Do we really understand equality?

I am getting tired of a few terms like equality and vegetarianism. You may be wondering what equality has to do with vegetarianism!!

When people relate kindness and vegetarianism or cruelty and non-veg food, it annoys me. The immediate question that comes to my mind is why are you not considering plants as equal to animals? I get even more irritated when people who can pluck a flower for no reason, who can pinch a leaf on the way without even thinking about it, who can prune the plants for just making them look good, talk about "evil" non-vegetarian food!! It just shows that they do not understand that plants are also living beings and they are no less than animals including humans.

When non-vegetarians show faces about eating crows or dogs or insects etc. it tires me even more. If you can eat chicken, you can eat any bird; if you can eat a lamb you can eat any animal; if you can eat prawns, you can eat any insect! As long as they are not poisonous and you like the taste, that is! What is wrong with eating a crow? Is it the looks or easy availability or less meat that makes a crow so very dirty thing to be considered? Just because you are not used to eating something, can you say it is bad to eat! Anyone who responds that way looses their right to fight when vegetarians talk ill of non-vegetarians! They are equally rude and insensitive!

It is even more surprising for me, when people feel so bad for a deer being hunted by a lion. Sure, we want the deer to live longer! But are we okay if the lion dies out of hunger? I have never got a convincing answer from the "kindness" group. Whenever I think of the "pregnant deer" stories, I used to wonder why there is no "pregnant lion" story at all? Why are we kind to only a few animals?

In the recent past, a video with a little girl crying for animals made several rounds. Usually, watching a child cry will hurt you; but this one is sweet, it makes you smile, and feel happy that the little girl is crying for another life!! I hope her parents later explained to her about the eco system and also helped her retain the feeling for other lives in general - including plants, animals and humans!! 

All the species have the right to live in this planet and have equal opportunity to be consumed by another species! Till we understand this, the word equality does not mean anything to me!