Hallo! Dear friends,

One afternoon in 2007, while I was waiting for a train to Beijing at a railway station in northeastern China, an old man handed me a flyer and I was deeply touched by its contents. As I recall, the old man’s hair was partly grey and he was about 60 years old. When he first handed me the flyer, I thought it was a real estate advertisement and just accepted it out of courtesy. But to my surprise, it contained information about the vegetarian diet and I sat down to read it thoroughly. When I looked up again, the old man had already gone so I could not tell him my reaction, but I must admit the message had touched a warm, soft corner in my heart.

It said, “No deal! No kill!” which is the slogan of animal right activists in China. I can’t forget the tears that cows shed before they are slaughtered. I can’t forget the horrifying picture of chickens still running around though their heads have already been chopped off! These are forceful demonstrations of their desire to live! Humankind is merely one of the many living beings on Earth; we have no right to take the lives of others. Especially now that we are in a modern society, we don’t need to act like our carnivorous ancestors who had to kill animals for survival. Having recognized these ideas, I’ve decisively joined the ranks of vegetarians. However, many people do not understand me, including my colleagues, friends and even my family. Some have asked me whether I have become a Buddhist; some have avoided having meals with me since then, or have even kept a distance from me. Despite the fact that I have explained my reasons of becoming a vegetarian, they give me no positive response, or even regard me as a nerd. Nevertheless, I have never regretted my decision. I am sure that this is the right path, so I just strive to walk on it, with or without any companions.

On my way to work this morning, I met a young girl who was smiling and distributing the “Go Veg! Be Green!” flyers. It was the first time I had ever seen such an action in Beijing, or perhaps I hadn’t run into it before. At that moment, I had the urge to drop my briefcase and join her in the distribution. However, I couldn’t do so because I had to go to work, so I just silently took the flyer. After getting to my office, I wrote this letter and sent it to the address listed on the flyer. Perhaps my words will go unnoticed, but deep within me, I am glad to know that I have many comrades with the same ideal in the world. I am not alone anymore!

An ordinary, persistent vegetarian