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Login Here Signup Here Signup using FacebookToday is a beautiful day, sunny and warm. After picking up fresh organic produce at a few local stands, my sister and I were sitting in our van while my mum bought meat from Steward’s Meats (butchers). She made a comment about how much it stank in the butchers and I told her that that was what she should think of when she eats all her meat. I also pointed out that EVERY person inside, walking into, and coming out of the store were very over-weight. She shocked me into saying that that was a stupid assumption that meat would have anything to do with their health. When I started to protest, she said that “people NEED meat.” This infuriated me that someone was telling my little sister that she needed meat and when I repeatedly asked who told her, she said that it is common sense and that I’m an idiot for being a raw vegan and going to die. She’s 15, plenty old enough to know this is untrue. WHY does she believe that?
So then I’m assuming that all her friends (tons of them) also believe this. So if so many people believe this, where’s the hope? Why are they so stupid? Why don’t they open their eyes and stop consuming all the “normal ways” of other people instead of researching and seeing what is right? I’ve noticed in school that the kids believe every single word that comes out of many teachers’ mouths. These are juniors and seniors! The next generation to regulate the world! And they are brainless! They are lazy and see “baby fat” as a healthy, sexy thing. I’m so angry and frusterated and I don’t know what to do but go outside and scream.
ARRRGGG!!! I’m going to go plant my carnations and tarragon. Nothing like being outside and with plants. At least THEY aren’t jerks.
Comments
i went through a time like this, where i wanted to shake people and say “OPEN YOUR EYES MAN, OPEN YOUR EYES.” however, after going through months where my anger was frustrating both me and everyone around me, i learned that the best way to positively influence people is to be peaceful, open, accepting, and not speak about your diet unless asked. i find it’s important to “radiate peace”, if you will. people notice this more than anything, and tend to listen to you more anyway!
lovin my sunshine, you said:
“I’ve noticed in school that the kids believe every single word that comes out of many teachers’ mouths.”
This is one reason we homeschool our children – we believe that we can make a difference in this world as a family. we can really bring positive blessings and change with these children we’ve been given. They can be givers, responders, diligent, free, joyful workers – inspiring people. We are raising our kids to be THINKING people. People who can logically, philosophically, spiritually understand the world around them. When given the opportunity, it is amazing what can come of this next generation.
Thankfully, when you are in community, such as this forum, or any other venue in your town – you can have rant sessions like this. (in our house we call it the free puke zone) Freedom to express.
Yes, agreed, we must be positive. I was talking to a friend tonight and we were discussing how when we are taught to be ready to share the blessed hope that we walk in – that if we are negative and frowny-faced – who the heck want’s THAT “blessed hope”?? People will be like, “you keep your ‘blessed hope’ thank you” heh heh. Your life and the way you live it is the best testimony ever.
Yeah, it can be sooooo frustrating. People can be so dumb. But what can ya do? You know?
get a copy of The China Study for your mom. it also explains how much of the curriculum taught in schools is supplied by the dairy, meat, and egg industries. if you look at your sister’s homework, you might find examples. this explains why the average person believes that “milk is good for their bones,” “meat helps your muscles grow strong,” and I don’t know what they say about eggs. it has been going on for more than 50 years or so. anyway, The China Study gives a solid explanation why animal-based foods are bad for us and it’s from a credible source. if you haven’t read it, I HIGHLY recommend it.
btw, it also explains how special interest groups are in bed with the FDA
No sense trying to convert other people. Taking care of yourself is the best you can do and if you are truly healthy and happy, people will notice and ask you questions.
James
mamamilk—yes, i am a teacher and i agree with that. that is why it is so important to as a teacher, question, not preach. it’s funny because from a teacher’s perspective, the parents are the ones who seem to be the main influence!
i teach 4th grade. when it comes to animal issues and health, i have to tread lightly because i don’t want to be branded as some crazy vegan. parents are very influential at my school. i simply tell my students that i choose not to eat meat (without using the words vegan). I also say i don’t eat dairy if it comes up. actually, i really only tell them these things if it comes up. but i DO talk about how I love animals, read books that show how amazing animals are, and talk about nutrition openly and honestly in science class. I am glad also because the PE teacher who is a vegetarian talks about ALL protein sources, not just meat.
but i agree that the best way to convince others is to live as an example. i had an animal-loving student become a vegetarian this year. so has my husband in the past. we are simply there to show them an alternative to what the status quo things. provide as another example in a life filled with adults who have lots of opinions of their own.
I’m frustrated by ALL the people on this planet, not just the naive ones (except raw foodists of course) I think we need better astronomers to look for a planet that’s suitable for raw foodists and no cooked foodists allowed. I’d rather live with the aliens than these ridiculous so called “people”.
To Lovin’My Sunshine,
I am also new to this forum and phase in my life however am not yet 100% raw, Not sure where I will ever be but can positively say that I am 80-90%. At this point in my life it is impossible to be 100%.
Your entry made so much sense to me, as I too at times have felt like preaching to the world about this new discovery I stumbled across. A few years ago I worked with a raw vegan. At the time I was not the typical SAD eater (Australian) as I have had many allergies from about 18 years old due to medication which meant that more breads and sugars were off limits, however I was a meat eater and I probably ate more crap than what I thought. Having said that, when talking to my work college, I too thought that he was incredibly strange and unnecessary in his beliefs but held no predudice against his way of life. I feel that perhaps, you too, need to start believing in the fact that people will change when they are ready. I am experiencing first hand, right now, that even willingly talking about this direction in my life is hard for people to comprehend. People aren’t as naive or as stupid as you think, it’s just that at this point in time, their interests lie in different areas. You can’t be angry at people for that. Everyone is on there own in this world! Enjoy what you have stumbled onto and as mentioned in other posts before mine, don’t preach but be gentle. This is totally against the grain for the majority of people in this world and perhaps it’s not the best answer to health for everyone. I only talk about this to people who I feel would be slitghy interested, apart from that, I don’t let it rule my life. Let go a little and just enjoy it….by the way, My father, after 4 months of constant pestering, has finally bought the ‘China Study’ but I am still working on my mum to buy it. A highly recommended book. I also recommend ’ In defense if food’ by Michael Pollen. It’s not a raw vegan book or necessarily a vegetarian book, but a book that is more likely to make the common population have a more historical and realistic approach to health, food and the world.
Just relax and let this journey be for you. Find people that you can talk with not at. Good luck and remember….. people grow up so much after they finish school. I’m sure your sister is greatly influenced by you but is unable to make decision’s entirely for herself yet. That comes with age!
I have to agree that getting upset or preaching to others won’t change minds. My favorite quote may be sage advice, however:
BE THE CHANGE YOU WISH TO SEE IN THE WORLD
Be a shining example of health and people will flock to you, wanting to know your secrets!
Mamamilk – I agree with homeschooling children to a certain age. I’ve always planned on doing the same when I’m old enough to start a family. I’m very happy to hear that there are families like yours. You are helping socity in an interesting, new approach that I haven’t heard much of before – family. Thank you so much for your inpsiration. :)
Superkat92 / RawKidChef – Also agree with both of you. Sometimes I feel like the world should just be blown up. I don’t feel extrememly happy towards everyone’s…I don’t know. Not their “being” but maybe their actions and beliefs?
Newbie / Zochen – I’m on a mission to get The China Study. ;) Thank you for the new morning activity, Food Network has reruns now it’s summer. hehe
I don’t often preach to people in general. I don’t talk to my family about it unless they open up or ask questions. My friends hear me talk about it in school more because I share my opinions, but listen to and I don’t shoot down theirs. I am usually a very happy person and I LOVE food and nature and animals and so much about LIFE. Sometimes, however, little things like this strike a nerve and really upset me. It just seems like common sense.
Thank you so much for your time and suggestions. I understand that everyone is different and they change at different periods. I guess most of my frusteration is at the companies that mislead everyone. I hate false information and I hate that people can’t determine common sense from fickle claims.
DUDES! I sooooo felt this way yesterday. I was dragged to dinner with my dad, stepmom, and their wierdo neighbors, and while at dinner and enjoying my salad (which the restaurant happily made and even put their own creative spin on it), my stepmom hopped up out of her chair with a charliehorse in her leg. Nothing horrible, but enough to cramp it up. Our neighbor woman starts demanding, “calcium! Calcium Jane, you need calcium! How much milk have you been having lately?!?” and my stepmom says, “oh, really? I beth you that IS it! I haven’t really had any milk at all the past few days…!” and then another person at the table passes her a piece of pizza, of which she absolutely inhaled for the cheese on it, in desperation to stop her leg cramp. Ugh. Ugh, ugh, ugh.
I liked how Gabriel Cousens described this problem as the
rawkidchef…that’s a little extreme, don’t you think?
i think it’s best not to judge people on their eating habits. cooked foodists, raw foodists, vegetarians, vegans, omnivores, carnivores…im cool with everything save cannibalism lol! everyone has their own path, their own choices, their lives. its not up to me to judge why someone decides to have a big mac and large coke, they’ve had different life circumstances that put them where they are. and they could be perfectly happy!
I ain’t gonna lie, I am definitely with the raw kid chef here… Not as much about raw food but about veganism. I love my friends and family who are not vegan, but I can not for the life of me figure out how anyone could eat dairy. It is SO toxic. Meat is hard on your body and difficult to digest, but milk is the worst. Plus it is disgusting. I mean not that we should have our own special raw planet, since human beings should try to fix THIS one before it exterminates us, but maybe when we have a cultural colapse and half of humanity dies there will be room for a nice all vegan raw community down by the equator… Anyone in? Yeah, I guess I think I’m better ;)
We can’t ask for understanding of our way of thinking about food, and not give understanding to our family and friends. :( They aren’t where we are in our journey, and may never be.
We are sooo not better than anyone… Seriously?? :)
I can appreciate frustration with others we think are on the wrong path but none of us started where we are now and most of our thinking will evolve from where it is now no matter how right we think we are today. There have been many times I have looked back at beliefs I have held in the past and wondered what was I thinking. That didn’t make me a bad person. People who eat SAD aren’t doing it because they are motivated out of negative characteristics like greed or perpetrating hatred against a select class of creatures. If that were true, then they would deserve such harsh criticism.
There isn’t a hair’s difference between the ignorance and intolerance of raw foodist who attack those that don’t share their dietary beliefs than the horrible things I have heard many SAD eaters say about vegetarians. The only thing I can think of that is more hypocritical is when someone uses the perceived moral superiority of their religion to condemn and perpetrate intolerance and hatred against those of a different faith. All that kind of thinking comes from the same place and it is a very ugly place.
Thank you RAW SARAH and ELIZABETH for your posts.
Raw newbie here. I first learned about raw food watching the film/documentary “Go Further” with Woodie Harrelson and crew, about 3 years ago and being a long time vegetarian, I knew as soon as I saw all the yummy healthy food they were eating that this was for me. On down the road I scored a job working at the only purely vegetarian restaurant in Cleveland where I live. One day out of the blue, I declared “I want to work at a raw food cafe”even though I knew that it would be hard to find one. As fate would have it, my manager at the veg restaurant one day decided, brace yourselves, she was going to start serving meat! This broke my heart and I knew I needed to find a new place to put my energy. In the mean time I took 10 days off to travel to England with my boyfriend and friend who was doing and Ironman (long distance triathalon) there. We returned home to find out that the cafe had closed for reasons that I still dont know about. A few months passed when I got a call from the woman who was the owner of the cafe I used to work at, it turns out that a wellness center in my town was looking for someone to prepare raw food for the 5 doctors and staff and she thought of me! :) Since I have been researching and preparing living foods my life has greatly improved. I feel like my spirit is blooming like a rose all vibrant and full. I wish there was an easy way to make people feel the way that I do now. I think it may take a while for my friends and family to fully understand and see that my new diet is a major reason for my peaceful and happy demeanor-but I am sure that they will eventually get it and possible ask questions and try it for themselves. In the mean time, I am hosting a 4th of July/family birthday celebration at my house where I will be serving a strawberry shortcake I saw on Carmella of thesunnyrawkitchen’s blog (i made it before and its awesome) as well as some other raw goodies, and I cant wait to hear the yum noises from my family I’m not sure when I am going to let them in on my little raw secret- I guess i’ll play it by ear. But I think we can win the world over one delicious dish at a time :) Thanks for reading my story and for all the great recipies and support everyone! Nicole
Sorry, I dont know whats up with the lines (?)
rawsarah and meditating, you said it. and believe me, i’ve been in the position where i was constantly and consciously judging everyone around me for their food habits. in return, i received the same harsh judgement and criticism. since coming to terms with my own insecurities about food, which i believe were the root of my hostile attitude towards people who did not look at food the same way i did, i find i am a much happier, not to mention better-liked, person. another bonus of a more open mind is the open-mindedness that you often get in return, as people are much more likely to listen to someone rational and understanding than a negative and overcritical figure.
i think it;s fine to be passionate about health and food, but i believe we must remember that we are all the way we are primarily because of external factors beyond our control that have shaped us. (not to discount the possible inborn habits and effort put into ourselves).
Take it easy…
Many times I felt the very same frustration especially when you see your love ones degenerating in their health. But they really don’t like to be told what to eat.(They are not children.) I once requested my Father-in-law to go easy on the fatty pork and was told if he could not even eat what he likes, he would rather die. My heart broke.
Like what Elizabeth says, we can’t go around judging people but to live out our lives healthly. Ultimately, one is responsible for himself/herself. I believe few years down people around you will see the vibrant and the energy this raw diet is giving.
Mamamilk, Wow! Amazing! home schooling 8 kids. I would like to hear more from you as I’m thinking of home schooling my child in the future.