Discussing veganism from a Jewish, Christian and Jain perspective, on BBC Radio 4
A few weeks ago, I was part of a panel on BBC Radio 4's Beyond Belief, where we explored and discussed faith, veganism, motivations and the fruits of our choices.
It was an experience that I won’t forget! I’ve not been on the radio before so the entire experience was a first. Travelling to Manchester for the discussion, sitting around a table whilst the presenter strategically included various panelists at different points, whilst keeping it light, natural and conversational, being recorded and attempting to give responses again to improve the experience for the listeners.
I am used to speaking in front of a class full of children because I’m a primary school teacher. The classes I’ve taught include Year Reception when they’re four years old, all the way to Year 7, when they’re about eleven years old. There may be adults may be in the class too i.e. volunteers, learning assistants, members of management who are observing and so on. Outside of school, I’ve given a few talks in which the audience has ranged from 15 adults to over 100.
I shared all of that, because despite all this experience, I was nervous and didn’t realise until I got tongue-tied on a couple of occasions! The recording is supposed to be about forty minutes, which is then edited and reduced to half an hour. I had it in mind, but was even more aware of the fact that the presenter seemed to feeling the pressure of time. It was tricky to think quickly and articulate my thoughts clearly with this feeling of needing to hurry. I can understand why the presenter felt this way, because we were in the studio for about an hour before we headed out again. They had to do a fair bit of editing!
After the recording was finished, I was a little numb whilst trying to process what happened, being unsure of how it went, even more uncertain about how it would sound and knowing that I wouldn’t know until it went live on 20th May 2019. I was able to park it after that, and then…I heard it. I was surprisingly pleased with the end result and was absolutely amazed with how well they edited it and avoided it feeling like they’d cut so much out that it felt incomplete.
Comments from listeners:
"... I loved that you captured the 1 indirya, 2 indriya etc...I always wanted to explain to people but could not put into words.... Minimalist life is so pure and beautiful."
"I loved your explanation about the different types of beings based on senses and mind"
"It was interesting to hear about Ahimsa and your personal journey from being an activist and 'less spiritual' in your approach to your new approach of being more accepting and compassionate."
"...Good Discussion on veganism and Jainism."
Veganism and faith
The full episode (28 mins) can be heard here.
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