How I became a Vegetarian (Shorter Version)

There are still some friends of mine who wondered why I became a vegetarian. I guess the last post of my explanation was just to long to induce interest -_-. This is the short version which I posted to Vegetarian Society (Singapore). VSS is a website which provides huge amount of supports to vegetarians or vegetarians wannabe. They provide locations of local vegetarian food stalls, recipes, nutrition advices and almost everything related to vegetarianism.

Anyway, here's my story


I have been a vegetarian since 5/01/09. My shift towards vegetarianism started when I read 'Food for Thought', by Singapore’s own Adam Moledina, about the horrendous treatment of the non-human animals whom we eat. I learned more and found that livestock’s food is not regulated, including the amount of chemical pesticides and fertilizers used in growing their food. I saw how our fellow animals are treated as profit making machines, how they are mutilated and confined with almost no space to move and how some go insane due to the unnatural and cruel conditions. This got me wondering how we are able to inflict so much pain on other species just for our personal gain.

I also learned more about the many ways that meat production wastes food and other resources and how this damages our planet. For instance, many hectares of forests are cut down to provide space for animal herding, and animal faeces pollute seas and rivers. The seas also suffer as marine species are decimated by overfishing. Our Earth is dying at our hands.

Frankly speaking, I knew these reasons for sometime before I eventually switched to vegetarian. Why did I take so long to switch? No matter how compelling the reasons were, I had been brought up thinking of other animals as food rather than as fellow beings who can feel pain and love and can even think. Refraining from meat also seemed too limiting and too difficult a lifestyle to follow, especially when everyone around me was a non-vegetarian. Despite these obstacles, on that fateful day last January, I decided to do a 30-day vegetarian trial.

When the 30 days ended in February, I decided to keep going, and I am still happily a vegetarian. It has not been as hard as I thought it would be, and I can see all the benefits that it has brought to my life. For instance, my family members are now taking more vegetables. I also feel a self-esteem boost knowing that I am doing something good for the Earth and the other animals every time I choose not to eat meat. Currently, I’m moving toward a vegan diet.

I Love Vegetarianism!