personal resolve. It is also worth considering vegetarianism as a lifestyle choice that liberates us from our guilty conscience and psychological distress arising from the awareness of our complicity in sacrificing the lives of animals to satisfy our appetite for meat. The Covid-19 pandemic has sent the world nearly grinding to a halt, yet all is not lost. There is light at the end of the tunnel when we eventually emerge on the other side of the tumult, so long as we earnestly reflect on our past shortcomings and take the initiative to atone for our failings and the debts we have owed Mother Nature all along. TZU CHI 121 23 Coming Together in Times of Crisis