In June, my world shattered with the devastating loss of my dear dad. As the weeks went by, something unexpected unfolded within me.
I noticed I started losing my appetite and feeling a knot in my stomach whenever I saw meat, especially certain shapes like pig feet or chicken wings. It was as if every piece of meat on the table became a painful reminder of my dad's suffering during the final stages of his life.
Psychologists say grief can take strange forms, and our minds try to make connections between emotions and things around us to help us digest and process our emotions. In my case, it seems that by avoiding causing harm to more animals, I believe I can somehow alleviate my dad's pain and karma.
While changing my dietary choices may seem to be positive, it also created what I call a "sadness cycle" - a loop that prevents me from fully letting go of my dad and finding peace.
I listen to my heart when it comes to eating meat or not. However, I've realised that I need to break free from this "sadness cycle" and separate the presence of meat on the table from my dad's difficult experiences. It's because I truly want to let go of my dad and embrace the healing process with an open heart