The Everyday Trials
and Triumphs
of a Young Vegan"Unlike those
I'm fighting for,
I have a voice,
a God-given gift,
and I am going
to use it."Brooke Gore
"I know I'm fighting an uphill battle, against something which has become so ingrained in everyday life, but it's a battle I'm going to fight without ceasing, with every ounce of strength in my existence."
Brooke & Daisy
October 2, 2008
I have begun re-reading “Diet for A New America”, an amazing book by John Robbins, a book that had a profound effect on me in my early days as a vegan. I had become vegan based on concern for the wellbeing of animals alone and this book introduced me to a whole spectrum of reasons to be vegan, leading me to believe that it is a lifestyle choice that every person should be making, regardless of their individual values. There is a reason for every person. There is no excuse to still be consuming animal products.
Another thing that this book opened my eyes to, is the corruption of governments and their willingness to lie endlessly to the public in order to obtain revenue. I consider myself to be somewhat of an economist, as it is a subject that I am quite intrigued by, it is one of the few classes at school that apply to real life and the world around me. Something that economics has shown me is that profit maximization is the number one goal of every organization, except for, of course, non-profit organizations. Business can be dirty, corrupt, but the overwhelming desire for money has an incredible ability to block out rational thinking and compassion.
Slave labor and the food animal industries are perfect examples of this, of how industry turns living, breathing, thinking, feeling beings, human and non-human, into expendable resources. This year in economics, we have studied how the Government is essentially, a large firm. As much as we’d all like to think that the government has our best interests at heart, and although in many instances it may, it is still largely driven by a desire for the dollar.
The New Zealand government’s number one source of revenue is through the agricultural and pastoral sector. New Zealand is known as a farming country, it’s something that a lot of kiwis are very proud of, the majority of us have grown up on a farm or knowing people who own farms. In this small country, we have one monopsonist who produces all of the commercially produced dairy solids in New Zealand, Fonterra.
Being a vegan still at school, my internet access is controlled by an internet provider called SINA, which is supplied by the Ministry of Education, part of the government. This provider is in place to prevent students from accessing pornography and social networking sites on school computers, basically anything that could be considered distasteful or illegal. I find it very interesting to note that as a student, I am banned from almost all animal rights sites, and anything to do with veganism. However, I don’t find it surprising at all.
Fonterra, (it is sometimes called Fonterror by those who are less than happy with their exploitation of the land and animals) is New Zealand’s largest multinational monopsonist, who is the sole purchaser of all of the dairy solids produced here. It is owned co-operatively by more then eleven thousand dairy farmers. It is the world's leading exporter of dairy products, and the sixth largest dairy company in the world.
I can get onto the Fonterra website instantly, without a proxy. This would mean that if anybody was to ever do some form of research assignment on the food animal industry, the resources that they have access to will only be showing one side of the story, most likely a very equivocational one, about how cows just love having their babies torn from them, so that they may supply us with their breast milk.
What I do find rather upsetting, is that the government is so determined to disallow its young people from free thinking. It has indoctrinated us with its meat eating, dairy guzzling ideals all of our years of education; teachers are employed by the Government, we are taught only material that the government allows, our health system is run by the government. We are told that slaughterhouses are an important part of our country, as the export of carcasses is one of our biggest industries. We are told that it is healthful to eat meat for dinner, followed by a glass of milk. We aren’t told that meat, eggs and dairy have the highest fat content of all foods and that high fat foods are linked directly to strokes, heart attacks, diabetes and cancer of the colon, breast, prostate and bowel, as well as many other life threatening and severely debilitating diseases. Why? Because we might break our spending patterns. Because we might think to ourselves, “I actually want to live a long and healthy life.”. Because it’s much easier to continue to believe the same lie that we have been swallowing for as long as any surviving generation can remember. It’s too easy.
Supply and demand, a simple economic concept. If nobody wants it, nobody will sell it, because there is no money to be made. If New Zealanders stopped eating meat overnight, the farming and slaughter of animals would decrease rapidly, although I cannot say that it would stop altogether, if there were still an overseas market for it. If we, as a country, demanded fruits and vegetables and grains, our farms would be converted to grow these things, because the consumer is king. Producers will produce exactly what it is we demand. As a whole, society demands animal products, and so, animal products will continue to be produced. Unfortunately that’s just the way it is.
Ignorance keeps the average New Zealander content with the food they are consuming, led to believe that they are going to grow healthy and strong, never being ill or deficient in any way, as animal products have been marketed as super-foods. Anybody who has read a medical journal or a well-researched book on nutrition will know that this is an utter lie. A plant-based diet is by far the best for a human body, indeed the way God originally intended it. Genesis 1:29 "And God said, 'Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for food'”
Society cannot be blamed for its ignorance. This reflects only how the government has shaped them to be. If more people were aware of the treatment of animals in labs, farms, slaughterhouses and zoos, more people would be making an informed decision to abstain from the practise of enslaving these beings. Informing people of these crimes committed against all those who love and feel, is an important part of being a vegan, I feel. Who else will represent our helpless brothers and sisters? I see no end to the violence and hatred in the world while we are still, as a whole, content to consume food derived from agony and death. We will never experience true equality while it is still acceptable to confine and exploit a living, feeling being. Cages will still be shining in the fluorescent light, stacked from floor to ceiling, crammed full of bald hens. Cows will scream in fear, as they are herded into the slaughterhouses that dot the beautiful New Zealand countryside. Butcher shops will still be on the main street of town, bold paint and bright colours boasting glad wrapped limbs. Every third person's father will still be a dairy farmer, every second girl will be wearing make up tested in the eyes of rabbits.
As long as there is profit to be made at the expense of the well-being of animals, lives will be cast aside, because, as any good business man or woman knows, profit maximisation is the number one goal of any firm. The wool is over the eyes of the rational consumer, and it keeps them cosy and warm.
July 10, 2008
Vegetarianism is growing. I have noticed it over the past two months. There is an awakening of consciences sweeping through my immediate realm. More and more I am finding compassionate fellowship with friends, family, colleagues and acquaintances. For once, I am not the only one overcome with disgust when dining in social situations. For once, I am not being so severely ostracized for my beliefs.
Young people are, it appears, opening their eyes and seeking alternatives to the corpses their families try to pass off as food. It’s amazing, and incredibly pleasing me to have growing numbers of allies in the war against speciesism.
In my group of close friends, there is almost an even number of vegetarians as there are meat-eaters. Admittedly, the only two vegans are myself and Pete, but to me, vegetarianism is a vast improvement from meat eaters. I hope that their vegetarianism will evolve naturally into veganism as they become more educated about the farming of animal products and the cruelty embedded in these practices.
It proves to me that through the shining example of a few, many others become aware that consuming animal products is barbaric and unnecessary, a “norm” which must be rebelled against, an injustice we must rise up and fight.
By being around my peers and behaving in a way that could be perceived as normal teenage behaviour, I have helped to breakdown a lot of the stigma surrounding veganism in society. They see that I’m just as happy as them, that I’m perhaps even “normal“, and I’m abstaining from something that they take for granted at every meal.
I have recently been very busy, hence my lack of admissions to this blog, but that is not to say that veganism has been taking a backseat in my life. In fact, rather the opposite has been happening, it appears to be an issue and a passion that remains at the forefront of my every thought, word and action.Our school just had its annual Cabaret (equivalent to the senior prom, I think) and being the Head Girl, I have had quite an active role in the organization and execution of the event itself. An area which I was largely involved in was the catering, which meant that I was in a position to ensure that vegetarians and vegans were well fed on the night, because in the past, such events meant I had had to starve, due to a lack of food for the compassionate amongst the masses. Also, I knew that this year, there would be more than the odd one or two herbivores to feed, because, as I mentioned earlier, vegetarianism is growing. It was pleasing to know that these people could now enjoy the night as wholeheartedly as others attending, because they weren’t constantly having little morsels of death wafted under their noses. As it happens, a lot of meat eaters were opting for the vegetarian and vegan food rather than the meat because it was just so good. This was really pleasing to me and I got a lot of positive feedback about it from vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike.
However, in regards to the Cabaret, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for me being a vegan. Setting up for the night was a big task, meaning that we had to stay behind after school, some evenings some dedicated workers remained until two in the morning, in an effort to get the decoration finished. This meant that we were all dining together in the staffroom, in a bid to save time and get more work done.
Although vegetarianism is growing noticeably, I am still the only herbivore on the Senior Council. One particular night, the usual jokes about how much they were all looking forward to devouring the animal laid out before them came and something inside of me snapped. A realization dawned that these people were heckling the very cause that I am seeking to devote my life to, the cause I see as my purpose. I was sick of being the butt of their jokes, I was sick of humouring these people who were supposed to be my friends, my team mates. I hated how I was mocked for caring. I was weary of having to defend myself against those too blind to see the poison they were being fed. I demand respect, yet still I yearn for understanding.
I said to them, in what was perhaps a louder voice than I had intended, “Do you want to know why I am vegan? Because I love you. That’s right, because I love each and every one of you. I’m vegan because I haven’t let years of social conditioning and brainwashing and corporate advertising dull the beat of my heart or block out the voice of my conscience. I’m vegan because I love the earth and I care about the fate of all who inhabit it, human or not. I’m vegan because I don’t want to pollute my body with death and despair. It hurts me that you think it’s ok to tease me for that, but it hurts even more to know that you all think it acceptable to eat what you are about to eat. A life was taken, stolen, ended for it.”
They were, at this point, looking at me, mouths open. I continued.“This is the path I was chosen to walk. This is my purpose. Did you ever stop and think about that? Do you even think at all? Or is it easier to let someone else think for you, for the government to dictate what is ethical and healthful for you to consume? You don’t care, nor do you want to. And I do. I’m always going to be different from you, if that is the case. I know it’s easy to pick on those who are different, just like you use the justification of physical differences to allow you to eat the animal that died for you tonight, without a trace of guilt. But by persecuting me for the way I live, you only strengthen my resolve, you add fuel to the flame that burns in me. I will not stop, I‘ve woken up and smelt the death and corruption. Isn‘t it about time you did too?”
I got really worked up, if I’m telling the truth, and it shocked them. I’m always eager to have lively debates with them, but tonight I was overflowing with passion and perhaps even anger. I got an apology from them; they knew they had genuinely upset me. Their apologies meant little to me, they put death in their mouths, and death comes out, in the form of lies and insults. You are what you eat after all, and each one of them was as dull as the flesh they so greedily consume.
As you can see, this single experience really cut to the core of my being and it really only made me more determined. I’m not the sort of person who is weakened, in fact I’m really stubborn. Pete and I were talking about it afterwards, and I said to him, “I know I’m fighting an uphill battle, against something which has become so ingrained in everyday life, but it’s a battle I’m going to fight without ceasing, with every ounce of strength in my existence.”
I leave no room for weakness, I leave no room for second guessing anymore. Veganism is who I am, and who I always will be. If people are made uncomfortable by the way I am, good! Their discomfort is for a good reason, I’m saying no to injustices, while they are simply turning their backs to them, blocking their ears, numbing their senses and carrying on with their cosy little lives. If only it were that easy. Unlike those I’m fighting for, I have a voice, a God-given gift, and I am going to use it.
Vegan Relationship Survey
June 20, 2008How do you describe the extent to which you take your veganism?
I don't really think there should be any variation of commitment when it comes to Veganism, for if one isn't striving to eliminate all cruelty from their life in every possible way, they aren't, in my opinion, Vegan. It is a complete way of being, and it's not something that you can have a half-hearted attitude about. It is life encompassing. Veganism is a huge part of who I am, I will take it is as far as I possibly can until all cruelty is eliminated from every aspect of my life. Veganism is incredibly important to me and I take the suffering of animals very seriously.
How do your parents/family feel about your veganism? Has this changed over time? If so, how?My parents dislike my being vegan, simply because it means I am constantly challenging them about their ethics and choices. They sometimes say to me, "Can't you just be normal?" to which I reply, "I'd rather be regarded as a freak than be cruel and ignorant."
They long for a daughter that accepts what society tells her she should accept, one that will sit down, shut up, and eat what they put on her plate. A daughter they shall indeed, never have in me.
Nevertheless, they do allow me to be vegan, and for that I am forever grateful. They worry about my health but all in all, they tend to leave me to my own devices.
The only way they have changed their attitude towards my veganism over time is that they have stopped teasing me as much. They also sometimes tell extended family members to leave me alone when they are hassling me about my differences from them.
Do you live with any non-vegans? How many? What is their relationship to you? How is that working out?I live with four non-vegans. They are my immediate family, mother and father, younger brother and sister. It is working out okay, they taunt me at times, just as I challenge and debate with them constantly.
It can be disheartening at times, to spend my day researching about animal rights issues, or writing animal rights based works, or informing people in my school about how they can help to eliminate animal cruelty and then come home to a family sitting down to a meal comprised of pain and suffering. But, to be honest, it makes me more determined to expose the truth about animal products to people like them, people who have a stubbornness to follow the traditional ways that they have been brought up with, regardless of how wrong they may be.
Is your veganism directly related to the influence of a relationship? Details?My veganism is indeed related directly to the influence of a relationship. In fact, my veganism is directly related to my relationship with every life form on the face of this beautiful earth and born out of my concern for the wellbeing of those beings, despite our physical differences.
Also, I was introduced to the brilliance of veganism by a school research report written by my friend Punawai, who was at the time, the caretaker at the Gentle world property in Kaitaia. Having always loved animals and growing up on a farm where I was constantly confronted and heartbroken by the death of the creatures I had loved and cared for, Veganism came as a ray of light, shining glory and hope into a dark existence. Once protected from the harsh realities of the industries profiting excessively from animal cruelty, a burning desire to expose these injustices was awoken within me.
Are there any vegan activists or celebrities that have inspired you?I would consider Gary Yourofsky to be one of my heroes, for his uncompromising stance on animal rights. He is someone whose actions reflect his ethics always, he is dedicated to educating people about animal rights issues and his vegan articles are well-written and inspiring, two things I value greatly in a person. I look up to this man a great deal and have so much respect for what he is doing.
Also, I have always loved Pamela Anderson as a celebrity and her vegetarianism always inspired me in my youth.
All activists inspire me though, anybody who has the strength to stand up and fight such a socially accepted injustice is a hero in my eyes.
Have you influenced others to become vegan? How?I have influenced three friends to become vegetarian, one of whom evolved to become a vegan. I have high hopes for the other two also. Also, I have offered support and advice to those who were independently considering a vegan lifestyle for themselves. People say they are influenced by my writing, my constant discussions and willingness to soundly support my arguments, my own personal dedication, by lending resources, by giving speeches about veganism at my school; just by talking about it with others and by not being afraid to fight for what I know to be true.
Do you date only vegans?Since my last catastrophe of a relationship with a non-vegan, yes. A firm yes.
Would you object to being romantically involved with someone who is not vegan? Please explain your reasons.Yes, I would strongly object, as my beliefs comprise a huge part of who I am and animal rights is something I am really, really passionate about, it is something I want to dedicate my life's purpose to. I cannot be in a relationship with someone who is willing to accept cruelty. Veganism is to me, a continuous journey, along which, more and more cruelty will be eliminated from my life. Having a partner who is not vegan, is bringing cruelty into my life.
Being able to share veganism with my boyfriend is one of the greatest joys in my life, to know that I am creating a deep personal bond with somebody who also believes that a sensate life is not simply a disposable resource in a production process, a way to make a profit.
I simply could not date someone who eats animal products, it would destroy me. Veganism is me. It's who I am and I'm never going to change. No relationship could ever be worth compromising my beliefs.
Are the vegans you know healthy? Please give details.I know of no unhealthy vegans. I don't know any unfit, overweight, constantly ill vegans. I have also noticed in myself a greater resilience to illness, weight loss, being able to listen to what my body is telling me more clearly, better condition of skin, nails and hair and an ability to become physically fit much more easily.
How do the people you know/meet react towards your veganism? Have you noticed any change in people's reactions over the years?People are shocked usually, followed by curiosity. Some people like to challenge my veganism, some people scoff and think of me as stupid, while others congratulate me and offer me encouragement (non-vegans do this, which I find odd, because if they herald vegans so greatly, why not become vegan themselves?)
A lot of people have weird, pre-conceived ideas of what I must be like as a person based on the fact that I am vegan. I must be an un-educated, bi-sexual, promiscuous, tree-hugging, unemployed, hairy, bra-less, unkempt hippy simply because I firmly abjure the mistreatment of my fellow sensate beings.
From your experience, do you think that men or women are more open to the vegan concept, generally speaking?I think both are as open as one another, but it's social constraints that make men more unwilling to admit their compassion for animals. Society dictates that the New Zealand man should be tough, beer swigging, hairy and out killing animals all day whilst grunting incomprehensibly to his "mates", whereas it is more acceptable for a woman to show love and compassion towards animals.
I think more men would be publicly open to veganism if it weren't for the social stigma of vegan men being "weak" and "pansy". I don't see veganism as emasculating at all, in fact I see it as quite the opposite. As a vegan woman I find it incredibly sexy to see an empowered man, a man unafraid of what others think because he is willing to see outside of his immediate realm and into the lives and suffering of others. This is, to me, what comprises a true man. A man who follows the crowd is the weak one.
How are your friendships with vegans different to your friendships with non-vegans?My friendships with non-vegans will never be the same as those I have with vegans because to me, being with my non-vegan friends and seeing their almost eager willingness to accept animal cruelty, makes me feel a strong disharmony in our relationship. It is a boundary which I find difficult to overcome, because it is something I feel so strongly about and their uncaring attitude becomes all I can see in them. There isn't that element of ostracisation in my vegan friendships so it's one less barrier to overcome in that respect.
Does being vegan influence how you relate to others? If so, how?I am definitely more compassionate towards others, which I view as a natural progression of character since becoming vegan. I am less tolerant of ignorance and cruelty, I am also more understanding of people who are misunderstood and stereotyped, as I have experienced that on account of my veganism.
Do you have pets? Are they vegan?My family has two dogs, one cat (all three of which are carnivores, my parents refuse to feed them vegan) and two vegan cows.
When I am living independently, my dogs will definitely be vegan but at this point in time, I don't have the authority to make that choice.
Has being vegan changed your relationship to animals?I don't think it has much, as I have always had an affinity with animals. The only difference is now I can look an animal right in the eye and feel happy in my heart, knowing that I will never consume anything that came from this beautiful creature's torment and death.
June 16, 2008
Compassion
Compassion is a tenet which is core to most vegans' lifestyles and influences most of their day to day decisions. The dictionary defines compassion as "a suffering with another; an act of mercy".
This week has been a week in which the lack of human compassion has been illustrated to me repeatedly, much to my dismay. A lack of compassion for one another, as well as other living things seems to be running rampant among those I know and love. It seems there is a heartbreaking insufficiency of tenderness and, as above mentioned, mercy in my immediate community.
The only forms of compassion evident in the society that I am living in are linear, parallel, perpendicular and circular. All four of these are based on direct components of speciesism, because these mean an individual is valuing one species more than another, based on what they may see as more desirable traits and/or circumstance. But I ask, who has the right to say that one species has more right to life than another? A seemingly simple ethical question, which people answer without realizing every time they run over a possum or eat a hamburger. Without realizing, people are raising their hands and saying, "I do. I have the right to rank a dog's life higher than that of a cow."
Humans possess this power without compassion to accompany it, which is really quite an unsettling thought.
The varying forms of compassion were introduced to me by The Vegan Sourcebook, the book that I considered my vegan bible, when I first began my journey on this liberating path. Spherical compassion gave name to a principle which I had always felt near to my heart, but had never known a term for.
Linear compassion is the compassion felt for one's friends, family, spouse and children, those who we are close with emotionally and are most like us. It is an empathetic and reciprocal bond and is mutually gratifying.
Parallel compassion is the compassion felt for those who are in similar circumstances to us, but we do not know them directly e.g. all the mothers in the world can empathize with one another based on similar experiences. This is a removed form of compassion, based on a sense of detached justice for those we have something in common with.
Perpendicular compassion is that which we extend to non-human animals who are close to us. This form of compassion requires direct interaction. It is based on mutual affection, even though we have dissimilar bodies and ways of communicating. This would typically be the way that most people feel about their companion animals.
Circular compassion is that felt toward non-human animals with which we have no direct interaction and very little in common. There is no direct reciprocation and it stems from a sense of justice based on the concern for all living things. However this type of compassion is one dimensional, compassion is only directed to specific species which are deemed more valuable or important.
Spherical compassion is the principle that influences those living a vegan lifestyle and is even described as the essence of veganism, a statement I wholeheartedly agree with. Spherical compassion encompasses all living beings, recognizing that regardless of differences, physical or otherwise, all sentient life is interconnected and that each and every action an individual carries out can impact on the well being of others. It is compassion felt for all sentient life.
Circular compassion was one that I became particularly heated in a discussion about, as I grow weary of hearing that someone loves animals and cares for their wellbeing, but continues to support their suffering.
I was talking online to a man who had contacted me at the end of last year, since hearing of my anti-whaling work, and I noticed on his webpage that he said he enjoys duck shooting. I questioned him on this, as I saw no difference in the barbaric nature of slaughtering whales in the name of "science" and murdering waterfowl in the name of "sport".
His arguments, although fiercely executed, were shallow and it wasn't long before he resorted to the clichéd attacks on veganism. For example, he told me that plants had feelings too and therefore I was just as immoral too by eating a plant based diet. Of course, I could easily rebut his feeble statements and at the end of it all, he told me that he may have to reconsider the way he was living.
His selective ethics and circular compassion were evident throughout the entire discussion, he kept trying to convince me that killing whales and killing ducks were "streets apart", and that ducks were not as important as whales.
But I know that such statements are subjective and I firmly believe that nobody has the right to make that call, whales and ducks are of equal importance and have just as much right to life and freedom as any other creature on this earth.
Of course varying degrees of compassion are very common, with people outraged at the thought of somebody killing a cat or a horse to eat, but not even second guessing the confinement and murder of a pig or a sheep.
It is certainly an aspect of human nature I struggle with, that they can love and treasure one animal so much and yet toy so carelessly with the life of another.
I feel that the public must really consider this situation, forgetting preconceived prejudices against certain species and really ask themselves, is this animal of any less beauty, worth or have less right to life than another?
Because if they were to look honestly into their heart and truthfully answer that question, the answer would undoubtedly be a resounding "No".
June 9th, 2008
I have been invited to write regularly on this site by the very charming Angel, from Gentle World. Gentle World is the organization that in fact, planted the seed which led me to become vegan. We agreed that this blogspot should begin with a brief bio about me, and my journey with Veganism so far.
I am a seventeen year old girl and I am lucky enough to call the beautiful country, New Zealand, my home. I was raised in your average, meat and three vegetables family, and up until two years ago, Veganism was an obscure and foreign concept to me.
I had grown up knowing no vegetarians and never questioning the slaughter of animals for food, despite my fervent love of all creatures. I suppose, like many children, I was reluctant to join the dots and accept that the animals I loved so dearly, lost their lives simply so I could enjoy a Happy Meal.
However, with the onset of my teenage years, I began to realize that there was something inherently wrong with the way that everybody around me was living, including myself. I desired strongly to give up eating flesh, as it sickened me to know where it really came from. But admittedly, it was harder for me to stand up for what I believed in than I had expected.
Living in a strongly agricultural society, people often become bristly when their livelihoods are being questioned by the very lifestyle choices of an individual. My parents were not very fond of the idea; I was often made to feel, by many people I knew and loved, that my decisions were unpatriotic and unsupportive of the New Zealand way of life.
It took a research report on veganism, written by my beautiful friend Punawai, to open my eyes and realize that the New Zealand “way of life” was something I wasn’t ok with. She and her father were the caretakers at Gentle World one winter and she spoke to me about veganism. Her research report spurred me on to carry out an investigation of my own, and after reading “The Vegan Sourcebook”, by Joanne Stepaniak, I became a vegan immediately and have not looked back.
Having my eyes opened to veganism was a truly life-changing experience; I would have never imagined that there was cruelty ingrained into so many areas of modern society. People I talk to are as surprised as I was to learn that the everyday commodities that they take for granted have been purchased at the cost of another being’s freedom, and in many cases, life.
Veganism has made me a more compassionate person; it has made me appreciate all life forms. It has led me to question my consumption patterns and alter them to line up with my beliefs. People are so quick to jump in and say, “I’m against animal cruelty". And yet they go home and consume animal products without blinking an eye. I fail to see how murder can be interpreted as anything but cruel, it’s truly amazing how willing people are to live their life by a double standard, simply because it's convenient and socially acceptable.
Being a vegan in a non-vegan world means that I am learning things about human nature, the economy, animal rights issues and so much more, on a daily basis. By choosing to exclude animal products from my diet, the way I see the world has altered considerably. Ignorance is no longer something I embrace, but rather, reject keenly. The truth has set me free from the mindless, excessive consumption that so many youths revel in.
I couldn’t be happier.
At the end of the day, only I can decide how much I will contribute to the atrocities committed in this world, and it is only to my own conscience, nobody else’s (thank goodness) that I must answer to.
Veganism has become such a huge part of who I am and hopefully, through the way I behave, more and more people will become educated about animal rights issues and begin to question their own ethical standard.
I am the Head Girl (kind of like Class President) at my school, Kaitaia College and so I have the opportunity to discuss these issues with many young people on a daily basis. It is really important to me to inform them about how their everyday decisions impact on so many other lives, as they are less stubborn about their eating habits than the older generation.
Also, the young people who have become vegan have provided enthusiastic support for campaigns I have done both at school and within the community. I plan to do many more before I leave and their zeal makes things so much easier for me. I am forever grateful to them.
Watching other people becoming impassioned about the fate of the world and all things in it is truly one of the most rewarding things I have ever experienced. I have seen three other people become vegan in the time that I have known them and numerous others become vegetarian. I have no doubt that these numbers will continue to swell considerably as time wears on, as the consciousness of those around us expands.
Activism is a passion of mine and I hope to one day make it my career. I feel that God has put me here to help create as much awareness on behalf of the voiceless as possible.
My other interests are writing and literature, cooking (although I am rather terrible at it), music (listening to it, not playing), Christianity, friendships and animals.
My boyfriend Pete shares my passion for animal rights and it warms my heart more than almost anything to see him impassioned about veganism.
It is my hope that this blog will provide an interesting, entertaining and educating insight into the everyday trials and triumphs of a young vegan.
