It was the 70’s.
I’d been dragged up on a South London council estate, gone to the worst school in London, left school with no qualifications and drifted from job to job falling into the security world. From boxing, kickboxing to karate and spit and sawdust gyms doing bodybuilding to bulk up for the violence incurred at work.

I thought respect, friendship and love, were all based on other people’s fear of me…. Until Tai Chi led me into the Taoist, Zen and Buddhist practice of mindfulness.

I found dependent origination and the practice of patient kindness – that led me to realise that we were all one, this gradually changed my behaviour and attitude to myself, other people, and my community.

Then one day I looked into my dogs eyes and saw myself in there, then every animal and sentient being, pig, cow, cat, whatever, they were all me, every animal has the will to live and the same fear of pain, death and suffering that I have.

I looked on my plate and realised that I was consuming their blood and flesh and party to that suffering.

I had been indoctrinated by society to ignore this torture, mass slaughter and had been mindlessly and unnecessarily consuming them and my body, emotions and thinking was built on their suffering.

53 years ago I became a vegetarian and gradually moved toward veganism. It changed my perspective from anger depression and violence to living in peace with both human and animal.

When asked if I’m vegetarian for my health, my answer is yes, and for my sanity and the health of all animals and my environment.

This photo shows me in my first Karate licence in the 70’s and then more recently after 50 years of martial arts, mindfulness and a lifestyle of not causing harm and vegetarianism.