Re: to preach or not to preach (was Re: Milk was another weird fasting poop

[Guest guest]

Well bottom line for me, it is about respect and humility. Respect because

people have the right to make their own decisions, and humility because we

have to stay open to the idea that we might in fact be wrong. Look how many

former vegetarians are on the list. You can never be sure that you won't

change your mind sometime in the future. Looking for opportunities teach is

fine, but preaching well not so much. It is knowing the difference that is

the hard part. I mean imagine how you would feel if you were at a

restaurant with your family eating a lovely fatty steak and someone comes

up to you and preaches about cholesterol and that you were ruining your

kids health. Not so good. You could turn it into an opportunity for a

debate but there goes your nice family dinner.

I don't really see an easy solution for this one. I think it is always a

case by case judgement call.

My 2 cents,

Irene

At 09:59 AM 8/26/2005, you wrote:

>:

>

>Reading this [below] has triggered off my old dilemma: to preach or not

>to preach. I mean, what do you people generally do when you see someone

>committing a blatant nutritional mistake, so to say? Can you keep your

>mouth shut or do you pluck up your courage to speak up? I have found

>that as I grow older, I am becoming bolder to speak. Often

>the " transgressor " is a small child.

>

>The trick is that I make a point not to seem to be preaching

>at all, but instead I try to make a question or engage in dialogue.

>As I don't have a car, I am often riding in buses, and that's where

>most of my interactions will take place.

>

>Here are a few short dialogues or attempts to dialogue I have recently

>had with children and grown-ups

>on buses, sharing either a double seat with them or on nearby seats. I

>can't recall the actual words, but these will give a general idea.

>All of these talks – I am afraid – had no immediate or visible

>corrective effect on the " transgressor " , but I played my part pulling

>my weight. While I don't claim to be a world reformer, I'd rather

>make a mistake by interference than by omission. Well, if this sounds

>too pompous, I will admit that it isn't funny all the time and I

>often end up feeling like a fool afterwards.

>

>1) To a boy eating from a package of potato chips:

>

> " Hey, I wouldn't mind having one if I had already eaten lunch. "

>He offered me the open package.

> " No, thanks. Have you eaten your lunch yet? "

> " No. "

> " It may spoil your appetite. "

>He shrugged his shoulders and looked away, and I hadn't anything else

>to say.

>

>

>2) To a little girl eating candyfloss:

>

> " Whenever I eat candyfloss, my throat feels like burning. What about

>you? "

>She simply opened her mouth and showed me her throat (some teeth were

>missing). Actually, she didn't make a face, but she could have done

>so. I was relieved.

>

>

>3) To a young mother sharing a can of coke with her one-year-old

>toddler on her lap:

>

> " Excuse me, but my daughter's paediatrician doesn't want her to drink

>coke at all. Does your baby's agree? " (I said it rather quickly,

>because it was a long idea, and I didn't want to appear to be

>accosting her, so I am not sure if she really understood me.)

> " It's this hot climate and this helps to hydrate " , she said with

>authority.

>I don't know if I blushed but I surely felt like clearing my

>listening ear. I didn't make the gesture, though.

> " Really? But what about the aluminium? " (I don't really know if coke

>contains aluminium, but now it didn't matter anyway.)

> " She's so fond of it. "

> " The aluminium? "

> " No, the coke. "

> " Oh, I see. "

>Perhaps it was high time to ask the pretty baby's name, but I was

>suddenly feeling so hopeless that I just had a wry smile to crack.

>

>

>4) To a school-boy who sat down beside me devouring a piece of a very

>dry cake:

>

> " Hey, are you chewing well? "

>No response. Then a voice from behind:

> " ael (or whatever his name was), answer uncle. "

>The boy nodded while still eating without looking.

>I turned to look at the lady (she could be the grandmother) in

>recognition.

> " Did he dirty your clothes, sir? " (She was referring to the crumbs.)

> " No, I was just making fun of him. He's eating so quickly. "

> " This is just like him. Nat, give me the key. " (She had obviously

>changed the subject and so I went back to my reading, having learned

>that even grandmothers are now different and totally keen on the

>facilities of our modern world.)

>

>What amazes me (but every day a little less) is that children are

>eating these empty foods all the time at school, at home, on buses, and

>then

>are punished when they refuse to eat proper lunch or dinner.

>

>No wonder children are now

>usually fat and frail at the same time and spoilt – they get

>everything they want in terms of food and gewgaws. They are mainly

>stuffed with food in order to be appeased. And this affects all

>classes, not only the poor.

>

>What can be done to stop this slow infanticide?

>

>

>

>

>--- In , Idol <Idol@c...>

>wrote:

>

>...

>

> > Maybe, but I live in the barrio, and based on what I see, I'm not

> > convinced. Lots of white bread, twinkie-type snack/desserts,

>hydrogenated

> > oils, vegetable oils, etc. etc. etc.

> >

> >

> >

> > -

>

>

>

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