Talking with Teens About Vegetarianism
(First appeared in Vegetarian Baby and Child Magazine)By: Kerrie Saunders, MS, LLP, PhD
www.DrFood.myArbonne.com
www.DrFood.org
In my opinion, teenagers are the vegetarian community's greatest untapped resource. They possess unbridled idealism, youthful energy, pride in independent thought, and pure delight in the possibility that they might, indeed, change the world. They have the promise of time ahead, yet by definition, lack wisdom that can only come with age. A college professor of mine once said that what I lacked in tact, I made up for in intelligence. I think he was politely trying to tell me that it didn't matter what I knew, if I couldn't find a way to get others to listen.
Since teens already possess the inspiration, the energy, the desire to be heard and to make a difference, our job as adults becomes clear. We need to help them find ways to stay connected to their conscience and their passions, and to find ways to get others to listen.
As adults, we have the benefit of years of trying to communicate with people. We know that body language, active listening skills, honesty, integrity, independence, and respect are concepts to be taken seriously. As with anything truly important for our children, it is our own example that has the most power to teach these principles. The way we live our own lives will have more impact on our child than any textbook ever written. As parents and teachers, we should model a connection to conscience, the basic understanding of right and wrong, and allow room in our own lives for activities that help to create a better world.
Teaching curriculums are now addressing many issues related to vegetarianism. It is almost impossible to miss a philosophical segway when speaking about famine, the environment, commercial farming, genetic engineering, or an abuse/neglect issue. Students discuss gender equality issues, legal protection from harm, global warming, weapons in the schools, date rape, civil rights, and economic trade with nations that abuse their employees. Once the facts are known for each issue, the debate turns to a fundamental question of ethical responsibility. Who did it, how did it happen, how can it be fixed, and who can help fix it, become the new bottom line. The core of every issue is really always the same.
Vegetarians find the bulk of their power in global issues is in what we put on our plate. Local issues are actually great segways into these larger, more global issues. For example, if your teen naturally gravitates toward civil rights issues (i.e. gender, race, and age diversity), then s/he will probably easily take the next baby step to see the workers of underdeveloped nations as equally deserving fair treatment with American workers. If your teen has become involved volunteering for date rape prevention education, or volunteers with victims of elderly abuse, s/he has probably a special understanding of the need to protect victims. Many people and animals are victimized by the status quo diet in our country. These examples are meant to help our teens see the interconnectedness of these issues, and help them stay connected to their consciences.
Finally, we need to give our teens reliable resources so that their credibility stays strong. We can also encourage each teen to utilize his or her most comfortable forms of media. Throwing blood on fur outside of a department store doesn't fit everyone's personality, and it doesn't speak to every non-vegetarian, either. Other powerful forms of activism can be borne out of theatre, debate, journalism, music, watercolor, sculpture, fiction, non-fiction, volunteerism, group leadership, consumerism, and student government. We need vegetarians of every generation to use any conceivable form of media to reach the greatest number of non-vegetarians. In many ways, teens are the planet's best bet.