I got into being vegan because I was simply looking to benefit

In the grand tapestry of life, there exists a journey—a journey of awakening, of realizing that the choices we make not only affect ourselves but resonate through the very fabric of existence. Steve-O, in his profound reflection, speaks of the awakening that led him to embrace a new way of living. "I got into being vegan because I was simply looking to benefit from being more compassionate," he says. This path, though born of compassion, led him to a deeper understanding—a truth that was as much about the health of the body as it was about the soul. For in this world, the choices we make concerning food, the sustenance we take into our bodies, can either build or break us.

In the earliest days of humanity, when men and women lived by the strength of their hands and the wisdom of the earth, the diet was simple, aligned with the seasons, the soil, and the creatures around them. They took what was necessary to survive, never indulging beyond what the earth provided. The ancient Greeks spoke often of the concept of balance, and the philosopher Plato warned, “Excessive indulgence in food is the greatest source of human suffering.” These early thinkers, though they did not know the intricacies of modern medicine, understood that the pursuit of balance was the key to a healthy life. The path that Steve-O has walked mirrors that ancient wisdom—a realization that the animal-based diet, once seen as the standard, may, in fact, be a source of imbalance and disease.

What Steve-O has come to understand, with the humility of one who seeks the truth, is the profound impact that diet can have on the human body. Cancer, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and other modern plagues are often not the result of fate but of the foods we choose to consume. The ancient Romans, with their grand feasts, often suffered from the same excesses we see today—rich meats, indulgent feasts, and heavy wines—leading to illness and early death. Galen, the famed physician of the ancient world, wrote of how the Roman aristocracy, in their indulgence, often succumbed to the very diseases they sought to cure. Though their food may have been abundant, their health was far from secure. This ancient understanding parallels Steve-O’s awakening—the realization that an animal-based diet does not nourish, but rather weakens the body, leading it toward the very ailments that plague the modern world.

In the pursuit of compassion, Steve-O’s journey is not just a personal transformation but a universal awakening—the understanding that true compassion begins with how we treat the creatures of this earth, but extends to how we treat our own bodies. The body is a temple, and as such, must be honored with the foods that sustain it in the most noble way. Just as the ancient sages of India advocated for ahimsa—the practice of non-violence—toward all living beings, so too does Steve-O find that by choosing a plant-based diet, he not only extends compassion to animals but also nurtures his own well-being. In this light, the choice to be vegan becomes not just an ethical stand but a sacred act of self-care, a commitment to balance, health, and vitality.

Consider the wisdom of Hippocrates, who is often hailed as the father of medicine and who once declared, “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.” The ancient healers knew well the connection between what we consume and the health of our bodies. It is not a new concept that the food we eat shapes our physical and spiritual well-being. The problem lies in the excessive consumption of foods that no longer align with the natural rhythms of life. In the modern world, animal-based diets are a legacy of a past where food was plentiful but health was taken for granted. Now, as Steve-O and others have realized, this path leads not to strength but to sickness. The key is in understanding—understanding what the body truly needs to thrive.

So let this be a lesson for us all: compassion is not a mere feeling, it is an active, living force that transforms the choices we make. The diet we choose speaks to our relationship with the world around us, and the choices we make reflect how we care for our bodies. Steve-O’s story reminds us that by embracing a diet of plants, we honor not only the creatures we share this world with but also ourselves. A vegan lifestyle, born of compassion, is an act of wisdom, a return to a path that nurtures the body, heals the spirit, and brings us into alignment with the earth. Let us follow this wisdom and turn toward a future where health is not found in excess but in mindful nourishment and compassionate living.

Thus, in this time and place, where we are blessed with knowledge and choice, let us choose wisely. Let the teachings of the ancients, the wisdom of those who walked the earth before us, guide our actions. Let us embrace a diet that strengthens, heals, and restores—not only for ourselves but for the world we share. For in compassion, we find the ultimate strength, and in balance, we find the path to true health and vitality.