This week we are stepping back.
The great and unnecessary divide that is growing in our world has silently creeped into our community — one where we share a common intention to treat ourselves, each other and our planet with respect.
I recall incidents over the years where I have felt attacked for my choice to live with a conscious zero-restrictions diet and I am fortunate to inhabit a reliable body free from allergies and food intolerances.
Growing up on a remote farm in a cold-climate, I learned about humane animal husbandry and I know that modern industrial agriculture is not — plant-based or otherwise.
2018 Hong Kong has no excuse for eating meat every day, much less every meal and perhaps (eventually) none at all.
All of our food is imported and the steady supply of processed, convenient products relieves an old reliance upon traditional slow-cooked grains and greens for wholesome and creative plant-based meals that are good and good for us and good for the rest of life on earth. Cutting back is easy and choosing less wisely is sensible.
When I am called a meat eater, the defense auto-response kicks in and I don’t want to feel the hurt that comes crashing down, especially when the words come from vegan friends.
I prefer to be called a human.
Like the rest of us, I am doing my best to live my best life.
Now, I am seeing this happen to people who devote their lives in service to healthy living.
There is no need for cruelty to humans. There is no need to be mean to each other.
There is plenty of room for anger. It is a powerful fuel when used mindfully.
Our planet is under more pressure every day with an economic model dictated by constant growth. We live with more than enough stress and it costs nothing to act with kindness. Many humans are fragile and all lives deserve compassion, not just the lives we are trying to protect from the knife.
I have been approaced by vulnerable young people living at home who struggle to get sufficient nutrition in local families that do not share or even understand their vegan commitment. Their passion to save animals is real and so are their tears of pain and frustration about trying to live a vegan life in the fast lane. We can to guide them towards balance if extreme doesn’t work for their health.
With so many good causes to fight for and so many people in need of our love, let’s be careful with our words.
Can we be?
Naturally,
Everything is connected.
Listen to your own heartbeat.
“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” Mark Twain
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Cover photo by Kinzie
