I am a chocolate fanatic. I’ve never turned down a piece of chocolate in my life, I always have a chocolate stash, and it’s definitely number one on my list of favorite sweets. I’ve always liked it and probably always will. I’ve never had a negative thing to say about chocolate… until this contemplative practice.

Chocolate is consumed primarily by affluent countries (https://www.statista.com/chart/3668/the-worlds-biggest-chocolate-consumers/)

After the little lecture at the beginning of the session I couldn’t stop thinking about all the negative attributes of chocolate. The first thing that I kept coming back to in my head was the fact that chocolate is mainly consumed in affluent countries. It is something I’ve had at my fingertips for my whole life. I started to feel bad as I realize it’s a product I have completely taken for granted. People work so hard harvesting and managing the cacao plants, developing the chocolate, and distributing it out. I’ve never had a thought of gratitude towards the people who made it possible to have the piece of chocolate in my hand. I felt incredibly guilty.

Alter Eco, an example of a sustainable chocolate brand. (https://www.alterecofoods.com/collections/chocolate-bars)

This feeling continued through the contemplative practice. As time passed my thoughts transitioned from the social aspect of chocolate to the environmental aspect. Why do we like chocolate? We like the sweetness which comes from sugar, and the creaminess which comes from milk, or maybe its the smooth texture that wouldn’t be possible without the use of water or fossil fuel power. All of these ingredients have negative ties to the environment, aka it is unsustainable. Going out of my way to buy sustainable chocolate wasn’t even a thought I had until this contemplation.

The point I want to get across is that sitting down, thinking about a concept with an open mind like we do in these contemplative practices, can really make a difference on how you think about things. This practice allowed me to open my mind to the reality behind chocolate, and it really will change my consumer habits.