Thursday, September 11, 2008

Why i became a Vego

WHY I BECAME A VEGO

I actually have many reasons that enforce why i became vegetarian. These reasons range from spirituality to health/physical, religious-related to philosophy, scientific to belief.

But there is one main underlining reason that cannot budge me from this path I've chosen even if all other reasons are striped away. That simple reason i say when people asks me is "it makes me happy". Though there is great effort to be a vego for myself yet, i feel lighter, at peace... and such effort/hardship for that state is more then worth the trade of eating meat....

~ History ~

I come from a background where even my own ethnic community, they quite heavily enjoy and look highly on meat. I think some of yous may be able to relate. On a further note I have always been raise by my father with the philosophy "we have to eat meat to get all the nutrients, these vegetarian are dumb, they end up having to take meat extract tablets anyway so whats the point?". Thus i gained the same perception.

I have been a heavy meat eater since i was young (loved KFC) though always enjoyed my vegetables as well. Slowly i came to have a few friends that were either semi-vego or vego. I respected them very much and realised how normal they are with no real disadvantages... even though i hear much stories of vego being lethargic or do not get enough nutrients or look sick etc.

~ My Turning Point ~

My friend brought up a CD of how what goes on in the meat industry, but he did warn me that even he cannot bare to see it all. By this time i had accepted vegetarianism somewhat, but did not have the "disciple" to hope to practise and still liked meat very much. But I was determined to see...

I watched it and it opened my heart and eyes profoundly.

After watching half, then bits and pieces of it (as i couldn't watch any more). I thought how can i stay ignorant after seeing this and not do anything about it. I realised that even if i can justify my position, yet I cannot bare to see or even want to know of such sufferings and negative killings that go on.

How painful it's cries were as the cow was strung by one leg hanging in the slaughter house and then shot several times. Chickens were hooked by the thousands into a rotating machines and rolled through neck cutters, at the rate of 2 per second. Some didn't even die through it and was further boiled alive to rid of their feathers.

Though there was no intended cruelty within the process...how horrible and hurtful it was to witness...
bah...i can barely write this at this moment....

....

I put myself in the situation of an animal that has to kill and eat it's own prey and realise...i cannot bare to do this and i do not want to do this...I put myself in the position of that cow and realised how terrible such a feeling it is. I put myself in the shoes of the slaughter worker and felt...no i don't want to. How can i allow others to do so? even if they want to ..i do not want them to do so for my sake.

I did not feel right eating meat from then on...
Such imagery and cries manifest every time i had to eating meat.

~ My Resolution ~

Though hearing hurtful sounds play in my head from the sufferings of being slaughtered, as an engineering thinker and one who seeks practicality, i still had remnants of my dad's perception and had doubts on the path of vegetarianism. Yet my heart made me seek otherwise.

Within the next 2 years i did my research and found that, the perception i had been infused with had only been a misconception of my own ignorance. From this i understood it's feasibility and realised, in regards to myself i AM in a position to be a vego.

Why did i do my research instead of jumping in being a vego even though i wanted to from the start?

It is thus true that if your not going to eat something like meat surely there's importance in there. I cannot be something without understanding fully and jeopardise my health, so i put my efforts to investigate. Also i needed time to get used to the idea and slowly ease my way into the lifestyle.

~ Conclusion ~

And so i found my peace and every other good reason that followed was a bonus. Lots of hurdles in regards to my own negative perceptions and external forces were cleared and i am happy with my choice.

Currently there is one disadvantage to being a vego for me
Moderate Inconvenience...
But i don't mine... i wanna do what i can to help

Thank you for your listening/reading/understanding.

PS: Not that i'm some kind of animal rights/lover activitist obsessed over animals but it is my only my choice. I have take no offense in others eating meat as i was a meat eater and i do not feel anything when i see others do so, it just only when i do so.