I have been a vegan for a little over 3 years now and a vegetarian for 10 years prior to that. Most restaurants have started catering to vegans and most already cater to vegetarians – which is awesome. The difference between the two in short is that strict vegetarians don’t eat meat, but they take dairy. Strict vegans like myself don’t eat any meat products or food that comes from any animals – i.e. no meat of any kind, no dairy of any sort (dairy milk, cheese, yoghurt, honey) or food that includes any of these products.
Where my reasons for this lifestyle are mostly centered on health and animal rights, it got me to thinking of the planet as a whole. I started off this topic wanting to talk about how bad Styrofoam is really to the environment, but got caught on this tangent that is the food and information we put into our bodies. I have started the discussion on Styrofoam for the next article. For now, here goes:
The food we put into our bodies, the information we feed our minds – all of this has an impact on how we live our lives. The hope is that we feed our physical bodies with food that helps sustain it for longer and stronger so that we can contribute more positively and with lots of energy to the lives of our children, grandchildren and their offspring. The hope is that we actively seek out information that builds our mindsets, allowing ourselves to follow the paths that each one of us has chosen in life. Bit by bit, the building blocks that is the food and that is the information grows us into the person that we are today and the person we are going to be tomorrow.
How does the planet fit into all of this? Where food and information are building blocks to us as individuals, we as individuals are the building blocks that make up our families, our social circles, workplaces, schools, universities, cities, countries, continents and the world. As a building block to these spaces, we have a role to play. Where proteins are the building blocks and act as structural components to our body tissues, we as husbands, wives, sisters, brothers, uncles, aunts, parents, students, leaders, teachers etc are the building blocks to our families, social, work and other spaces.
Is the food we are placing in our systems contributing to strengthening our whole system as a whole? Are we, as the full human beings we are, and therefore the building blocks to our social spaces, contributing strength, support and cohesion in our communities and the globe as a whole?
When we look at the physical bodies and the mindsets we have today – it is because of what we have or have not placed within them. When we look at the environment and world around us – it is because of our contribution or lack thereof. How are we as individuals contributing to the larger organism that is the world? Are we contributing meaningfully in our spaces? Or are we the cause of the challenges that we see?
Remember that in not doing anything, we are actually doing something. In not making a decision, we are actually making a decision. How is that so? It is because we are indirectly saying that whatever is happening or has not happened is okay. We are feeding our subconscious information that says we support whatever is happening by sitting back, watching and not doing anything. In acting toward something, we are saying we care, letting our subconscious kick into that philosophy. The more we act, the more it becomes second nature. The more it becomes a habit, the more progress happens. As we act, we learn; as we learn, we move forward; as we move forward with the lessons learnt, we get stronger.
Your turn
What are you putting into your body each day?
How and how often are you feeding your mind and with what?
You as a building block in your family and other social spaces, how are you contributing to the family, friends and the planet? Are you a rogue cell that coagulates with other rogue cells to cause a ‘cancer’. Or are you one that feeds and provides the white blood cells with more fighting power against diseases, viruses and other unwanted things and bad behaviors from those around us?
How is your contribution to society viewed by those you serve?
What can you do to become a better building block to your community, your nation, region and the world? What can you do in your home, your community and your country – starting right now?
I would love to hear what it is you are going to start doing or what you are already doing to make the world around you better. Reflect, act and feel free to comment below.
With regards
Barbs
