FEATURED BLOG - with World Vegan Day Melbourne

It is my aim, at the end of the day, to hopefully give back to my audience through my passions. I recently invited to be featured on the World Vegan Day Melbourne’s webpage & was thrilled with the opportunity. This incredible event is hosted once a year, for free, to the community in the buzzing city of Melbourne. Exploring every aspect of vegan lifestyles. From health, wellness, food & fitness through to the environment, sustainability & family activities. They really have thought of everything with this event. Below is my feature Blog which I have presented for this amazing events webpage. If you would like to find out any further details or have any queries on this wonderful event, head on over to www.worldveganday.org.au for more information.

HUMAN KIND
In an age of self- focus, are we teaching our
youth the true value of kindness, in all walks of life?

My family never had many pets when I grew up. My upbringing revolved around a lot of travel and the commitment of care was an important priority to our family. So we had the chance to own a small handful of animal friends. We once had a gorgeous stray cat that decided to call our family home one day. She plodded along her day freely and we all had such a strong bond with her as soon as she decided to join our family. Fast forward a few years time and our new editions were two beautiful chickens. Not your average domestic pet, but they sure did become our new, much loved feathery family members. Often, I would hold them at the end of the day, as they fell asleep in my arms. They sure had their own little personalities & were surprisingly funny little animals to watch too. So what makes us feel compassion towards animals exactly & why can we lose our connections with them as we move through life? Is there a sense of care towards animals that we lose as we grow older?

I feel that in today’s age we can truly learn so much from children. Their present nature. Their outgoing personalities. Their innocence. Their non-judgmental thoughts. As well as their connection with animals. In today’s money-orientated society, often our once naturally caring nature can become distant, with such distractions throughout our lives. Relationships can take the back burner, including family, friends and even ourselves. Our relationships towards animals can also become an area of weakness. With mass corporations, businesses & sports disregarding any respect for animals, taking advantage of these situations to gain profit. It has become an unfortunate norm in today’s society & sadly there are still several powerful platforms that are misleading consumers & ignoring the harmful effects. Not to mention, often disregarding the importance of teaching our next generation, the values of the simple act of kindness to both man & animal.

But we are certainly not left in the dark. Far from it. With the help of organizations, dedicated charities, documentations & ethical businesses, we are now grateful to have such valuable resources to educate, inspire & encourage ourselves and our communities. People are becoming more aware of the reality of the care towards our animals. We are shining lights on the dark & secretive cruelty. Making our growth of kindness inspiring & possible for everybody. Events & communities are reaching out & connecting on many levels. Showing our next generation the true value of compassion towards mother nature and all of its creatures. When we are able to connect with our youth, we can help to teach them how important our animal life is. Small acts of care create such a ripple effect on our youth. More than ever this guidance is needed, in an age of self-focus. These nurturing habits can be implemented & linked throughout many areas of one’s life. Helping our youth shine within all relationships.

I feel that if we truly respect how important our connection between youth and our animals are, we can guide the act of true care in the right direction. Step by step, we can help our children to seek the truth & beauty towards animals and the respect they deserve. We can show them just how valuable every thoughtful effort is seen and felt. By becoming more aware, participating in community movement, education, taking part in fun events & learning how beautiful the act of kindness is to all, are indeed helpful ways to begin. Perhaps it is time to show our youth not what can animals do for us, rather, what can we do for animals. The children are our future, and together we can seek to send the planet and its animals much – needed love.

PEACE X Kirsty, Brent & Alfie