Here is a man to be pitied becausehe can’t eat meat. He sayshe can, but he prefers not to.In that case, we can still pity himbut for lack of will and weakness of spiritfor not enjoying life as we doand denying himself the food we enjoy.He says he dislikes eating meat;he says tofu and seaweed are also nutritious;and a will to conform is like subservienceof which he, in his stubbornness, is free.We complain that his dietary restrictionsinfringe on our freedomto eat with him where we please.We say a rule isn’t a wall;it’s a window. He says his window is closed,but he can see through the glass.He says indulgence would hurt him morethan abstinence, but a man’s virtueis not how he takes pleasure; it’s how he suffers.We say he who chooses to suffer is sick.Besides, he says, he’s allergic to penicillin.That’s another story. A medical excusedoes not presume a judgmentagainst animals who eat other animalsdisregarding the damage they doto the ecosystem and their own health.We say no one’s perfect but if it’s a contestanyone could be equally self-righteous.