om family
I did a silent victory dance, then turned
my attention to her lecture on endangered
species, pollution and stupidity of the
basic human. She was passionate. Never
looked back, never ate another ‘happy
pig’ bacon sandwich and, more than that,
she has inspired me to follow suit. We
are transitioning from vegetarianism to
veganism, from plastic to glass, from clutter
to Zen living. She has the abundant energy I
used to have, and is bringing me back to life
with her light.“Letting children
choose is my preferred
way of raising them.
It empowers them to
know what is right for
them, and if it isn’t, they
learn soon enough. It
makes them think things
through, explore options
and make changes.”Eureka moment
Six months ago, my teenage daughter
attended a talk by a Sea Shepherd* captain
who lives in the area. He presented a slide
show to her school, showing the extent of
plastic pollution damage on marine wildlife
and unashamedly stated that it is humanity’s
obligation to become vegan and fast.
May daughter called me to say: “As of this
very moment, I choose never to eat meat
again. Do you even understand the effect
farming has on the planet?” (Mmm, yes, I
think I do!).
Finding balance
My son works hard to maintain his
carnivorous status in our family, and strongly
defends his case. I respect him for that and
can still be found hunting for hormone-free
meat, and getting up early to visit organic
markets in search of products that won’t
bring nastiness to his growing body.
Letting children choose is my preferred
way of raising them. It empowers them to
know what is right for them, and if it isn’t,
they learn soon enough. It makes them think
things through, explore options and make
changes. It means that when they choose
something themselves, there is substance
behind it. Of course, they can also make bad
choices, so let’s keep it real and love them
regardless.* Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is
an international non-profit, marine wildlife
conservation organisation.Siri Arti is the founder of Starchild Yoga
Teacher Training, an education for peace.
For details of courses and trainings please
visit: starchildyoga.org