The Birth of a Believer

The seed that would bloom into my PETA-loving, fur-free wearing, petition-signing self was planted in the summer of 1992 when I was just seven years old. That day was the first time I made the connection between meat and the death of sentient animals upon being told, on a trip to the farm, that the fate of the sweet little rabbit I had pet was to end up on someone's dinner plate. Without so much as a moment of hesitation, I vowed then and there never to eat meat again. That night at dinner, unable to bring myself to even so much as look at the meatballs on my plate, I experienced the first, perhaps most significant “aha” moment of my life. It was then that I truly realized that there is a back-story to all of the everyday practices in which we engage and that instead of purposely ignoring these stories, I wanted to uncover them.
After dinner that night, I felt more powerful than I ever had. By choosing not to simply follow the expected norm of eating meat, I had made a political choice through which I was getting my priorities and beliefs out there into the universe...and that felt really, really good. I experienced a surge of excitement knowing that I had just taken a stance in a world where it often seems as though our actions have very little clout. To this day, the recollection of that feeling is what drives me and propels me forward. It is what keeps me going when I am most discouraged or overwhelmed.
As I got older and learnt more about the downfalls related to the ways of the world, my desire to work towards the betterment of all of the inhabitants of the planet expanded to include the planet itself. My profound dedication to the environmental cause is a major part of who I am and is evident in all that I do, from which products I buy to which organizations I support. Finding beautiful, well-made eco-chic products and environmentally-responsible groups that take into consideration their environmental impact is less like a pain in the butt, and more like a hobby I greatly enjoy.
I truly hope (and believe) that grassroots initiatives, even as minute as this blog, can do wonders in empowering forward-thinking individuals to participate in the shaping of society in order to overcome the barriers that stand in the way of progress. So please...prove me right and let this blog motivate you to participate in whatever constructive way you see fit.

Small steps lead to big changes and big changes lead to large-scale victories...

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