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Do vegetables have feelings?

If talking to plants makes them grow better, they must have feelings. I heard of a study done where they played different kinds of music to plants. They say most did ok to rock and roll. They all thrived on classical like Bach and Beethoven. They also said most died when played E.L.O.

I got to thinking about this, and started to feel bad. They must have feelings, so how do you think a carrot feels when being ripped from the ground? Or how about a stalk of celery? It has to feel something when it is cut from the ground.

Maybe I’m being too sensitive, but I’m sure a cow knows it’s about to die right before slaughter. Do you think a stalk of corn gets scared as the combine closes in? Do you think it knows that it will never see the sunshine again?

I feel kind of guilty for not taking their feelings into consideration, and sort of selfish for not really caring up til now.

So how about others here, what do you think?

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Comments

  • Branwyn32Branwyn32 Raw Newbie
    Not to downplay the heartfelt sincerity of your post, but…

    (They also said most died when played E.L.O.)

    HA! I lol’ed. :)

  • Hey, I almost died from listening to ELO :). But seriously, I have thought of this too (remember the study in the ‘70’s that said plants/flowers “screamed” when picked?). I don’t know what to think, because really, what will be left to eat? I guess I deliberately ignore this topic partially due to guilt and partially due to ignorance (i.e. I haven’t done my research). I’m also curious to hear what others think.

  • troublesjustabubbletroublesjustabubble Raw Newbie

    If they have feelings then I justify my eating them by being at the top of the food chain. I mean, wanna eat dirt? I don’t think so.

    Oh and I think I’d like to mention that I do NOT think they have feelings. Just like plants thrive when given water, sun and fertilizer I’m sure other conditions would affect their growth. I don’t believe the music thing though either. I think it’s the silliest thing I’ve ever heard.

  • Annabelle77Annabelle77 Raw Newbie

    My guess is that it’s got something to do with vibrations from the music. Plants don’t have nervous systems, or brains… so….

  • springleafspringleaf Raw Newbie

    I agree with troubles’ , plants not not have a nervous system or brain (or even “simple nervous net” which is what jellyfish and the like have instead of a brain) however they do have xylem and phloem which transport their food (sap) and water, Xylem, which transports the water to plants leaves from its roots in particular I am sure would be capable of producing a sound if snapped, just like a garden hose would if you suddenly punctured it (think what the water coming out the end of one sounds like!). But sorry troubles’ as we are vegans (or at least vegi’s) we are not at the top of the food chain, that place is reserved for true carnivores- and who here would want to be one of those!

  • This is probably how people justify fruitarianism, the least violent way to eat. I think that plants do have feelings, even if they don’t have a nervous system like ours, they are alive and are conscious on some level we may never understand. This is why I think we should give gratitude to whatever we are consuming, whether it be water, vegetables, fruits, or animals.

  • I feel they are here to serve their purpose, like people… right. I grew a beautiful organic garden and had a hard time picking stuff. Then I watched it start to die, going unused and wasted and felt very bad. So I changed my mentality around that it’s purpose was to get picked and eaten, to give it’s offerings to me the way I offered my time and energy into planting it.

    I decorate my garden and I water it with love, songs and sometimes dancing - everyday. I now really enjoy the fruits of my labor and am using them as they grow. The season is ending and I am sad that stuff like my peas and strawberries are no longer coming in (I have a few strawberries left).

    I am sure they have their own form of feelings since they are living but I have also come to believe that they would rather be picked and enjoyed then grown and died a sad sunstrucken death…

  • I feel they are here to serve their purpose, like people… right. I grew a beautiful organic garden and had a hard time picking stuff. Then I watched it start to die, going unused and wasted and felt very bad. So I changed my mentality around that it’s purpose was to get picked and eaten, to give it’s offerings to me the way I offered my time and energy into planting it.

    I decorate my garden and I water it with love, gratitude, songs and sometimes dancing - everyday. I now really enjoy the fruits of my labor and am using them as they grow. The season is ending and I am sad that stuff like my peas and strawberries are no longer coming in (I have a few strawberries left).

    I am sure they have their own form of feelings since they are living but I have also come to believe that they would rather be picked and enjoyed then grown and died a sad sunstrucken death…

  • chicorychicory Raw Newbie

    I sometimes feel guilty picking the plants I’ve grown myself…after tenderly caring for them until they are grown, they almost become like little children! And I also feel partly bad that I am taking away from the birds and local groundhogs that would use them as a tasty snack. I do grow some loose leaf lettuce for the groundhogs, and only take from 1/4 of the wild raspberry plants. Any veg that you can cut without completely taking the whole plant is good :). but even if we succumbed to eating dirt, there are still living micro organisms inside that, and so on etc. This sounds silly, but you could ask the plants permission, then say thank you after you pick! Annual growing plants that go to seed do this as a survival mechanism, because they know they are going to eventually die, but their offspring is part of them and will live on after….. hehe this kind of reminds me of an old episode of night gallery, or twilight zone. This woman decided she was going to start a diet, so she ordered these special glasses…. when she put them on, her food yelled and screamed! first it was lasagne, then even carrots were pleading with her not to eat them, lol! The glasses got stuck on her face and she went mad.

  • No Bones I think you have something, I used to take my guitar down to my granddads allotment and practice there. His crop was always much better than his friends.He won lots of prizes and always said it must have had something to do with the songs they heard. I miss him dearly..

  • Paxton SquiggledyPaxton Squiggledy Raw Newbie

    I am 36 years old. E.L.O. to me means ‘Electric Light Orchestra’, an 80s group.

    Is that what you meant? [confused]

  • Snicker yeah, I remember there was a ride where they played ELO while you spun around endlessly in circles at a fair, it made me want to curl up and die too. Although this is an interesting topic. Everything has a life force, regardless of brains and nervous systems. Cells communicate to each other in split seconds, plants grow better when they are among friends, who knows. Still, I’m not big into eating molecules and drinking dust sooooo…. lol…. eat away

  • chicorychicory Raw Newbie

    I actually think that talking to my plants is more therapeutic for me than than it is for them! Since I started getting ill, friends dropped off, and most of my time is now spent at home alone. If i didn’t have kitties and plants to talk to, wouldn’t that just be just another crazy lady talking to herself? lol!

  • Hi No Bones,

    This is the reason I became a raw foodist! Because cooking our plant foods kill them, I eat them raw so that they remain living inside of me. As for the pain when being picked part, I do not know for sure if they feel this pain or not. Although scientific studies have been done showing that they do react to pain. (Read Autobiography of a Yogi). And they love human contact (studies have also been shown that plants that are talked to and stroked grow faster and stronger, but sorry, I do not have the sources as of yet, I’ll look for them so that I can post it) But they do like to be eaten, because our bodies benefit from eating them in their raw form. As a matter of fact, I believe that they ASK to be eaten (at least the fruit does) when it ripens and falls of the tree for us to pick off the ground to eat. Am I a wierdo? or what?

  • MOTHMOTH Raw Newbie

    No – Azul! I have often mulled over similar thoughts. Fruit begs to be eaten, LOL. I have definitely heard it asking me to consume it; sometimes in loud pleas! I am less sure of vegetables; I feel attracted to them at times, but don’t always feel good eating them.

    And I have been meaning to pick up Autobiography of a Yogi – it’s time.

  • Aw, Thanx Moth. Glad to know I’m not the only one. As a matter of fact, there is an apple on my nightstand calling my name right now. I was debating whether or not I should eat it yet, because it is the most beautiful, brightest pink and green apple I have ever layed my eyes on. I just want to look at it all night long.

    And yes, Autobiography of a Yogi is a good book. I have not finished reading it yet, but I just finished reading the part where he meets the breathtarian (someone who lives on breath alone) but it’s very interesting.

    OK here are links to what I was talking about earlier:

    http://www.physorg.com/news139763645.html

    Here is an article stating how plants react to the vibrations of our voices.

    http://ask.yahoo.com/20030129.html

    This article states that the CO2 we breathe on the plants when we talk to them also might be the reason they grow faster when we talk to them. I just interpreted this to mean that they long for our closeness and contact.

    http://discovermagazine.com/2002/apr/featplants

    This is an article describing how plants cry for help and even try to defend themselves when being attacked.

  • rawmamarawmama Raw Newbie

    I guess we could always become Breatharians? ;)

    I read about this at least 20 years ago…I think that we need to realize that any living thing is waaaayyyyyyyy more complex than what meets the eye or what anybody could fathom…but…I still think that it’s the best choice in food for us. They were created for us to eat and it’s less cruel than eating an animal :(

    LOL! As a side note, originally, before proofreading what I wrote, I had written “waaaaaayyyyyyyy more complex that what meats the eye”...meats not meets…made me laugh out loud, what a goof!

  • SueSue Raw Newbie

    OK, I just had to reply to nobones. I am floored that you are concerned about the feelings of plants but yet have started another post that states you will eat a raw t-bone steak. WTF?? How can you be so concerned about the feelings of a plant, which has neither brain nor nervous system, when you can chow down on a dead cow, which studies have shown, has both a brain and a nervous system. Just curious. By the way, I kinda like E.L.O!!

  • Anyone else notice NoBones disappeared after posting a couple outlandish threads? Why are people taking him/her seriously? TROLL!

  • haha! Definitely a troll. But still fun to discuss things sometimes. He doesn’t even “win” then either if we have our own fun with it! ;)

  • Even if plants “had feelings,” it would still be best to eat a plant-based diet, considering how many plants are fed to the animals who are killed. 80% of the grain in this country is fed to “food” animals. Sorry, your little bubble argument doesn’t hold.

  • Just another thought…I have been reading about the essenes, curious about the history of raw eating and a different kind of spirituality. If you have read about the essenes, you will know that Jesus was, as a young child, taught in the essene way. He said in the “Essene Gospel of Peace, Book 1” to eat the plants and fruits of the earth but “Do not kill,” meaning animals of all kind. Sorry to get religious about all of this, I just thought it was an interesting and literal translation of one of the 10 commandments because he didn’t differentiate between fruits, vegetables, herbs, etc. BTW, I do believe that plants react to us and are sensitive to our manipulation of their environment as in Emoto’s work placing the words “love” and “hate” on different containers and observing very different substances as a result of simple labels.

  • have_merseyhave_mersey Raw Newbie

    I think they are aware. But obviously we have to eat something. I pray (sorry if that offends anyone, I’m just saying what I do) over them, that they feel no pain and are at peace.

  • mythbusters did a show on plants listening to music. it showed that heavy metal produced the largest plants.

  • i dont understand why people are calling “no bones” a “troll” ive read all his posts and nothing seems to be rude or mean or in anyway insulting. i think some people need to apoligize to him for the comments made.

  • RawKidChefRawKidChef Raw Newbie

    You have to look at it this way:

    Carnivores eat raw meat. They kill animals. It’s what nature intended for them to eat, and yes, the animals probably know they are about to die, but it’s only part of the food chain for them and same with vegetarian food for us. Those studies may not be accurate – the plants may have behaved the way they did because of outside conditions. You have to just factor in one thing: Nature intended humans to be vegetarians just as she intended carnivores to be carnivores. I mean, we’d have nothing left to eat but water…and, that would get kinda boring.

  • Jayymz72, No Bones has not been mean or rude or insulting, he has been deliberately trying to cause discontention, which is always fun for discussion, but that has been his only intent so I think some people are letting him get under their skin lol ;>

  • TomsMomTomsMom Raw Newbie

    jaymz72, I hardly was “mean” or rude to user no bones and do not intend to apologize to anyone. I think you should realize when a troll is goofing around a site.

    Edit-I snapped and shouldn’t have.

  • rawmamarawmama Raw Newbie

    have_mersey…no need to apologize to anybody about praying. If you believe in what you believe in, then don’t apologize for it :)

    I was concerned about eating some produce that wasn’t organic because it sometimes is difficult to find certain fruits that are organic around here. I have a friend that suggested that I pray that the food I eat is organic even though it wasn’t when I bought it…I thought that was a clever prayer! :)

  • I mean, we’d have nothing left to eat but water and, that would get kinda boring.

    Yeah, and then the fish would get pissed off. I’m so tired of trying to live my life without offending everyone. It’s impossible! I’ve just considered that vegetables won’t get too upset because what the hell else are they going to do? Sit on a branch all their life until they shrivel up and die? I think that getting picked in their prime and being eaten by me is a pretty good way to go out. Personally, I wouldn’t want to die a wrinkly old prune, I’d rather get eaten by an animal and go out in my prime.

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