Becoming Vegan

Monday 15th June 2015 - The day I became a Vegan

I started the day in much the same way as always, I got up, went to work, had breakfast whilst sat at my desk int the pharmaceutical company I currently work for. I often watch/listen to documentaries while I work,  for some reason or another it helps me concentrate. I also watch a lot of Youtube videos, some make up/lifestyle vloggers, some healthy eating/fitness people and some vegan people. I'd been toying with the idea of being vegan for a longtime, I'd never been a huge fan of meat but didn't really know how to cut it out.

I'd briefly met Tim Shieff about 5 years ago at Taylor's Retreat, The Pole studio where I train as a pole dancer. He was doing his usual flips and tricks etc. I'd gone online later that evening and subscribed to his Youtube channel. Recently he has been uploading videos more frequently so the vegan thing kept coming up more often. Tim features in other peoples vlogs too so I was getting to see other vegans online. A lot of them recommend some documentaries so I decided to have a look at them. The first one on my list was 'Earthlings'. It is narrated by Joaquin Phoenix, a vegan since roughly the age of 4 so I've read. The film is made up entirely of footage in slaughterhouses, trucks, farms, etc. Some of it is clearly undercover filming some not. I sat through the entire film (at work in an office of around 60 people) with tears streaming down my face, teeth clenched shaking with anger.
Thousands of helpless animals being mutilated, tortured and killed in the name of human consumption. It was something I knew was happening but have never really looked in the face.

If something works, why would you pick it apart and try and understand it? We love eating meat, eggs and dairy. We like wearing leather jackets and shoes. We have great fun at the races with friends. So why would we want to stop doing any of those things?

I decided there and then that I could no longer be a contributor to this mass slaughter. I was now Vegan.