MenU; yes; it's about Me 'n' U

Last week you were introduced to the ancient system of 'triguna'; three qualities which imbue life (whether you know about them or not!) and which informs everything we do, say, think...and what we eat.

It was also mentioned that food is a highly emotive subject. In the days of the hunter-gatherer, food was not just about survival of the individual, but of the species and already it was understood that banding together into family units, extended groups with looser ties but still interdependent and the setting up of trade, were about maintaining life by ensuring ample food, clothing secondary. Maintaining life involves fuelling the body. That means food. Gradually, as Mankind settled down and his numbers burgeoned trade was not just in the food and the sharing of it, but in the utensils around the preparation of it; all the way from tools to work the ground to sow the seed and tend the flocks, through to tools to harvest and slaughter and then into the home with tools to preserve and cook... and so on and so forth.

Yes, staying alive meant defending territory and the precious items. It was, however, only once Mankind had truly stabilised farming methodology and could pretty much guarantee his food sources that he started to scan around for something more to do with himself. Now the neighbour's crops, cattle, women, all started to be a thing of desire. Not because 'we are hungry' but because of the sense of power and the growth of 'politics'. This was the time when land was being demarcated and considered as 'owned'. ...  'Let's go ransacking'. The levels of ruthlessness required merely to survive were now turned to pillage and plunder of the resources of others.

The nature of this and the extent of it varied according to location on the globe. No community was immune. Without having to give an entire history lesson, though, it might be understood that some cultures were more prone to moving over boundaries than others.

Along with increasing 'sophistication' came increasing perversions of the human nature. In Western terms these are 'nutshelled' as the seven sins; pride, envy, gluttony, lust, anger, greed, sloth. In Samskritam there are six  kaama (lust), krodha (anger), loba (greed), moha (attachment/avarice /delusion), ahankaara (pride/egoism) and matsalya (jealousy).

...Okay. By this time you are wondering about the YAMster. She's lost the plot, you may be thinking. Where's the menu in this rant?

Farming was mentioned. I doubt that it is necessary to stand on a pulpit and propound the misdemeanours of the factory-farming that now goes on around the world. The things that drive these places boil down to the gluttony of the human race, the greed of the producers and the egotistical, delusional governments which permit the continuation of these practices; not necessarily the individuals within the governments, but the overall machinery that runs despite the best efforts of those individuals. Everything is so locked up that making any real change gets put into the too hard basket.
No one, anywhere, has yet found the 'cahunas' to yell STOP!

There are more and more farmers around the world who are making their own small efforts to reverse the downslide. There is a strong and growing movement for sustainable and local produce, not to mention organically nurtured and grown and non-GM. The concept of the 'farmers market' is catching on and cutting out the middleman and hypermart. What is more, customers are becoming more savvy about what they put into their bodies. This applies to all, be they vegetarian or omnivore.

Let me be clear about something, in case you are despairing of me at the moment; these articles have not been written in order to try and 'convert' you into vegos. However, thinking again about 'you are what you eat'... given a choice between a slice of meat which has been kept in a pen only six inches wider than its body, chained and in the dark on restricted diet to keep that meat pale, or a similar slice of meat which you know had the full run of a meadow for four months, suckled from its own mother, and generally had a good life till slaughter ... which are you going to choose? Is it not reasonable to expect that the same conscience which is repulsed by the acts of cruelty visited upon companion animals would be consistent and care about the animals it permits its body to consume? Does that conscience not consider the possibility that by partaking of food not ethically produced, such conscience at best sits in hypocrisy, at worst is complicit in actions of cruelty and mismanagement?

This does not have to be the spiritual basis upon which I make my food choices, then. It also does not necessarily require that you be vegetarian. What is being asked here is awareness. It is important, regardless of flesh OR plant intake, that we make conscious choices as to the provenance of that food. This not only means that we are doing our own very small part in making some change to the world, but also that we are likely to be making  some positive change for the betterment of our health - and without doubt, such awareness brings about a higher resonance within our personality (call it soul, if you will...) For those who are fortunate enough to have the space and the energy to grow their own produce and to, perhaps, source their own meat, all power to you! For those of us who have not the land, or the wherewithal to cultivate such, then surely it makes sense to take organic produce where ever we can?

Admittedly, even when we come to know how unethical so much of modern farming is, it can be a challenge to live up to our ideals. Sometimes this is driven by our personal economics, it must be acknowledged. Honestly though. If the public at large really felt strongly enough about stopping the horrors of battery farming, genetic mutation of crops and gross incompetency of land management all that would be required to make the powers sit up and think is for us all - every single one of us - to convert to organic and ethically grown produce; if the other stuff isn't getting bought but the organic stuff is, then there is going to be interest in altering strategy.
What if the public at large, as a single body, were to develop the 'cahunas' to yell STOP!?

...bit of a pipe dream that one; but had to get it off my chest.

This piece began by noting that food is highly emotive. It is. Food is the one thing which anchors us with the land no matter how far removed the larger part of humanity now is from 'the land'. Food is also one of the few things which builds proper bonds within humanity; dating right back to the hunter-gatherers. Food is a functional part of culture... and that is where we'll pick it up next week.

..................................................................(Is that screaming I hear???)

I know. It was a wee bit serious this week. It is dear to this heart though... and it was the week the blog
wore orange. There are, of course, voices in the crowd who are yelling and much more loudly than me. I am not a 'front liner'. I may be a woman of peace, but I also accept that there are armies required. In the same vein, whilst I would not at all advocate the likes of radical animal protest to the point of 'war', we do actually need such radicals to keep us on our toes and our consciences pricked. Whilst I opt for shakahara (vegetarianism) based upon spiritual grounds, there is also the ethical part. Health, for me, is almost secondary but of course there are significant benefits there too and for many, that is the primary reason for such choice. I'll leave you today with some links to vids. Not embedded today; the choice to view will thus be one of conscious action - even if it is only to satisfy curiosity.

Diet For a New America - only came across this as I was preparing today's rant, but it totally addresses the concerns I have so ineptly outlined. (NB; because I have watched this and the next one via my tubular list, they may begin somewhere midstream so will need wind-back....)

Googletalks with John Robbins - this is the 25yr anniversary from that first video; which demonstrates that the need and the points made then still hold today.

This one is a promo on Vimeo which you can 'rent' online... the battle of the small dairy farmer... Highly recommended!!!

The Moo Man from Trufflepig Films on Vimeo.

To read more on what it takes to engage in ethical production, do please read about AHIMSA DAIRY.

Food for thought........... (ahem....)
Once again, thank you for listening &*>

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