Saturday, February 7, 2009

My Veg Story

By AVN Member, Veronica F.

I became vegetarian on Thanksgiving day, back in the 1960's, when I was 15 years old. Although I always felt compassionate for animals, or anyone who was being mistreated, I never made the connection between kindness and consumption. Until a friend of mine came back from a family visit to what was then known as Yugoslavia. She came back in early summer and announced she had become vegetarian because she has witnessed the slaughtering of a goat and that experience changed her outlook, forever. 

I was upset by her words but I was still not convinced to commit to this. When I make a commitment to something I have to really believe in it and expect to stick with it for life. So I did some research. I studied religions of the World and found out that many started out vegetarian or had reverence for life. Even the catholic religion that I was raised in had quotes in the bible supporting the abstinence of eating flesh. In fact, many early Christians were vegetarian. 

I also looked to philosophers and came across so many that were vegetarian or vegan, from Plato to Mahatma Gandi to George Bernard Shaw. What they said made sense and so after a few months of going back and forth with my friends on why I couldn't become vegetarian, the arguments made less and less sense.

Then I looked at the health aspects and realized how bad meat is for humans and how our bodies are not designed to tear flesh and digest it with our long intestines and lack of proper acid, etc. 

So, I became vegetarian 40+ years ago and raised my children vegetarian as well. My youngest daughter is now vegan. I still could advance further but am trying to contribute day by day to a better way of life. I never regretted my decision and continue to believe in teaching about a more humane way of living on what, unfortunately can be a very savage planet.