My parents have always warned me against talking to strangers. "You never know what their true intentions are..." I grew up not questioning that, keeping to my inner circle, minding my own business. However, I have always wondered. How nice it would be to be able strike up a conversation with anyone. After all, you never know what you will get. Though the idea of approaching strangers scared me, curiosity got the better of me and I decided to step out of my comfort zone and embarked on a personal project to talk to strangers.
One particular story that touched me involved a Filipino maid whom I met at Changi Airport. As I was looking out for people to speak to, I came across this middle-age, dark skinned, simply dressed lady who was staring blankly into space. As she looked as if she had some time to spare, I decided to approach
her for a conversation. As an opener, I pretended to ask for directions to the toilet, and before I knew it, the conversation led to her sharing her story...She shared that she was at the airport as she had initially planned to catch a flight home to Manila to attend her daughter's graduation ceremony. However, she had misread the flight timing, and had since missed her flight.
Suddenly her eyes welled up in tears as she shared that missing her flight meant she had to purchase another ticket which was equivalent to one month's worth of her pay. The next flight was only the next morning. She was alone in the airport, and had one day less to be home with her family. Having been in Singapore working as a domestic worker for 9 years, this would be only be her third time back to her home country. My heart felt a tug of sadness. I was present to how fortunate I was to be with my family and how I never had to worry about not having enough money for basic necessities. Even though I did not know her, I felt a wave of compassion for her and felt that I needed to help her. Before I knew it, I found myself going to buy her some food and withdrawing some money. When I passed the money and food to the lady, she burst into tears. At that moment, nothing else mattered. I reached out to give her a tight hug as she started sobbing uncontrollably in my arms. I felt her desperation, loneliness, and helplessness. I was glad I was able to play a small part in making her day a little better. When she asked how she could repay me, I could tell my little act of kindness meant a lot to her. I told her that there's nothing I needed from her and all I wanted was for her to simply pass on the act of kindness.
This incident touched me deeply as I realized everyone has a story to share, if only we care enough to reach out…I was humbled by everyone I spoke to and even though most people were a little surprised to be approached by me, they were really open and connected really fast once they understood my intention. This experience made me realize that we all play a part in making Singapore a more caring society.
I'll like to leave you with some parting words. Be kind to everyone you meet. You never know what they are going through. After all, there are no strangers; only friends you haven't met 🙂
We all know that health is important, and most of us, in the ways we know best, try to stay healthy. We say we care for our health, but how many of us really know what it takes to be healthy? Just because our health report does not show any anomaly, it does not mean we are healthy. What then, defines good health?
"Just because our health report does not show any anomaly, it does not mean we are healthy. What then, defines good health?"
To me, some indications of good health include, feeling energetic, having clarity of thoughts, waking up refreshed, sleeping well every night, not getting tired easily during the day, having smooth bowel movements, physical manifestations would include bright eyes, good complexion, great breath, and having good teeth and strong nails.
Health has always been a topic close to my heart- with the sudden passing of my grandfather, and my grandma contracting colon cancer, I have come to appreciate the importance of good health.
From a young age, I have always been curious about the secret to good health. Is it simply about exercising? Resting more? From paleo diet to raw food diet, intense interval training to yoga, there are different, and often contradictory, schools of thought as to what leads to good health.
My quest to discover the secret to true health and wellness has led me down many paths, from yoga and meditation, to naturopathy, and traditional chinese medicine. All has its benefits, but by far, what I have come to realize as one of the most important factor determining our health and wellness is...our diet.
"By far, what I have come to realize as one of the most important factor determining our health and wellness is...our diet."
WHAT THE HEALTH.
One day, I came across this documentary called “What the Health” by Kip Andersen.In the documentary, he detailed the truth about the impact of our diet on our lives, the health impact of meat and dairy products consumption, and questions the practices of the leading health and pharmaceutical organizations. Claims shared were well-researched and supported.
Trailer for 'What the Health'
The gist of the film promotes a plant-based diet, and cited that major diseases such as cancer and diabetes can be avoided if one were to simply change their diet. Even the strongest animals on the planet e.g. gorilla, elephants, horses, are herbivores, proving that meat is not required to build muscles. The film also feature ultra-marathon runners and sports champion who improved their performance after switching to a plant-based diet.
"The gist of the film promotes a plant-based diet, and cited that major diseases such as cancer and diabetes can be avoided if one were to simply change their diet."
It was truly eye-opening to understand what is going on. How corporations 'determine' what we eat, and unsuspecting consumers continue to feed themselves food that will cause them cancer in the long run. What is going on? Why is no one doing anything about it? The scary part is that it is against the interests of big corporations to let us in on the truth. The livestock, health and pharmaceutical industries, are worth billions of dollars. There is no money to be made when everyone is eating a simple diet, and radiating with good health. This is not something the big boys want.
I would like to strongly urge all of you to watch the full documentary here, and make an informed choice yourself.
EAT PLANTS. NOT ANIMALS.
I loved the film as it provided me with the answers I have been searching for. A large part of our health is actually linked to our diet. There is truth in ‘You are what you eat.’ The film debunks the myth that we need animals for protein, and that milk provides us with calcium. It made me realize that many of us have these common misconceptions of what is good for us, what gives us the right nutrients. But thinking back, is it really true? Just because everyone is eating this way, does not make it the right diet.
Just because everyone is eating this way, does not make it the right diet.
Intrigued, I decided to embark on a two weeks vegan diet (definition of vegan: plant-based diet, with no animal-derived products, no eggs, no milk) myself to experience the lauded effects. After all, we cannot take what is being said at face value, and only through epistemology can we determine whether something works for us.
"I decided to embark on a two weeks vegan diet myself to experience the lauded effects."
THE PROCESS.
When I started the diet, what I became very present to was that it was not easy! Eating mainly plant-based was not the issue for me, but it was the entire societal construct that made it difficult being a Vegan. I recall having difficulty when it comes to finding plant-based food to eat. In food courts, and hawker centres, vegan food is rare. In general, healthy food is rare. Most food are oily, greasy, heavy. I ended up eating a lot of salad during that time as there were no other options, and I also grew to love Thunder Tea Rice (which was one of the few vegan options in food courts). It was also very difficult for me when it comes to meeting my friends as meat is a must-have in most people’s diet and vegan options on restaurant menus are often rare.
THE RESULTS.
After two weeks, I have developed better energy, clearer complexion, less tired, clarity of mind, and am more sensitive to energies around me as well. Not sure whether it’s a coincidence but I also attracted more good energy in my life. Perhaps without the negative energy from dead animals, I am vibrating at a higher frequency with cleaner energy. I am glad I embarked on this journey to explore the world of vegan-ism. I have experienced the positive effects and have decided to go on a meat-less as much as possible.
I have come to believe that the secret to good health and longevity is your diet. When you eat right, your body gets the right building blocks to nourish and repair itself. Be mindful of what you put into your mouth. Eat well.
PARTING WORDS.
Many of us have big dreams. We work hard to achieve our dreams. In the midst of working toward that, sometimes we neglect our health and we pile ourselves with work, sleep late, and overwork our body. To counter our stress, we often end up overindulging in food and alcohol. This all leads to a downward spiral.
We cannot be complacent when it comes to our health. We may be young now and our body is still functioning at its optimal state. Stresses we put upon our body often go undetected, however this does not mean such abuses have no impact on the body. Cancer does not develop overnight. It takes years for the symptoms to develop and that's why we usually see older folks diagnosed with these diseases. However, truth is, we have cancer cells in all of us. It is not too late to start taking care of your health. Our body has an amazing ability to repair itself and as long as we start eating right, the effects will gradually be reversed.
Let us not neglect our body any longer. Be kind to yourself. Be gentle to yourself. Take charge of your health and do what’s right. Only then, will you be truly free. Your future you will thank the present you.
CHALLENGE
If you are on a journey to discover what is best for your body to lead a happy and healthy life, I would like to urge you to give the vegan diet a try. Start by choosing to go vegan for two weeks and experience it for yourself how you feel. Experiment and observe how you feel during the period to understand what works for you.
"Start by choosing to go vegan for two weeks and experience it for yourself how you feel."
Tips: When you decide to go vegan, some friends around you may feel uncomfortable, and you may get comments from them telling you not to continue. Do not give up, people are usually uncomfortable when they see someone else doing something they know is good for them but they are not doing it. :D
Do share your thoughts with me if you decide to embark on this journey.
I hope you learnt something new from my sharing today.
May you be happy and healthy. Remember, health is the greatest wealth, without health, you have nothing. So start now, do what it takes to care of your body.
