Darrell Sawczuk, Volunteer
The Humane League UK volunteer Darrell Sawczuk explains what drove him to keep animals off his plate.
In your life, there will be events and experiences which change you and turn your whole world upside down. For me, that was when I chose to switch to a vegan lifestyle.
My parents raised me on turkey twizzlers, sausages, and fish and chips on a Friday. I loved this food, I loved my upbringing and have no bad memories of the way my parents raised me.
Throughout my teenage years and early adulthood, my diet was full of animal products. Most weekend mornings I would either treat myself to cheese on toast or a bacon sandwich. If I ever went out for dinner, I would rarely even look at a menu. I would simply ask the waiter for their biggest beef burger with all the toppings. I even took part in burger challenges, pushing myself to consume absolutely huge beef burgers.
In March 2017, I went to Scotland and was eating black pudding and haggis for breakfast. Little did I know in the space of a few months I’d be cutting meat out of my diet entirely.
Looking back now, I can clearly see the disconnect I had about where my food came from. I had never really questioned what I was eating.
For me, it began with my job as a gorilla keeper at a zoo. Knowing how similar we are to gorillas, I started to question how they could thrive eating primarily plants (insects being the only animal protein they eat, and not on a regular basis).
One day, my girlfriend and I stumbled across a film on Netflix called ‘OKJA’. It’s a fictional film regarding overpopulation and the farming of a ‘superpig’. Although it was fictional, there were so many comparisons to reality that this film hit us hard. So much so, that as soon as the film finished, we decided on the spot to become vegetarian.
A year later I watched ‘Earthlings.’ I knew what the documentary was about but I had no idea what to expect and what I was about to see. After seeing the footage of animal farming for the food industry as well as the fashion and entertainment industries, I decided to not eat animal products ever again. I couldn’t pretend that I had not just witnessed mass murder. I could not forget what I had just seen, and I would never consume another animal product.
With the exception of my girlfriend who became vegan very shortly after me, the reaction from the people around me was largely confusion and mockery.
I can’t blame them. When I was an omnivore, I wouldn’t have understood why someone would be vegetarian or vegan. Don’t get me wrong, it was hard to take all the mockery, especially from your own family. But I knew, and I still know now, that what I am doing is right. I could no longer contribute to such cruelty and I never will.
I have learnt a huge amount thanks to veganism. I have learnt that we as humans have no need to consume animal products and that a well planned vegan diet provides us with all essential nutrients. I have learnt that for 25 years of my life I was neglecting my heart and my innate nature to love and care for all animals. I have learnt that I am stronger than I ever knew I could be. I found strength in the vulnerability of others and began using their pain to shout louder, to reach more people, to speak up for those who can't speak up for themselves and to make a positive impact in the world.
Veganism not only changed me, it now defines who I am. I have never felt better, healthier and happier. I have found my purpose in life and my only regret is that I didn’t realise it sooner.
