A friend of mine today, asked me what it would be like for my children. "Would you grow them to be Vegan?" I replied, with a smile, "Yes".
For the free-will advocate that she is, those eyes exclaimed repulsively, "But, that's not fair! Let them choose their path, their own lifestyle". I was taken aback, to be honest. Are we, indeed victims, victims of double-standards and that maybe, we don't even know that..
Is it forgoing choice, I ask, when you teach a child to not steal, to not lie? Is it forgoing choice when you bring home a pet whom your child shall grow to treat with love?
Then how is it, against choice, when he's taught to live healthy, without imposing the belief that eating dead bodies would bring him good health. That he's taught the art to live, and more importantly, to let live.
Free-will, we love! But it isn't free-will I'm teaching, if I encourage his participation in adventures of mankind, which don't let a cow decide who her milk, is for. Which don't let a chicken decide when she's ready for euthanasia. Adventures which don't let a child know that food is, but a means of survival and a right, best exercised while being conscious of the footprint it can leave behind.
I turned vegan 2 years back, with the regret, that I didn't do it sooner. Let my child regret, one thing less.
For the free-will advocate that she is, those eyes exclaimed repulsively, "But, that's not fair! Let them choose their path, their own lifestyle". I was taken aback, to be honest. Are we, indeed victims, victims of double-standards and that maybe, we don't even know that..
Is it forgoing choice, I ask, when you teach a child to not steal, to not lie? Is it forgoing choice when you bring home a pet whom your child shall grow to treat with love?
Then how is it, against choice, when he's taught to live healthy, without imposing the belief that eating dead bodies would bring him good health. That he's taught the art to live, and more importantly, to let live.
Free-will, we love! But it isn't free-will I'm teaching, if I encourage his participation in adventures of mankind, which don't let a cow decide who her milk, is for. Which don't let a chicken decide when she's ready for euthanasia. Adventures which don't let a child know that food is, but a means of survival and a right, best exercised while being conscious of the footprint it can leave behind.
"If someone placed a two-year old child in a crib with a bunny rabbit and an apple, the child would play with the rabbit and eat the apple, an unambiguously herbivorous reaction." -Gary Yourofsky
I turned vegan 2 years back, with the regret, that I didn't do it sooner. Let my child regret, one thing less.
The way I see it - there are two ways to go about it. The way religion has been passed on for centuries in this country or the empathetic way.
ReplyDeleteEveryday you'd see young adults go to temple, refrain from certain foods, engage in specific rituals. Why? Because God wants them to. Why does their God want them to do / not do those things? Because their parents said so. Without any explanation - logical, scientific or otherwise. It just becomes a ridiculous chain of passing the instructions to the next generation. Similarly, you could simply instruct your kid not to. And that's the first way.
The second way, would be the way you've made people like me who earlier would scoff at vegetarians, let alone vegans, have immense respect for your choice to be vegan. By putting across the reasons behind your convictions. By letting me know how unfairly those animals are treated. You could put it across the same way to your kids. Tell them the reason they shouldn't eat butter because that cow has been denied a life it deserves to put that butter on the table.
I've been raised by parents who've never forced their convictions on me - and for that I've made my own choices - and that's also the reason I'm biased towards the second approach.
But the truth is, with kids, with either approach, there is no free choice. At the age you tell them about this, they'd just agree in sync with every word you, their mother, has to say. You would have that control over their impressionable minds. And you should be allowed to use that to your advantage. While it may deny them free choice, you've done what YOU believe is in their best interest.
Ma , may I get a tattoo? sure beta ... Ma may I get a piercing or slit my tongue? sure beta ., ma may I have sex with her ? Sure beta just use protection ,I don't want u bring them puppies home we have enough already!... Ma may I drink a glass of milk? HELL FuCkInG NO ,what did i bring you up into ? A MONSTER??? #HowCoolAreVeganMomsters!
ReplyDeleteExactly that cool ^ 😎
DeleteHaha
Dear Vyomika,
ReplyDeleteExcellent thoughts
I do agree that it is the duty of a parent to guide the children and mould their thoughts and resultant actions as per what the parent believes to be the best.
We need an emergency contact,fax,mail etc when we see hunting of a wild animal.
ReplyDeleteWe need emergency contact,fax no. & email when we see & come to know hunting of wild animal.This is most urgent.
ReplyDelete