So I have gone many years without missing a day of meat.
In fact, for most of my life, I probably ate meat twice a day for as long as I can remember, and the days I didn’t were considered days I hadn’t eaten properly.
Things did change in uni…however, providing that background, here is my 20 day reflection of not touching meat or fish to raise money for Syria.
In fact, for most of my life, I probably ate meat twice a day for as long as I can remember, and the days I didn’t were considered days I hadn’t eaten properly.
Things did change in uni…however, providing that background, here is my 20 day reflection of not touching meat or fish to raise money for Syria.
I have not raised much money since I started. In fact, I have not been transparent with my journey whatsoever. I have been waiting for my Huffington Post worthy moment of revelation where I exclaim to the world that I feel the pain of those who can’t afford meat, or how I entered a state of deep reflection about our over-consumptive habits, and that this journey of a lifetime has created a changed man, and isn’t that just touching enough to get some donations for a ridiculously important cause – nope, I’m pretty much ok.
I wanted this to be something it wasn’t. I’m not climbing Everest, or jumping out of a plane. I’m making an ordinary lifestyle choice for a temporary amount of time – it’s kinda mundane, to be honest.
This reflection won’t be all melancholy rainbows and butterflies though, so here’s where the garam masala comes in: I realized that I can be a vegetarian. I can give up meat if I wanted. I found it surprisingly more difficult to give up fish, but heck, I can do that too. In fact, when it comes to MY choices, I can do whatever I darn well please – but I choose to emphasise that point because more often than not, we enter our psychological blocks that hinder us from progressing beyond a certain point – whether it is an aspect of one’s personality, a dietary style, an addiction, an emotion; we have control of our own bodies and lifestyles.
It’s not always a breeze – sometimes it’s the hardest thing in the world – but it is possible.
So with this statement of the obvious, I was smacked with the realization of my shortcomings. Don’t get me wrong, it was a very welcome slap in the face, because the pain of humility is sweeter than the anguish of ignorance – but I was able to realize how my problems are my fault, and they can be changed by actions, or at the very least, my mindset. I get frustrated by the mentality of blaming the world for everything, and so this reminder from my 20 vegetarian days has been of great use.
Second, I feel better. I feel healthier, and for some odd reason, I’m eating less. I have often felt that eating meat leads me to eating more generally, as if it inhibits some appetite regulating hormone (ghrelin #knewgcsebiowouldcomeinhandy). Even when I started going to the gym again, I found that I had plenty of energy, and to my knowledge, I had sufficient protein for muscle recovery.
Third, I genuinely do feel that a majority vegetarian diet is healthier and more ethical to the planet. I would love to get to the stage where meat is an absolute delicacy in my life, and perhaps this challenge has brought me a step closer.
Lastly, this has all been for a sole cause. Syria. She is bleeding. Syria is in flames, and the only way to extinguish this inferno is for us to bring as many buckets of water as we can fathom. I am not even 10 percent of the way to the 5000 I have pledged.
Help me get there, and help them in any way you can. Syria
I wanted this to be something it wasn’t. I’m not climbing Everest, or jumping out of a plane. I’m making an ordinary lifestyle choice for a temporary amount of time – it’s kinda mundane, to be honest.
This reflection won’t be all melancholy rainbows and butterflies though, so here’s where the garam masala comes in: I realized that I can be a vegetarian. I can give up meat if I wanted. I found it surprisingly more difficult to give up fish, but heck, I can do that too. In fact, when it comes to MY choices, I can do whatever I darn well please – but I choose to emphasise that point because more often than not, we enter our psychological blocks that hinder us from progressing beyond a certain point – whether it is an aspect of one’s personality, a dietary style, an addiction, an emotion; we have control of our own bodies and lifestyles.
It’s not always a breeze – sometimes it’s the hardest thing in the world – but it is possible.
So with this statement of the obvious, I was smacked with the realization of my shortcomings. Don’t get me wrong, it was a very welcome slap in the face, because the pain of humility is sweeter than the anguish of ignorance – but I was able to realize how my problems are my fault, and they can be changed by actions, or at the very least, my mindset. I get frustrated by the mentality of blaming the world for everything, and so this reminder from my 20 vegetarian days has been of great use.
Second, I feel better. I feel healthier, and for some odd reason, I’m eating less. I have often felt that eating meat leads me to eating more generally, as if it inhibits some appetite regulating hormone (ghrelin #knewgcsebiowouldcomeinhandy). Even when I started going to the gym again, I found that I had plenty of energy, and to my knowledge, I had sufficient protein for muscle recovery.
Third, I genuinely do feel that a majority vegetarian diet is healthier and more ethical to the planet. I would love to get to the stage where meat is an absolute delicacy in my life, and perhaps this challenge has brought me a step closer.
Lastly, this has all been for a sole cause. Syria. She is bleeding. Syria is in flames, and the only way to extinguish this inferno is for us to bring as many buckets of water as we can fathom. I am not even 10 percent of the way to the 5000 I have pledged.
Help me get there, and help them in any way you can. Syria
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