- my luck in being born when and where I was -- I could have been one of 15 people living in a hut with no electricity, water or toilet, doing back breaking work all day -- Instead I've been blogging about being sore after dance and music lessons
- for reliable and plentiful water supply -- The water documentary said it best -- It doesn't matter who you are or how rich you may be, after 7 days without water, your eyes too will bleed...
- being able to afford to support farmers who are doing it "for the right reasons" -- Good reminder that nothing worthwhile is always fast or inexpensive -- D wants to learn how to farm
- being able to have an affordable education -- Coffee farmers in Ethiopia who maybe make cents a day value education so much they are willing to sell the shirt off their backs and put the funds into building a community school for their kids young and old
I'm Not Grateful for:
- being given so much choice in a supermarket because it leads me to believe getting all that produce any time of year is no big deal when in fact it costs too much -- I'm guilty of wanting strawberries in the winter and recently, I had a very large papaya sitting on my kitchen counter in an attempt to eat more fruit
- being told something is "good" for me when in fact it has been genetically modified with harmful consequences -- And law suits are going on pressuring farmers who don't want to switch over
- the cheapness of water as it lulls me into thinking it isn't worth much when in reality it is in extremely short supply -- How Coke is less expensive to drink than water in Nairobi -- Do we really need to be loading people up with sugar and caffeine?
- how it is "necessary" for large corporations to "always" show a quarterly profit when not exceeding expectations can still mean millions in profit but often results in stock price drops -- D asked if we need to start looking into investing in more ethically run companies as our "want" of ever growing investment income comes into play here...
Hi MW
ReplyDeleteI was thinking about your comment about being born in the right place. When we were in Crete this year we employed two lovely guys to work at the house. Times are very hard where they come from in Pakistan and they had walked across Iran & Turkey (look on the map - we are talking very long walk) to get to somewhere that they could work and make something of their lives. The younger guy was called Ali and was mid twenties. As well as working for us they worked early morning in the green houses and after working with us the worked their evenings elsewhere.
When I came home to England again I interviewed some students from a fairly local university to be an intern in my team for a year. The kid we chose was called Ali, early twenties family from Pakistan. Incredible work ethic. He had just completed first two years of his finance degree and needed employment for a year in business before he continued with his studies. His parents are away in Pakistan for two months visiting family.
Some much the same but so so much different.
Good morning.
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed your last couple of posts. Thought provoking. DW & I have changed our lifestyle direction (DW is a vegan and I'm mostly there as well) the last several years after watching several similar documentaries and reading a number of excellent books.
Interesting times we live in; in the recent US election, the state of California had on their ballot a vote to mandate companies to declare if the ingredients they used in their food/drink products were GMO. Heavy pressures and well financed campaigns by Coke, Pepsi, Kraft and other large multinationals were able to defeat the vote.
Pretty sad when the right of the consumer doesn't extend to knowing what is put in the food we eat and the opportunity for us to make an informed choice.
We too grow our own veggies and support our local farmers' market trying to choose organic where we can and that option is available.
After all it's one body, one lifetime... would be wise to nurture it as best you can.
Thanks for sharing.
Hi Lizzie!
ReplyDeleteI remember reading how you made lots of meals for them and thinking how nurtured they must have felt being so far away from home. I didn't realize they walked all the way there as well as worked before and after! We really don't have anything to complain about, do we?
@ Sailing;
That tells me they are afraid what would happen if we all knew. It is frustrating how much work we have to do to find what ought to be the most basic of things. I'm getting ready to re-read some books on veganism to see if it is nutritionally possible without soy or beans. Right now I'm eating pretty much the Paleo way while we make and act on our list of food priorities.
"After all it's one body, one lifetime... would be wise to nurture it as best you can." Love this.