Acharya Prashant addresses a question regarding the morality of killing, specifically responding to a counter-argument against vegetarianism. The counter-argument, which he attributes to Zakir Naik, posits that if killing a disabled human is a greater crime, then killing a plant (with fewer senses) should be worse than killing an animal. Acharya Prashant dismisses this as a foolish and illogical argument, clarifying that the basis for moral consideration is not the number of senses but the level of consciousness. He explains that our fundamental identity is consciousness, and self-respect is essentially respect for this consciousness. Therefore, if one respects their own consciousness, they must respect it wherever it is found. A human is not eaten, even after death, out of respect for human consciousness. The same principle should extend to other beings. The criterion for deciding who lives and who dies is the level of consciousness. A goat possesses a higher level of consciousness than a plant, though lower than a human. By choosing to kill and eat a goat, one disrespects consciousness itself, which is an act of self-disrespect. The consequence of this disrespect, he states, is that one's own consciousness remains stunted and unable to rise to higher levels. A person who regularly eats meat will find it difficult to excel in fields that require deep thought, such as science and philosophy, and can never be truly spiritual, as spirituality is the elevation of consciousness. The punishment for eating meat is living a constrained life, unable to access higher states of being. Acharya Prashant advocates for a diet that minimizes violence by choosing beings with the lowest possible level of consciousness. He acknowledges that even eating plants involves some violence, which is an unavoidable necessity for survival. However, he suggests that eating fruits is a less violent option as it does not kill the plant. He envisions a future where humanity's diet consists mainly of fruits and vegetables, eliminating the need to kill even plants, a shift that would require a smaller global population and a move from agriculture to horticulture.
