How could our dislocations from the cycle of life via ready availability of prepared foods possibly be linked to the obesity epidemic of 2009?
It will be interesting to see what kind of comments are generated by this post.
Though the premise itself seems fairly simple.
If we had to grow our own food and if we had to slaughter OUR OWN food, you think we might be more appreciative of the work and life that went into our bounty?
In this appreciation, do you think we might eat less?
Perhaps we might eat less after we were full to bursting, if we had to slit the throat personally of our 3rd double cheeseburger?
What if our 4th hot dog meant we had to go out and throttle yet another pig?
What about that biggie fries? What if we had to plant, tend and harvest an extra acre of potatoes, ourselves personally, to have that biggie fry?
What if we had to move our own personal biggie butts to farm an extra acre of land just to have that biggie fry?
What if we had to personally clear cut, with our own hands, an extra acre of rain forest to have that banana with our fruit loops and milk, would we eat so much still?
I’m not suggesting we would give up meat. I love and am grateful for meat. Yum!
Our rancher and farmer forefathers and foremothers ate meat for sure.
However, where we might choose to feel put out that the double cheeseburger took 6 minutes in a drive through lane, they might have been grateful to the cow or chicken for its life and sacrifice.
They might have treated the creature well, who was a kind of neighbor.
They might have expressed blessings and gratitude on harvest and on enjoyment of the nourishment.
They might have been a bit less extra fat than we when farming and ranching, what with all that extra work.
They might have been truly hungry when they ate and not felt like they had to farm another acre to work off that little bitty piece of pie they just were so grateful to have.
They might have been more respectful of and grateful for their integrity with the cycle of life.
Through action of The Law of Attraction which was set in motion when they expressed their respect and gratitude for their meager sustenance, perhaps they were more healthily sustained by it as well.
I’m not suggesting we go completely native. Nor do I harbor any illusions of a romantic past where reality was life on the land was hard and food was sparse.
However, if we ever have a chance to connect with life through its cycle, through growing it, nourishing it, maybe harvesting it directly, perhaps it would increase our appreciations for the fact that we consume what was once alive and has given its life so that we may live.
So through added respect and appreciation for THE LIFE of our food, we may better respect and appreciate our own lives even as we integrate through eating its nutrients and goodness.
These appreciations may serve us well in many ways, including perhaps improved health and trimmer hotter bods.
Thus regardless of having these opportunities to farm or ranch, we might surely find ourselves more blessed to feel and truly express gratitude for and connection with the life that is our nourishment.
What do you think?
Gratefully yours,
Yucel
( See also: http://choose.ws/2009/10/27/spirituality/its-a-fish-eat-fish-world-and-im-grateful-for-it/yucel/ )
The obesity epidemic of which you speak, along with the epidemic of many other maladies have been long brewing; being cultivated over many, many years. You are definitely on to something here. Lack of appreciation of and gratitude for our food is certainly one important key to the disposable attitude a large segment of society has about it. In this example, food is our nourishment. Increasingly (and sadly) I fear other forms of nourishment, equally important to us as a whole (because we all yearn to be whole people; I know I do) are being taken for granted and the result is the same. A lack of appreciation of and gratitude for intellectual, spiritual and emotional nourishment is causing a dearth of vitality in the population. Vitality is what’s lacking – in epidemic proportions. Vitality is comprised of physical, intellectual, spiritual and emotional good health. Once we truly have appreciation of and gratitude for the nourishment we need will then lead us to seek it out. Then we will be on the right path. You are definitely on to something here. Thank you Yucel!
Peace/Love/Understanding
Nancy
Thanks Nancy,
You are onto something here.
As they say, “Man does not live by bread alone.”
You do well to point out the blessings which might flow from greater appreciation and gratitude of nourishment, be they physical, spiritual, intellectual and or emotional good health.
Each of these could well be explored in depth, separately or together.
Gratefully yours,
Yucel