swim fishy, swim!

I decided yesterday that I am going to give up eating fish.  I already became semi-vegetarian back in November/December, but I still liked fish–especially because I LOVE sushi.  But I started learning some things about fish yesterday and realized I can’t eat fish for the reasons why I am vegetarian.  I chose to become vegetarian because I cannot support the extreme animal cruelty that is taken place at slaughter houses. I also know it is much healthier for me to not eat meat.

So, some things I learned about fish:

1. Fish are a lot smarter than people think.  I sometimes lied to myself, thinking that fish had tiny brains and it wasn’t a big deal.  But, studies have come out that fish have the same brain capacity as dogs.

2. Fish flesh today is badly contaminated with toxic chemicals that are known to cause cancer and brain degeneration and is also the most likely of all foods to make you sick from bacterial contamination. Yum!

3. Fish accumulate toxic mercury in their flesh as a result of industrial pollution, and the side effects of mercury posioning include finger curling, cognitive impairment, and coordination problems.

4. You can still get omega-3 fatty acids from foods like walnuts and flaxseeds, which are a lot safer for you.

5. Fish are still tortured when caught. Which makes me so mad is that there are no regulations or rules based on how to treat fish.  They have no rights at all.  So, fishermen are allowed to hook a fish and gut it while it is still conscious without even a slap on the wrist. That is appalling! They are frozen to death, or crushed by the weight of being piled on top of one another.

6. And finally, “dolphin safe” is about the biggest crock.  Even if they are not caught in nets, they may be hit by propellers while trying to feed on fish, they may be driven into shallow water, and fishermen may slaughter them anyway.

From pictures I’ve seen on how fish a treated, don’t think I can eat another sushi roll (unless it’s vegetarian!) =) My next step will be to become vegan… but I think that will take more time.

my religion

I’ve been taking a class this quarter called American Denominations. I’ve always been quite fascinated by other beliefs, so as hard as this class is, I absolutely love it. One thing I’ve begun to realize while taking this class is that I have taken beliefs from other religions and incorporated it into my own, while still retaining my own religion. Over the weekend, I had a conversation with Tim and Jon about the difference between our community and our beliefs, and as complicated as it is for me to understand, it makes so much sense. Adventism is my community – I grew up Adventist, I go to church on Saturday, I am vegetarian, I have all these understandings that make me apart of this community. And then, there are my absolute beliefs, which most likely are different from everyone else’s. There are the Adventist beliefs that I strongly hold onto – Sabbath, 2nd Coming, Jesus Christ, etc. But, I realized I am very Pentecostal in some ways. I have a very spiritualist view of life, and find spiritualism to be a very powerful thing. I also find the Native American belief that God is in everything to be quite beautiful… although, this is a little more confusing, but I do see the divine in everything, I just don’t worship the thing itself. I love meditation, and sometimes find myself having Hindu beliefs as well. I am at that stage in my life where I am trying to find what fits for me, and right now, I find so much beauty in all religions. I want to intake everything. I believe you can take so many things from different religions and incorporate it into your life to be closer to God. I don’t think that there is one true correct way to worship God. I enjoy many forms of worship. If it brings me closer to my God, how in the world could it be wrong?? It’s not. That’s what is so beautiful about God.