I found the road to Vegetarianism through the guidance of two good friends. It all began on one profound night. Winter break of 2004, I invited my good friend David over to my family’s house to hang out. We were both in college and only occasionally had the chance to see each other. When he arrived at the door, I was a little surprised to see his brother, Danny accompanied with him. Danny and I, at the time had lost touch for a while. I greeted them both and was excited to catch up with both of them.
We sat down on the couches and shared what was new in our lives. As it turned out, a lot was. I was astonished to hear that Danny was now a vegan and David was on the brink of becoming a vegetarian. To be honest, I had no idea what a vegan was at the time. This couldn’t be true, I thought to myself. It had to be a joke they were pulling on me. I remember vividly in the past pulling pranks like this with one and other. They assured me that this was real and no funny business.
My immediate response to this was, “why?!” All three of us were avid McDonald’s eaters as children. What had possessed them to change their way of thinking?
I found out that knowledge was the key to this riddle. As they explained their reasoning, I was bombarded with information, or in other words TRUTH. I didn’t know how to feel. My emotions seemed to have been confused. I was feeling disbelief, foolish, anger, but overall gratitude. I was so happy to have these two as friends. Before the night ended, David and Danny recommended informational resources to me. They wanted me to see for myself.
I was still a little skeptical on becoming a vegetarian. I never thought that I could give up meat. I took their advice and did my own research. The Food Revolution, by John Robbins was an incredible book. It presented numerous benefits of a vegetarian and vegan diet. I also remember visiting the PETA website and watching the “Free Me” video. This video exposes the truth on many slaughter houses. After experiencing all of this, it was only a matter of time.
The transition from an avid meat eater to a compassionate vegetarian was not long. After building with David and Danny it was easy for me to give up red meat. As I gained more and more knowledge, I quickly abstained from any animal flesh in my diet.
The results have been amazing. The benefits you gain are life changing. I feel better about myself. I think clearer. I gained more energy. But there is one thing I did lose….WEIGHT! I was never morbidly obese, though I was a little chubby.
People were confused about my whole change of lifestyle. A few of my friends thought that I was crazy. I don’t see myself as crazy though. I’m sure they won’t either later in life, when the consequences for their diet become more prevalent. Some people are so conditioned to a way of life; it’s unfathomable to comprehend why someone would change their lifestyle. I say to them now, Do the Knowledge and Seek the Truth!
-Peace-
Stephan
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Awesome story, brother. It’s amazing to look back and remember when it all started. We laid the bricks down those days and build our foundation. And ’til this day, we are still building and adding-on. Great to have you sharing your wisdom on VC (Vegan Campus). Let’s continue to build and educate :)