Benjamin
So why I became vegan and why I stayed vegan are two different things. I became vegan early in 2017 because of my girlfriend. She was vegetarian and wanted to become vegan but was having trouble giving up cheap chocolate bars - you know, the ones they have at the check out for like a dollar each. 'Screw it, I’ll do it with you!' I said, and started transitioning on the spot.
It wasn’t the easiest thing to do, especially because I worked at a buffet...I’m talking pastas and slabs of meat for every meal. Giving that up wasn’t easy but I did it. I've stayed vegan because there is no real reason not to be.
Earlier this year, I was involved in a motorcycle accident (I got T-boned by a car) and was sent to hospital. I won’t go into to much detail, but let’s just say it was one of, if not the worst experience of my life. I was in hospital for three weeks and had to learn how to walk again.
Through all this, I couldn't really function on my own anymore. I needed help with almost everything including getting in and out of a shower...I wasn't allowed to get my leg wet so that was pretty nasty. Prior to the accident I was working almost every day and had been for years so suddenly no longer working took a massive toll on me. Also not being also to drive or ride anymore was especially difficult.
My girlfriend had to do everything. I’d lost all independence and sense of identity and had constant appointments - life wasn’t going too good at that point. After a few months of trying to find things to keep myself occupied I started watching lots of videos of slaughterhouses and Cubes for hours almost everyday. By this point I could drive again, so found out where the closest Cube was, said 'fuck it!', and went. Haven’t looked back since.
I also help out with documentary screenings to raise awareness and I've done vigils and social media/keyboard warrior stuff. One time a video of slaughterhouse footage was shared online and people were outraged in the comments so I engaged in conversation with lots of people and had a fair few say they'd try veganism.
You get the odd idiot but generally people are pretty open to hearing the vegan message. Veganism is definitely getting bigger, no doubt about it! It's still a bit taboo but it's definitely expanding.
If you want the world to change you can’t do it on the couch, you gotta do something about it. To anyone that's vegan, you also can’t force people to change, so don’t be too aggressive with people or they’ll reject everything you say. Lead by example and show off, if you’re preparing food for someone, make it extravagant, don’t just give them baked beans on toast!