Category Archives: Contemplative Practices

Yeah…she was not talking about Joe

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After looking through the contemplative practices posts from last week I came across Arisbeth’s take on exotic foods in Exotic… and I’m not talking about Joe.

While I also did not understand the purpose of contemplative practices like Arisbeth, the more I did during class, the more I recognized that these really do demonstrate the ongoing issues that occur in the agricultural industry today.

Her post really sheds light on the exotic foods practice and international trade, explaining how easy and simple it is for us in a developed country to obtain such foreign goods. Personally, I myself did not truly acknowledge the seriousness involved within the process. However doing this provided an insight that most exotic foods comes from suffering, which many people have to undergo in order for people like me to enjoy them.

Tying back to chocolate, where the main ingredient is cocoa beans, that alone is one of many exotic foods that are provided to us. This singular good contains suffrage and oppression for many. In one of the videos we watched, BBC News showed that the cocoa farms in the Ivory Coast still uses child labor. Child labor has been a recurring issue and takes place in many countries. It informs viewers the hardships these kids have to go through, whether its not receiving wages at all, not being allowed to play, facing injuries with no first aid kit; all demonstrate that these are things that children should not have to experience at a young age.

Overall, the contemplative practices such as the exotic foods practice illuminates the great issues many face in order for us to obtain these goods with such ease and explains the importance for everyone especially in developed countries to become aware of these situations and hopefully act on it.

Post-Contemplation Considerations of the Food System

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This post is a response to “What Contemplative Practices Have Taught Me about Problem Solving” by, Sydney

In “What Contemplative Practices Have Taught Me about Problem Solving,” Sydney reflects on feelings of restlessness, not knowing how to make a meaningful difference as a consumer in a food system that simultaneously benefits some (in particular, us) and negatively impacts others. I agree with Sydney, we must examine our own relationship to the existing system prior to effective systems analysis. We know, at this point in the course that a system is an interconnected set of aspects that is organized in a way that achieves a function or purpose. We are evidently a part of the world food system. However, I want to extend past this and begin to incorporate and deliberate options for  next steps following effective contemplation.

I offer a consideration of another article “How Consumers and Farmers Can Transform Food Systems” by Tania Strauss and Maria Elena Varas. This article discusses both a farmer in Vietnam who has little access to beneficial food systems information as well as a consumer, Meaghan, in the United States who navigates the food system with consistent flows of contrasting information from social media and mainstream news. Meaghan is an individual that resonates with most of us, when shopping we consider all of the information that has arrived with us through our education, our social media usage, and our familial teachings. Strauss and Varas argue that consumers should be at the heart of any solution that is considered to make the world food system more effective for everyone. We, as consumers, hold the power and ability to change demand and ensure that food systems operate in a more sustainable manner for producers and consumers. This would suggest that you and I are at the center of this “food systems crisis,” that it is up to us to reconfigure this system to work for us, as well as the people that produce our food.

This graphic places consumers at the center of the image, much like Authors Strauss and Varas do. (https://www.foodshedinvestors.com/faq/what-is-a-foodshed-ecosystem)

When we turn to the World Economic Forum’s Food Systems Initiative Report on the role of incentives to enable food systems to transform, there is only one suggestion for the general population to engage in, simply changing consumer behavior. The other three pathways for developing incentives to transform food systems are repurposing public investment and policies, business model innovation, and institutional investments. Therefore, I posit a question; to what extent is individual responsibility integral to the alteration of the food system to become more conducive to all actors involved? Furthermore, is the concept of individualism infiltrating the discussion on the improvement of the world food system in a prohibitive manner?

This is a graphic that captures the WEF’s food systems initiative on the role of incentives to enable food systems to transform recommendations of how to achieve food system aspirations. (https://weforum.ent.box.com/s/35vs54zp4mqfnlg17lb6yli5rsc9bg2x)

I do not mean to end this discussion with further questions, however, it feels inevitable to continue to prod at the questions at the hear of these issues, we must converse and engage with one another to develop the most effective practices and responses.

Finally, with consideration of the concept of individualism, I suggest the following articles in an effort to further contemplate our roles in this world food system.

Best,

Sophie Stein

 

 

Contemplating Climate Complexity

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Tonight, as I sit re-listening to “Climate Complexity”, I am feeling unusually contemplative for recent times. Here in the corner of my living room I am surrounded by the sound of rain pouring and splattering. It’s late, I’ve had a long day and I feel quiet and thoughtful. 

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How I have been feeling lately, not conducive to contemplating

I have been struggling through the contemplative practice element of our class. Not because I do not buy into them, purely because I have been avoiding contemplation in general. Painful events in my personal life and the fear of this pandemic’s unknowns have left me avoiding introspection. There are so many forces beyond me at play, I feel small and hopeless. I suppose this is how I’ve always felt about climate change… scary forces beyond my control. But these forces have never directly affected me as the forces of the universe seem to be affecting me now. 

Guided by Karen’s voice, I suddenly realize that my reaction to climate change is so dull. I have been in too many classes, heard this overwhelming information too many times. I feel numb to the tragedy and need for action. Who am I to climate change? I am part of the problem. By all accounts I am in the most privileged sect of the global population in terms of this issue. My home is in a region which will not face extreme climate consequences, a region where agricultural production may actually be enhanced by climate change. I am on the benefiting side of each piece of the triple inequality. In all likelihood I will not suffer the worst climate consequences. I benefit from living in a nation and region thriving due to vast energy consumption which exacerbates the climate crisis. This same nation and region is far better equipped to respond to climate catastrophes than those globally where people will suffer far greater tragedies, such as Central America, where farmers are even now being forced off their land and out of their way of life. 

Attack on the Clean Air Act - Public Citizen

Contemplating anthropogenic climate change

I am part of the problem because I willingly accept all the benefits of my privilege yet I make myself numb to the dark side. I avoid contemplating the realities of suffering, future peril, ecosystem loss, etc. It is not as though I am not trying on an individual level to do my part. I grow much of my own food right here in the city, I held out on getting my driver’s license until less than a year ago (in-part to protest car-dominated culture) and still travel almost everywhere on bike or foot. But my individual attempts to have a smaller footprint do nothing to really address climate change, they mostly make me feel better in the face of overwhelming information.

If I want to go beyond individual actions, I suppose I must start with practicing greater contemplation. I won’t be motivated to do anything beyond myself if I feel numb. Yet on the other hand, no one individual can handle internalizing the whole reality of climate change. So what is the right balance, and where can I begin?

-Aisling Doyle Wade

When More Food Means More Hunger

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Response to: “Feeling Hunger: an Exercise in Mindfulness (Contemplative Practice 5)” by dakotajh

The hunger knowing you have food in your pantry is starkly different than hunger knowing you may not eat for days. Hunger and the contrast of populations deciding what to eat and whether it is possible to eat was highlighted in a post by dakotajh, scratching the surface of how our act of unmindful consumption impacts individuals across the globe.

It seems like a simple idea: reduce waste, redistribute food, end hunger. But reality is more complicated than that. Even if developed countries reduced waste and brought food to the markets that need it most, more damage could be done if local producers do not survive. On one hand, the redirected waste may be too costly, and the fight against hunger will go on. On the other hand, the food we trade could be cheap and accessible, but cost the jobs of local producers who need money to buy it. This latter example displays how integral local producers are to the sustainability of hunger solutions. India learned this firsthand, as Vandana Shiva explained, when they opened their borders to trade. Peasant farming collapsed, and millions lost their source of income. What can food in a market do without money?

Agricultural workers process mangoes. Source: https://www.tripsavvy.com/mango-farms-and-festivals-india-1539678

Dakotajh mentioned that here in the US, with food readily available, hunger is a quick fix. This is almost translatable to a global scale with one addition. Evidently, when food is readily available, hunger is a quick but temporary fix. Because to feed the hungry, available food and the jobs people must have need to be sustained. The best way to do this in a largely agrarian country is to increase the number of local farms, killing two birds with one stone. More people will be employed, incomes will rise, and there will also be local food available for everyone.

In response to: Feeling Hunger: an Exercise in Mindfulness

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As I was scrolling through the contemplative practice posts from last week, I found  Dakota’s thoughts about Feeling Hunger: an Exercise in Mindfulness showcasing the complexity of hunger, very compelling. The post sheds light to individuals who lack privilege and access to food which are negatively impacted by inequalities embedded in the world’s food system. 

In comparison to Dakota’s ideas, this contemplative practice made me think about food waste. America produces enough food to support and feed its population. However, billions of pounds of food are discarded and millions of Americans struggle with hunger. Contemplating about the interdependence of one system to another and its non-linearity, I witness the relativity between food waste and hunger where the changes implied to one system affect the other. Wasting food means wasting all of the energy and the natural resources (such as water) it takes to grow, harvest, transport, and package it. Once food goes to the landfill and rots, it produces methane – a greenhouse gas that is far more potent than carbon dioxide. 

Source: stopfoodwasteday.com

Source: stopfoodwasteday.com

Going back to Dakota’s point of view, I see the connection between the inequitable distribution of food, food waste, and hunger. Individuals along with manufacturers, distributors, retailers, etc, who have the privilege to effortlessly access food often waste food, not considering the fact that millions of people are dying of hunger. Dakota quoted, “I think that food-secure people may not (or, at least, I did not) conceptualize hunger in the same way that the underprivileged do.” I am one of those food-secure people who take access to food for granted and unquestionably discard food, which makes me a contributor to this problem. The interdependence of these topics are apparent and indisputably woven together which assists my understanding of the way systems thinking work and how each factor affects one another.

What do we do to resolve America’s problem with hunger and food waste? Many grassroots organizations such as Feeding America are utilizing their connections (manufacturers, distributors, retailers, food service companies and farmers) and collecting surplus food, and provide it to those who are hungry and do not have proper access to food. Another course of action to combat hunger through food waste is to promote Freeganism. An ideology that was introduced to me by Tristram Stuart, in which is an exhibition of the injustice of food waste by utilizing minimal consumption of resources. They target disposed food that are often gathered from grocery stores and restaurants dumpster.

The longevity of these provisional solutions may be uncertain, but what’s important is that we’re dedicating these surplus food for mouths, rather than landfills. It starts with us. One small contribution could lead to huge impacts that could lead to a major and positive shifts in the system. Let us work together to combat food system problems one step at a time.

For more information about Feeding America, click this link. 

 

Seeding Interdependence

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In school I learn without very much self-reflection and introspection. In this class, contemplative practices have challenged me to consider myself in what I am learning, and to make greater connections past what could be just taken at face-value. I always thought growing up meant becoming more independent. An outcome of this for me has been that I have developed a fear of connectivity. I took independence so literally that dependency felt like weakness. Throughout all of the contemplative practices and the lessons in this class, something has become very clear to me. There is no such thing as independence in a world like ours. From the interdependence in each of our bodies, to the interdependence of the earth system, the soil, food systems, supply chain system, and really the interdependence between all systems. The move towards interdependent thinking rather than independent thinking has given me more meaning to my own body, and my body’s connection to this earth and everything in it. The connection between the food I eat, the store I got it in, where the store got it from, how it was transported, who transported it, who processed it, who picked it, where it grew, where the seeds came from, inequalities along the way, laws associated with property rights, workers’ rights, trade, and the implications and impacts of all of this on our world and the people in it. Through the contemplative practices I have begun to embrace that there is connection and interdependence everywhere I look. The earth is a system, which is why we must begin to think more holistically, more connectively, and garner the willingness to change. The earth is a complex system, constantly undergoing adaptive cycles. Our bodies come from earth, belong to the earth, and will go back to the earth. The earth sustains us, we must adapt to it rather than make it adapt to us because in the end, we need the earth but it does not need us.

On the Behalf of All Americans, I Am Sorry

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I have known for a long time that Americans are part of the problem when it comes to global climate change. I can remember a time when my own family burned plastic, trash, tires, and gasoline. Until now, I was unaware that Americans put out nearly four times as much carbon dioxide as we would be budgeted, per the IPCC’s carbon dioxide reduction plans. We Americans are polluting our planet with our habits, and we seemingly don’t care to change, and for that I am ashamed to be an American.

When we backed out of the Paris Accord, under the Trump Administration, I was again, ashamed to be an American.

When I think of all of the damage we do to the world, I never think about who we’re really hurting. The damage feels local, the spring comes sooner every year, and hotter than the last, driving up to big cities, we can see where the smog settles in a thick brownish-gray haze. But even though we’re seeing these changes due to human activity around our own homes, we’re devastating lives for people in third world countries, who face what we refer to as the triple inequality. For that, I apologize.

Perhaps with COVID-19, and the stay at home order, more people will realize what human activity does to our environment. We’ve seen dolphins return to Italy due to the earth being able to heal in the absence of humans polluting it. We’ve seen better air quality and the lack of that haze when we drive into the city. Perhaps this turbulent time can be the final push we need to change our ways, as the link to new diseases emerging and climate change seems to be as clear as ever. Perhaps we can be hopeful that Americans will see the change we can bring, if we just modify our lives a little, and our future generations will see that the earth is worth saving through seeing the small changes that have already began happening in our absence.

See the source image

Globalization to Sustainable Development

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When I read EO’s post about Chocolate, I started to think about the many exotic foods I eat on a daily basis. In America, it has become so normalized to see foods that are grown around the world in all different seasons at the grocery store every day. Some of my favorite foods: mangoes, coffee, avocados, and chocolate are things that only a few centuries ago, people living in the Pacific Northwest wouldn’t have even known to exist.

While preparing for the contemplative practice on chocolate, I was amazed that the cacao farmers in the video had never tasted chocolate and didn’t even know what their crop was being used to make.

Once, when I was in Mexico, I visited an avocado farm where they were being grown to export to the United States. Earlier in the day, I had been to a market where they were selling apples from Washington. Then, I went to a coffee shop where the beans had been grown in Guatemala. It amazes me how globalized the food system is and how normal it seems to most people.

A farmer in Mexico holds up his avocados to the viewer.

https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/avocado-growers-in-michoacan-take-up-arms-to-fight-for-their-crops/

Many experts are calling for a switch to a localized agricultural system. Whenever possible, I try to shop at my local farmer’s market and support small organic farms, but I wonder what would happen to the many farmers in the developing world that have adopted cash crops to export to industrialized countries.

Farmers in Central America are already facing challenges due to climate change, and I fear that a reduction in demand for exotic foods would exacerbate their problems.

Certainly, localized agriculture would reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, food miles, and water grabs, but I think that sustainable development and eradicating poverty will do more for climate change than anything.

Sustainable Development Goals: End poverty, end hunger, Healthy lives and wellbeing for all, sustainable use of water, education, gender equality, work for all, sustainable and modern energy, reliable infrastructure, reduce inequality, sustainable production and consumption, safe and inclusive cities, conserve oceans, protect ecosystems, halt biodiversity loss, and combat climate change.

Rescue Global: https://www.rescueglobal.org/

Rescue Global: https://www.rescueglobal.org/

Climate Change Triple Inequalities: A Worldwide Crisis

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Cameron McElmurry’s blog post describes the locust swarms currently ravaging farms in the Horn of Africa. While reading, I recognized the injustice that many face as they experience crises caused by climate change and are forgotten while the world focuses on COVID-19. Worldwide, millions will face food insecurity and depleted agricultural incomes because of disasters such as this.

Cameron’s post reminded me of the “triple inequality” topic discussed in class. In terms of the current climate crises that are affecting the world, developing countries most often take the brunt of the short term effects. The triple inequality concept includes asymmetric impacts (follow the link for examples), responsibility (those who are most affected by climate change often have the least to do with it), and less capacity to adapt (less infrastructure and ability to rebuild or respond to disasters). 

Climate change is known to increase inequality, so, as developing countries experience more agricultural failure (droughts, pests, etc.) due to new climate disasters, they will have even less money and resources to make further changes, continuing the cycle of this triple inequality. 

Another topic we have discussed in class is the racial disparities present in the food system. A recent article describes the increased inequality of minority Americans during the COVID-19 crisis. It discusses how industrial regions of the country have high populations of minority workers and are disproportionately hit by hurricanes, fossil fuel pollution, cancer and other diseases as result of chemical and pollutant exposure, and now, coronavirus cases. This reveals the reality of triple inequality in America, where particular people groups are systematically affected by the means of production and climate changes that occur as a result of the environmental degradation supported by big business.

It is evident that at home and abroad, we must advocate for those affected by climate change and forgotten during the COVID-19 crisis. 

Connections and Projections

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The connections intertwining each and every system on this planet exist in numbers of infinite proportion. Reflecting on this reality enlightens the sense of dependency functioning structures demand from one another. In this microscopic glance highlighting the effects of contemplative practices, I feel obligated to specifically express how participating in this activity helps in various aspects of my life. However, the specificity comes from a singular contemplative practice assigned as homework during the week on living systems.

The thread of enriching lectures began with the start of this quarter. In week two, a lesson focusing on the presence of living systems within living systems resonated with me. The informative section of the lecture itself was cleverly called “From Personal to Planetary.” The meditation portion of the week offered insights I had yet to consider. I observe myself as an extremely spiritual individual, and I posses a solid belief of acceptance that each cog in the machine we give and take from is a part of us as much as we are a part of it. This machine includes the lock, stock, and barrel from our industrial works to the dirt the worm slides over. I believe this kindred relationship between all things must extend from all we interact with, including ourselves.

Recently, I’ve developed a focus/ hobby on enhancing my flexibility. While I was listening to this unique practice, one idea that stuck with me was that I breathe in air that I am not the first nor will be the last to breathe. Even something as mindless as air interacts with everything. As I stretch, I believe in working with my body and encouraging its limits instead of disciplining them. Breathing is a key part of stretching. This association with all living systems, including myself, allowed me to understand how crucial all function parts are in every system no matter how small: from the air we breathe, to my body, to the world.