The world of Tzu Chi Sep-Oct 2022 (Vol.143)

2022 • 10 48 nspiration By Yap Chai Hoon Translated by Goh Hwe Yong Photos by Sam Pin Fook “A nimals are so cute. We should love and care for them.” “If we eat chicken, the chicks will lose their mother. Can we not eat them?” “Mum, teacher said there are bacteria in raw meat.” These were some statements made by little Ang Chern Louis, a student enrolled in the 4-year-old class of Da Ai kindergarten in Pandan Indah, Kuala Lumpur, in 2021. Three weeks after the class started, he came home one day to tell his parents, “Animals are so cute. We should love and care for them. Let’s not eat meat anymore!” Thinking that it was a short-lived idea of a naïve child, his parents did not take his words seriously. However, whenever the family sat down for meals, he would ask his mother, Ong Kwei Fen, “Is this meat?” He would look upset if the answer was “Yes”, and would not take a single bite of it. Over time, his parents started to cut down on meat dishes, and eventually, whenever the family dined together, there would be no more meat dishes. As the lifestyle of vegetarians was something new to the family, the parents decided to check with the teacher concerned regarding specific class lessons on vegetarianism. It turned out that the teacher had only shared once about vegetarianism, and was surprised When a Kid Becomes a Vegetarian to Protect Life that the boy had taken it to heart so much. In order to learn more about Tzu Chi, Kwei Fen, at the encouragement of her child’s teacher, decided to attend Great Love Mothers’ Nurturing Class. The video footages on how frontline medical workers had soldiered on selflessly to save Covid-19 patients, touched her soul. In addition, the call by Master Cheng Yen to go vegetarian as a critical measure against the pandemic alerted her. She began to contemplate: Human meat consumption has contributed to the pandemic, and since Chern Louis prefers to have more vegetables, then as parents, why don’t we fulfil his wish? After all, it was our decision to send him to Da Ai kindergarten! The boy who changed everything Having understood why Master has been urging everyone to embrace vegetarianism, and also for the sake of the child, Kwei Fen began trying her hand in vegetarian cooking. Her husband, Ang Seong Leng, on the other hand, admitted that he had always preferred eating meat, and was still unable to resist it then. Thus, he made a pact with his wife, that he would not take meat whenever their child was with them. Once, while enjoying his takeaway meal, he mindlessly gobbled a piece of prawn in the presence of his child. Upon reflection, he felt it was inappropriate to have “If we eat chicken, the chicks will lose their mother. Can we not eat them?” pleaded little Ang Chern Louis. His love for animals motivated his parents to join him as vegetarians.