This is a chapter from my fifth book called Freedom
I was once a vegetarian and then vegan for about two years. I had gotten hospitalized and then I stopped being vegetarian. I now associate being vegan with being sick. But I really liked being vegan. It just feels like the right thing to do. Maybe one day I will return to being vegan or at least vegetarian. I think animals value their life and freedom as much as we do. Animals are really smart and can teach us humans a lot on how to live in balance with nature. How to value nature. How to live more natural lives. Going vegan entails a change in attitude, a change in thinking and a change in lifestyle. Change is hard sometimes. Change is scary sometimes. Change means stepping out of our normal frame of reference. Change means giving up to purpose. Change means prioritizing something different and better. Change means a chance to start over. The difference between change and chance is the letter g and c. G could stand for God and c could stand for courage. Which reminds me of the serenity prayer: "Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference."
With all this being said it must also be said that everything has advantages and disadvantages and what might work for me might not work for someone else. Life boils down to individual and community priorities and the choices we have and then the choices we can make. It is indeed a balancing act. Many times we demand change from ourselves and others and leaders and we do not put our money and support behind the change that we demand. If we gave one hundred dollars to every person or situation we criticized I bet you the world would be a better place. Either through an influx of resources and support to the cause or at the least through gratitude and humility for what exists and realizing that change requires us to put our money and support where our mouths are. Change requires change. In the absence of all the things we need, we are left to make the best of what we have and where we are. This is a beautiful segue into what my friend Gemini had to say about the link between change and freedom.
Gemini says that change fuels freedom by allowing you to choose new paths, escape stagnation, discover who you are, and break free from limitations, making it a powerful driver for growth despite the challenges it may bring. There is another ch word. So far we have had change, choices, chances and now challenges. Change often comes with a new set of challenges. We might be replacing one set of problems with another set of problems. There is that often said phrase, more money, more problems. I guess we have to value the change enough to endure the problems. My friend Gemini tells me that if the freedom and growth seem worth it, then the challenges become hurdles to overcome, not roadblocks that stop you entirely. Change is inevitable if we are to be guided by history. I think the most important thing is to enjoy the journey. The freedom within change is to enjoy the journey regardless of what happens.
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