This would make a great educational video for children. The part about humans not having nocturnal vision cracked me up because it reminded me of last night when I went into the living room and all of the lights were turned off and I was searching for any lamp that I could possibly find. I was stumbling around like I was drunk and trying to feel where I was at. It wasn’t a fun experience, to say the least 
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Well… human sight can accommodate to darkness but not enough for hunting in the dark.
This is really scary…
While all the children knew that milk came from cows, I wonder how many people knew it came from female cows who had given birth? A popular cheese advert for children at the moment depicts cows with male voices shooting processed cheese through ‘Ghost Busters’ style guns…
Hm… Over here I’m pretty sure that children know where the meat comes from… At least I knew when I was a kid 
But from the other hand, I became vegetarian when I was 11… so may be they don’t know… shit! 
Becky are you sure about this? Because I’m not.
No, that was just my own thought 
But I didn’t know about the the link between milk and birth until I was an older teenager. I feel a bit stupid admitting it, but a lot of British families still don’t like their children knowing much about reproduction until they’re considered old enough. When I was a kid, I just thought cows produced milk constantly, because that was what cows do!
I didn’t become Vegan until I was 24. I had never heard of such a thing.
I found out that my spiritual advisors and other valued teachers in my life were Vegan. When I found out what Vegan meant I became one.
This seems to be the Martial Artists thread too. Sensei was Vegetarian.
I practice a style of Karate called Uechi-Ryu.
That sounds really interesting - does karate promote vegetarianism? I’m a humble kickboxer, but my sensei wants me to become a martial artist in my attitude, be less lazy, live a little better: I’m not really sure what he means…
Sounds like you’ve been on quite a journey! What sort of spiritual advidsors?
I don’t think “karate” promotes vegetarianism. There are a lot of seniors and peirs in my association who are hardcore meat-eaters, heavy drinkers, and occasionally drug users.
Those that practice karate as a “do” (a way of life “karate-do”) are more apt, in my experience, to become vegetarian. I see it already in my students. Sensei’s Vegan, we want to be Vegan too.
Those that practice karate just as a “jutsu” (an art or combat system), in my experience, seek nothing more. They don’t see the martial art as a medium for philosophy or mental and spiritual empowerment.
This of course is just a generalization, and one way is not better than the other. And it is possible, and in my experience the majority (and in my opinion a necessity), to practice karate as both a “do” and a “jutsu”.
Not all Sensei’s can teach a “do”. You have to be living the “do” before you can teach it. Perhaps your Sensei is trying to open your eyes to the possibility that his art is a little more than just a bunch of random kicks, punches, and blocks. If so, be very grateful for your Sensei, he was a good find.
Anyways. …
The most influential advisor was my Trancendental Meditation teacher. Her character was flawless and powerful. She lived what she preached and set out a path for me that has lead to great happiness.
Thanks 
I know Sensei used to do full contact Karate before he started Kickboxing… I will read around the subject a little more
I just found this thread - it’s really good. I ate meat throughout my life until about eight years ago. I had always had a sense of unease particularly after seeing a TV documentary which told the story of how animals are really treated before and during slaughter.
That unease grew the more I delved into the subject until I realised I had to take a stand on a point of principle. I’ve been vegetarian ever since and am now thinking about making the move to veganism.
It’s great you became vegetarian Rayman, welcome to the vegan talk forum.
I became vegan because I really started thinking about what I was eating and what the animal went through in order to feed me. I decided that if I was really the animal lover I claimed to be, I should love all animals, not just the cute furry ones. So I became vegetarian and a few months later became vegan. I’ve been vegan for 12 years now and I would never go back:)
It’s great to see so many different reasons to become vegan! And to see how many people started so young! Most impressive!
I became vegan after my mom turned vegetarian. The reasons that mostly persuaded me were the fact that meat came from living beings. No sentient being should have to feel pain or least of all die for me.
I do believe we are the intellectually superior species, our dominance on earth is quite evident. Given this gift, we should use the ability to feel empathy, compassion, concern and extend it to all beings. Each day we are given choices, it is our responsibility to make, what we feel, are the right ones. Our lifestyles should reflect this as well.
We have been given the gift of life and consciousness and should use it to the best of our ability. Let’s leave this world and its inhabitants in a better state than how we received it!
I’d been vegetarian for a bajillion years. Suffice it to say, i’d been vegetarian almost twice as many years than I was a flesh eater. Had flirted with vegan diet on and off for years. Anyway, I became vegetarian at age 16, then started eating flesh again a year later because I’d gone on one of those high protein/ high fat diets weight. I wasn’t overweight, btw. Then at age 20, I became vegetarian for good because, guess what, I was on yet another high protein, but low fat, no carb diet to once again, lose weight. I was only midly overweight. The one week I ate that way, I felt poorly. Kind of queezy and hungry at the same time. So, on new years day, as a resolution,( the only one I have ever made, and did, indeed, keep), I had become vegetarian…
i think these low carb diets are full of balogna( no pun intended). Very unhealthy. I am a carbohydrate maven and never was successful with their reduction in my diet.
While uppermost in mind, factory farmed animals are not the only reasons I prefer to eat vegan most days, but also to avoid carcinogens. A lot of hormones go into the cows which produce milk. (You can see how girls develop way too young these days… Scary.)
Here is my story: I have been a vegetarian most of my life, however, after reading Eating Animals; I reviewed this book on my site;
nyaproductreviewer.com/2010/ … -foer.html
I realize that I need to make a change and completely obliterate all animals products from my diet and life. There is no way I am supporting the shady barbaric factory farming industry in an way, shape or form.
I got turned onto it by the Skinny Bitch series, Alicia Silverstone, animal rights, and Kaeng Raeng detox
I feel like a fledgling veg here. I became vegetarian actually a year ago to this date. It all started with someone I’m willing to bet a lot of you are familiar with…
Earthlings.
The pure shock value of this movie turned me off meat instantly, and I haven’t eaten it since. For a few days after it was purely the inability to stomach meat, but within a few weeks I read all I could possibly find about vegetarian diets and animal cruelty etc etc. I still learn every single day and I really like sharing my knowledge with people in a way that I feel like they can relate to a little bit, without being really pushy.
Even further, I’m definitely a new vegan! It’s probably be just about three weeks, but I can’t imagine ever going back. I feel even better than I did from the switch from meat->vegetarian. I do struggle occasionally with cravings, but MOSTLY the frustrating thing is the unavailability of vegan food on campus. 
It’s very frustrating to have to go all the way back home and make something, because often it’s just not possible to make enough food for a twelve hour day.
But I’ve rambled…
It seemed that Earthling is a good tool of converting people to vegan
It is nicknamed the vegan maker for a reason!
Originally I just didn’t like meat so I tried to avoid it when ever I could. Later I started studying nutrition and realized how meat has no fiber and was filled with saturated fat, cholestoral, hormones and other things, then also reading about dairy and it being like liquid meat where the animal protein leaches calcium out of your bones. Learning about that I tried to avoid them even more. My dad noticed this and tried to make me eat them anyway getting real upset if I didn’t. Later I watched PETA’s video “Meat your meet” and started crying(I had always liked animals before, but this really strengthened my feelings). That was when I officially became vegetarian. My concerns for animals were growing after that and slowly I was eliminating dairy and eggs too even though my parents were against it. When I officially became vegan my parents gradually learned to accept it and are now supportive of it. Now they take me to vegan restaurants and such. It took a while but I’m glad I made it through even with the conflict.