I have been a vegetarian of over 11 years and a vegan just recently. I always respected the innocence of animals and never wanted any animal to be in pain. This journey started when I realized that animals were not just being killed quickly, but absolutely tortured their entire lives. Throughout the years I have been teased, bullied, harassed, and manipulated into eating animal products unbeknownst to me. My philosophy became one that I wouldn’t tell you how I feel about you eating meat, if you would stop teasing me about being a vegetarian. This sense of complacency has really bothered me recently.

I thought I was doing the world a favor by being “respectful” of other people’s lives. Unfortunately, I forgot one other perspective: the animals. Now that I know that human beings are one with life, all creatures are beings created by God and who am I to stop another heart beat? Our notion that animals were put here for us to eat is extremely primitive in nature and an ego-based thought. When did killing become a sport? There are so many healthy alternatives to meat that killing anything is now just a game.

If you won’t stop eating meat for the animal, let me tell you how this energy is affecting your being. When bodies are stressed and fearful, chemicals are released. These chemicals are not taken from animal meat before you consume it. If you can picture your energy as a big ball around you, and everything you say, think, and eat powers this energy, would you want to power your energy with toxic fear? Fear is what keeps us from experiencing true oneness with God. Once this truth is realized, eating meat becomes blasphemous. Every being has a divine spark of light within.

Affirm: I am one with all of God’s creation.