Dagestan. Seasons. Autumn

Life in the mountains of Dagestan is seasonal. Autumn is the season for slaughtering cattle. In winter the pastures are covered with snow. It becomes expensive to feed goats, cows and sheep. Therefore, in the fall, animals are slaughtered all over the mountainous Dagestan. Bulls and cows, goats and rams are slaughtered. They slaughter them in the yards, in the fields, on the roadsides. Rivers of blood flow on the earth-covered ground. They cut in the old grandfather’s way, pinning the animal to the ground and slitting its throat with a knife. The animal does not die instantly. For the locals, it is a normal part of their childhood. Meat is the most important part of their diet. In Dagestan they love meat and eat a lot of it.

And I remember my conversations with Indian sadhus. Many of them told me that as long as a person kills animals and eats meat, he will not be able to go far in his spiritual development. Meat in the diet on the physical level seriously hinders a person’s spiritual development. We are not used to associating the meat we eat with the fact of killing. Usually it does not happen in front of our eyes. For me, the case in Dagestan was an opportunity to think and decide for myself how I feel about killing animals so that I can eat meat. And how I feel about the words of Indian sadhus.