I used to love biting into an appetizing bacon burger but now I can hardly look at them.

Animals are loving creatures and caring about them too much has made me make some important decisions in my life. Seeing videos of the meat industry and how they treat animals saddens me. It is confusing how cats and dogs are cherished but farm animals are abused and violently slaughtered.  So, this past summer I finally decided to stop eating meat.

Watching the short documentary Earthlings (available on YouTube) had a huge emotional affect on me. Seeing the way cows were beaten and how pigs were slaughtered brought me to tears. This documentary shows how the meat industry treats animals by using hidden cameras. Seeing the chickens whimper while getting their beak cut off brought tears to my eyes. Watching elephants being beaten in order to perform well at the circus made me feel as if my own skin was being bruised. Seeing all those animals crying, wailing, and screaming to let the humans know that they are suffering broke my heart. I no longer wanted flesh of an earthling to be rotting inside of me.Watching this documentary made me realize my lifestyle had to change.

Being vegetarian for only six short months has taught me a lot about myself and others. Most people agree, and I too did once, eating meat is tasty and it satisfies hunger. Knowing how tasty meat is, telling meat eaters that they are gross or telling them to stop eating meat is being hypocritical.

Many  people have problems with some vegetarians or vegans because they usually tell people they are committing a horrible act just because they eat meat. Vegetarians shouldn’t do this because it gives other vegetarians a bad reputation. I choose to respect what people eat so I want the same respect in return. Since becoming vegetarian people have asked me, “You aren’t saving any animals so why are you even a vegetarian?” and “If you truly cared about the animals then why aren’t you vegan or raw vegan?” My response to these questions is, “We all eat different food, so please respect what I choose to not eat.”

People often also ask if I miss the taste of meat. Most humans love the taste of meat and before becoming a vegetarian I also loved it. Now, the desire for eating a dead animal is no longer there. I no longer want my body to be a tomb for cows, pigs, fish, or chickens so it does not make sense for me to miss the flesh and blood of animals.When people ask me these questions it saddens me because I do not shame carnivores. Receiving an avalanche of judgment has been a daily thing since my style of life changed. My wish is that people would let me work on bettering myself without judging my new lifestyle. If you feel like you can do a better job then work on yourself and inspire others to follow in your footsteps.

When I consumed meat, no one ever judged my ways of eating until now that meat is not in my meal. We should stop judging people and let them make their own choices. If someone wants to be vegan or eat meat let’s just accept them and let them nourish their body the way they want to. We should just love each other and accept one another for our differences. People usually criticize those who are different. We need to stop doing this because people just want to be happy and do what they want to do. So, if you choose to eat meat or to be a vegetarian it’s your choice. You can love animals and still consume meat.     

We all have a choice and our own opinions about animals being used for food. Instead of shaming and judging each other let’s just accept what each person decides to eat.