The late Teresa Hsu was a passionate advocate of kindness to not just the unfortunate, but also to all sentient beings. The VSS enjoyed working closely with her and we never failed to mention in many of our talks around Singapore that the healthy humanitarian was a vegetarian too. And to highlight this to others so that they may be inspired, we sent the following short note to the Straits Times which was published on 16 Dec 2011:
"Vegan perspective of Teresa Hsu's life
Ms Teresa Hsu's philosophy of life ('Singapore's 'Mother Teresa' dies at 113'; Wednesday) seemed to be: Live simply, so that others (including our fellow animals) can simply live.
When asked to name her three main sources of joy, she replied: 'Sun shining, birds singing, leaves dancing, in other words, the beauty of nature.'
She did not need shark's fin and chilli crab to enjoy life. Ms Hsu's enjoyment came from being with and helping others."
Following this letter, some expressed surprise that Sister Teresa had actively advocated a plant-based diet. In fact, she has regularly worked with the VSS for this purpose. For example, she spoke in 2009 as part of a presentation by Cornell University nutrition professor, T. Colin Campbell (author of The China Study), renowned for his advocacy of plant-based diets. On another occasion, she hosted a Q&A during a vegetarian food fair held at Chong Pang CC. In addition, her charity, Heart to Heart Service, distributes exclusively vegetarian food. So, yes, she did go out and promote the idea that we humans should not eat our fellow animals.
* Above is from VSS News
