Why Great Writers, Artists, and Scientists Didn't Eat Meat and How It Affected Their Lives: Vegetarian Geniuses

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Historical chronicles indicate that ardent adherents of vegetarianism existed at all times. Among the representatives of this trend are philosophers - Pythagoras, Socrates and Seneca, inventors - Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison, musicians - Jared Leto and Paul McCartney, athletes - Mike Tyson and Carl Lewis. And this list of famous vegetarians is endless. Some have given up meat for ethical reasons, others to cleanse the body and soul, and still others because of health problems.

How Leo Tolstoy became a vegetarian in search of the spiritual meaning of life

The great writer came to the idea of vegetarianism at the age of fifty, which was the next stage in his painful search for the philosophical and spiritual meaning of life. In his famous Confession, he said: "… I suddenly realized that I do not know why I need all this and why I live." The work on the novel "Anna Karenina", which reflects reflections on morality and ethics of human relations, is connected with this period. Once Tolstoy became an unwitting witness of how a pig was slaughtered. This spectacle shocked the writer so much with its cruelty that he decided to go to the slaughterhouse to relive his feelings once again.

According to Tolstoy, it was these events that made him rethink a lot and feel guilty for his involvement in the murder of living beings. Since then, for 25 years, he has actively promoted vegetarian beliefs. In many writings of the writer, the idea is traced that the ethical meaning of refusing animal food lies in the inadmissibility of any murder. He called cruelty to animals a sign of a low level of consciousness and culture. Some of Lev Nikolaevich's contemporaries associate his ideas with a passion for Vedic literature and culture of India - the only country with centuries-old vegetarian traditions.

The basis of Leo Tolstoy's daily diet was oatmeal, wheat flour bread, lean cabbage soup, potatoes and apple and prune compote. At the same time, the writer always had an excellent appetite and could in no way be accused of excessive abstinence. Wife Sofya Andreevna worried about her husband's health and wrote in her diaries that for lunch he could eat salted milk mushrooms, several eggs (Tolstoy loved them very much), buckwheat croutons with soup and sour kvass. And all this in large quantities.

"Hygienic" vegetarianism by Ilya Repin

Many staunch vegetarians in pre-revolutionary Russia wrote in their diaries that any trip to a dinner party was accompanied by bewildered or even hostile questions about refusing meat dishes. There were a great many adherents of vegetarianism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including among famous people. During this period, vegetarianism in Russia became a fashionable trend, and above all, thanks to Tolstoy.

All vegetarians of the cultural society of pre-revolutionary St. Petersburg can be called admirers of the "cult" of Tolstoy. These include Repin, Roerich, Ge, Leskov and other prominent personalities. By the beginning of the 20th century, 9 canteens with a vegetarian menu functioned in St. Petersburg. Ilya Repin wrote in his diaries that in almost every such institution there were portraits of L. N. Tolstoy "in different turns and poses."

The artist Repin is considered the most famous vegetarian of the time, inspired by the example of Tolstoy and his second wife Natalia Nordman-Severova. In lectures, letters and public appearances, he talked about his habitual diet, which included various salads flavored with olive oil, fruits, dried fruits, nuts and olives. Repin's favorite dish was a broth made from hay, roots and herbs. He called it the elixir of life and offered it to guests as a treat.

Repin's vegetarianism can be considered hygienic rather than ethical. The artist saw the main goal of a plant-based diet in improving his body. In correspondence with I. I. Perper, he said that "the fats that protruded in lumps over the swollen muscles are gone."

Several times Repin renounced his beliefs. In 1981, he wrote to Tolstoy's eldest daughter Tatyana: "… I was so shivering that the next morning I decided to order a steak - and it vanished."

Why Albert Einstein gave up meat

The great scientist and Nobel laureate demonstrated his commitment to vegetarianism throughout his life. He argued that the rejection of food of animal origin can "have a beneficial effect on the fate of mankind." Einstein's authorship belongs to the famous quote - "nothing will bring such benefits to human health and will not increase the chances of preserving life on earth, as the spread of vegetarianism." The transition to plant foods, according to the scientist, is an important stage in the evolution of the human race.

However, for most of his life, Einstein was not a convinced vegetarian. In a letter to his friend, the scientist said that he always ate animal meat with some guilt, but he switched to a strict plant-based diet just a year before his death - in 1954. Avoiding meat was an urgent need - Einstein had stomach problems and an aneurysm in the abdominal aorta that could not be removed. First, the doctor prescribed him a balanced diet of meat and simple carbohydrates, and after a while he completely eliminated animal products from it.

It cannot be said for sure that a vegetarian diet extended the life of a genius, but the scientist himself has repeatedly stated that his condition improved after switching to plant foods. Almost a year after the appointment of the diet, in correspondence with his employee Hans Mewsam, Einstein said that he lives without meat, fats and fish, but at the same time he feels good. Also, thanks to this letter, the sacramental phrase of the great physicist became known to mankind - "it seems to me that man was not born to be a predator."

Benjamin Franklin's Temporary Vegetarianism

The greatest politician, diplomat, writer and journalist Benjamin Franklin was one of the most famous vegetarians in the United States. It was he who introduced the Americans to such foods as tofu cheese, rhubarb and gruncolle (kale). Franklin called meat-eating unjustified murder and believed that people eat much more than nature requires. In his memoirs, he described his rather modest menu of boiled rice, potatoes and pudding and gave recipes for their preparation.

Switching to vegetable food, according to the politician, has many advantages, including reducing food costs. Franklin spent the money he saved on expanding his book collection and encouraged others to follow his example.

Like Einstein, Franklin came to vegetarianism at a fairly mature age - at the age of 60. "A clear head and increased intelligence" - this is how he described his condition after refusing animal food.

Later, the politician still changed his principles and switched to mixed food, adding fish and meat to the diet. The reason for this decision is not known for certain.

Bernard Shaw and 69 Years of Vegetarianism

Irish playwright and screenwriter Bernard Shaw is one of the most committed vegetarian in history. He gave up meat for ethical reasons at age 25 and until his death for 69 years did not change his convictions.

The writer argued that a person should not be like his whims and passions. “Animals are my friends, and I don’t eat my friends” - this is how Bernard Shaw explained his position. He spoke negatively about hunting and circuses, mercilessly criticized the teachings of the Russian physiologist Pavlov, arguing that if for scientific discoveries it is necessary to torture a dog, then it is better to abandon such discoveries. The playwright called such experiments barbaric and believed that without compassion for animals, humanity would not come to anything good.

Shaw never drank alcohol or smoked, ate soups and salads from vegetables and fruits, cereals, puddings, honey and nuts. In his convictions, he was uncompromising and sometimes fanatical. But, perhaps, it was these principles that helped him live a vibrant and physically active life, remaining sane until his death at the age of 94.

And there are even ancient hill tribes who kept cattle exclusively for milk, without killing animals.