The World Of Tzu Chi December 2019 (Vol.117)

19 TZU CHI 117 respecting their freedom of choice and allowing them to decide for themselves. “I hope my children will become vegetarians, but I don’t want to force them, so long as they understand the impact of meat consumption on the environment.” Dr Jasmine was once queried by friends if she would resume consuming meat if mankind were to reform the ill treatment of animals reared for commercial gains, but she is not one to be easily swayed. “Even if we change the way we treat animals, we would still have to kill a large number of livestock to feed our global population of 7 billion. A lot of trees have to be cleared to make space for these animals to grow and live, so the balance of nature is disrupted. It’s not about improving the treatment of animals; it’s about finding a balance in our co-existence with animals,” she reasoned. The animal lover explained that Islamic teachings allow animal consumption, but on the condition of maintaining the equilibrium of Mother Nature, leading her to lament the loss of life caused by excessive farming and the imbalance between supply and demand in the chronic food shortages plaguing certain parts of the world. As an academician, Dr Jasmine often attends seminars and conferences. When registering for such events, she would specify her meal preferences as vegetarian, baffling seminar organizers who are more accustomed to receiving requests for vegetarian meals from attendees of Chinese and Indian ethnicities. “The event organizers would take a glance at my name, Jasmine, from their records and scan the room expecting to find a Chinese face to serve the vegetarian meal to, when in fact I’m the one who requested for the vegetarian meal. They would be surprised,” she quipped. She might appear as an anomaly, but her support for animal welfare causes keeps her firmly grounded as she embraces her uniqueness. “You have to understand your motivation for becoming vegetarian in the first place and put your heart into it,” she affirmed. Dr Jasmine continues to pursue her interests in sports and diving after adopting vegetarianism and attributes her improved fitness to her vegetarian diet. [Photograph courtesy of Dr Jasmine E. Khairat] Green Meals for a Greener Earth