Interview With 110 Year Old Vegetarian

[Guest guest]

Thu, 09 Aug 2007

 

 

Interview With 110 Year Old Vegetarian

 

Teresa Tsu <http://www.hearttoheartservice.org/AboutFounder.htm>

 

 

This inspiring interview with a living Chinese saint is courtesy

of IVU News Online <http://www.ivu.org/news>, the International

Vegetarian Union newsletter

 

Teresa Hsu was born in China 110 years ago. She has been a vegetarian

from birth, because she wasn't able to digest meat. She went on to

become a nurse, working in the UK, Paraguay, Malaysia and elsewhere,

before settling in Singapore in the 1960s.

 

For many, many years, Sister Teresa, as she is affectionately known, has

directed a charity, Heart-to-Heart Service

<http://www.hearttoheartservice.org/AboutFounder.htm>, which aids poor

people. She continues that work today, in addition to teaching yoga.

(IVU Online News would like to thank Mr Sharana Rao for his help in

facilitating this interview.)

 

Q: You have never eaten meat from the day you were born due to the fact

that your body rejects animal flesh. At what age did not eating meat

become a conscious choice, and why did you make that choice?

 

A: I have been allergic to non-veg food since birth. I became a

conscious vegetarian one day during the 1950s, when I was sitting by a

river and saw the fish playing happily with each other. I thought to

myself that we humans have no right to end their fun, put a knife in

their throats, and cause them great pain for our pleasure.

 

Q: You distribute food to poor people. Do you distribute only vegetarian

food?

 

A: Yes, I distribute only vegetarian food. Some volunteers who help with

the food distribution question me about why I do not give the recipients

what they enjoy eating. My answer is to ask them the following: If your

child was playing in the forest and wild animals who lived in the forest

wanted to eat your child, would you say that it was okay because your

child was born for these other animals to enjoy eating?

 

Q: Is the world today a better place than it was 100 years ago?

 

A: In some ways, today's world is more modern and offers certain

facilities that didn't exist 100 years ago, but these facilities are

available only to those who can afford them. Basically, the world is

still the same, with poor people everywhere, then and now.

 

Q: What are your three main sources of joy?

 

A: Sun shining, birds singing, leaves dancing, in other words, the

beauty of nature.

 

Q: Do you know any vegetarian jokes?

 

A: Why did the tomato blush? Because it saw the salad dressing.

 

Thank you, Mr. Rao, and IVU News Online <http://www.ivu.org/news>!