The Circle of Life

It has long occurred to me to wonder why vegetarians feel that it's wrong to eat animal products. Animals eat other animals, don't they? So why should it be different for people to eat animals? We're all part of the same food chain, after all. (We've all seen The Lion King, right?)

I'm not what you'd call a meat-lover. I don't really like burgers and I don't care much for most kinds of meat. (Don't get me wrong--I like chicken, I love a good steak every now and then, I can appreciate a little bit of bacon once in a while. I'm just saying meat is not generally on my list of favorite things to eat.) I'm also not a fan of hunting as a sport or hobby; I don't think killing animals should be done for fun. That said, though, I don't believe that it's wrong to eat them as one part of our diet.

I absolutely understand (and share) concerns about animal testing and farming techniques and all that, but those issues could totally be worked around without becoming vegetarian or vegan. And I know for some people it's more of a personal health issue, so that's fine (although for the record, in general I don't think that it necessarily is healthier to eat that way--but of course that's up to individuals). So what is the deal?