One of the really interesting topics that was brought up in our post-Assessment discussion was the passing of a Cattle Slaughter Ban in India. It helped me realise just how much faith, ethics, and ideologies influence choices that are made around the world every day. It’s undeniable that religion played a very strong role in making the decision; India is, after all, a Hindu country and Hinduism, by definition, is strongly against the slaughter of cattle. While masking the decision under the facade of perserving animal rights laws, it’s abundantly obvious that religion played a massive role in it, due to the Indian government not taking action against other types of animal slaughter (chickens, pigs, etc.). The decision was also sharpy controversial by nature, as Bangladesh, a trade partner that acts as the principal exporter of beef to India, has expressed its dissaproval of the plan, as it would, inevitably, impact the trade relations between the two states. Another opposing issue, though a local one, comes from a region in South India, that has been vocally active against the passing of the bill, mostly due to it being among the most culturally rich regions of India, meaning that there exist a wide plethora of culinary traditions that all come together; the bill, however, would deny many of them, showing that it is more than simply a political or even an animal-rights decision, but a religiously-based and culturally impactful choice. It really shows that even seemingly small things (the slaughter of cattle) can have such a large impact on a nation.