Becoming Vegan: My Veg-ina Monologue

It was a process getting here…I gradually began eliminating certain foods from my eating regimen…And then, it happened, I became vegan…I am missing nothing and gaining everything. So I guess one must wonder what was the pivotal element that got me here. It's simple. I saw something that changed my thinking as I read and saw between the lines. Now don't get me wrong I will never wear a cabbage leaf on my crotch or hate on others that aren't vegan… I do a lot of reading and before I embark on anything I do my research…

So I watched this video called "Glass Walls", narrated by my favorite Beatle, Paul McCartney…There was one scene in this eye-opening documentary that floored me and hit a chord deep within my soul. The slaughterhouse workers were laughing at the suffering of the animals that were being killed, struggling for their lives and had great delight in watching them groping their way into death. My question was, if these people working here would do this to an animal in this way, it speaks of an inherent nature or desire to hurt human life if they could. As if this was a way to satisfy their craving for sadistic cruelty on a human being. I haven't forgotten that Jeffrey Dahmer began his need to kill by killing animals…When I read that the blood pressure of an animal rises as the adrenaline courses through its body as it experiences suffering, horror, stress and cruelty at its death, I just didn't want to be a part of it. I didn't want to harbor the karma of an animal in my body any longer. I know that may sound strange to many, but  for me on a spiritual level it makes a lot of sense.

 

I was also trying to piece together why; as we evolve in our technology we still continue to have more and more cancer. It didn't make sense. It seems that  we are allowed to eat foods regulated by federal entities. We don't get the entire story. It seems to be part of an unspoken plan that slowly kills us. The pharmaceutical companies wait at the end of the line as they rake in revenue providing medications that, while they may cure or eliminate symptoms of illnesses and diseases create other traumas and symptoms to the body. Yes it seems like a conspiracy theory. And maybe it is. Chris Rock made a very profound statement, "The money is not in the cure, the money is in the medicine."

So what's so amazing about being vegan? There is for me an inexplicable euphoria and lightness of being. I feel lighter in my spirit and I am respecting this temple that is my body.  I feel more in control of myself.  Being vegan has created a calmness and balance in my digestive world.

So what are the different types of vegetarians?

• Total Vegetarians eat only plant food. They do not eat any animal foods, including fish, eggs, dairy products, and honey.
  
• Vegans not only omit all animal products from their diets, but they also eliminate them from the rest of their life. Vegans use nothing from animals, such as leather, wool, and silk.
  
• Lacto-Vegetarians will include dairy products into their diet of plant food.
  
• Lacto-Ovo-Vegetarians eat both eggs and dairy products.
  
• Pesco-Vegetarians include fish into their diets.
  
• Pollo-Vegetarians eat poultry, such as chicken, turkey, and duck.
  

 This life-style works for me. This was just my personal choice that I decided upon in celebration as I approaching my milestone: my 55^th birthday that is as of this writing a week away. I never did drugs in the 70s or smoked a cigarette. And I get this question all the time: " You NEVER did drugs in the 70s?" Nope…