God, Darwin, and Grass-Fed Organic Beef

So, I was in Texas for a few days. A dear friend turned 40. I got to see another friend for the first time in about 4 years. I got to see some more friends who I just saw this past November, but it’s always such a comfort to be in their presence. I also got to see my family. Big brother and his family…I actually got to see my brother and my niece on their birthdays! That hasn’t happened in years. Got to see Mom and Dad. I got to watch my boys playing with their cousins…yelling and laughing and stomping about. Good, good energy. I love all of my friends; I love my family. My time with them was good.

When I was in Texas, I saw the Alamo Drafthouse. That was cool. When I see it mentioned at aintitcool.com, I’ll be able to picture it, in the heart of Austin, right there on Sixth Street.

Random thought, of no consequence.

I also thought a bit about my diet. When you are a vegetarian sitting in Lambert’s, a joint famous for old-fashioned Texas barbecue, you think about things like diet. Earlier that same day, I sat in on a class about medicinal foods at Whole Foods on Lambert, the company’s flagship store. A few days prior, Dr. Mehmet Oz interviewed the author of a book called “The Origin of Diet” about…you guessed it…the evolution of the human diet. A few days before THAT, the world celebrated the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin (February 12, 1809 for both).

I found myself at that odd crossroads of spirit and science. I find myself there often. His Holiness the Dalai Lama maintains that when science teaches us something that conflicts with our beliefs…well, we might want to reexamine our beliefs in the context of scientific discovery. He makes a subtle point here, not about throwing the proverbial baby out with the bath water but about reexamining. That’s it; just reexamining. If science can add to the spiritual, then embrace that. If the spiritual can add something to science…well, isn’t that what the Christian Conservative Right in America is fighting for? The soul as the conscience of science?

So, in Lambert’s, Texas BBQ, I thought about my soul, the sanctity of all life, and my conviction that another animal should not have to die for me to live. It is a hard choice, a complicated path, this life of vegetarianism. My belief is rooted partially in science: vegetarians, as a whole, live healthier lives. It’s a tangible, quantifiable assertion backed by good science. My belief, though, is rooted more in my spiritual belief regarding animal life. Perhaps if humans showed more humanity in their treatment of animals, my opinion might be different. I don’t think so, but it is possible. Regardless, my mind wandered back to science. There are those who maintain that the human organism benefits from certain animal…byproducts, flesh included. Can I get everything I need from things that grow from the Earth? I believe I can; others do not.

As I sat there, I listened to someone talking to my wife about some of her medical issues, and diet inevitably came into the conversation. They talked about how modifying diet has helped alleviate her medical concerns. It was interesting given that the person who conducted the class earlier in the day had also told a story of how she suffered with psoriasis for over a decade before modifying her diet. When she did, her debilitating psoriasis all but disappeared. And for those keeping score, she still eats meat.

If you are going to eat meat, the best thing you could probably eat is grass-fed organic beef. Grain-fed animals are…well…pretty much not as healthy or nourishing. We’ll leave it at that. Now, I hesitate discussing diet with people because, I have found, it is as personal and as volatile a subject as religion, politics, and parenting. As a matter of fact, I’d rather discuss any of those over diet. People seem more interested in finding inconsistencies in my vegetarianism than in my child-rearing, spiritual, or evolutionary beliefs. The thing that matters the most, I realized, is that I continue to live in a way that resonates with me. I seek to gain consistent alignment between what I believe in my soul and what I do with and to my body. It is about me, not about anyone else. I smiled while sitting in Lambert’s because everything felt…right.

That said, given a choice of topics between God, Darwin, and grass-fed organic beef, I’ll stick with God and Darwin.