Individual and Collective Effort
CHAPTER 8.
A Mindful World.
There are hundred thousands of stems linking us to everything in the cosmos,Supporting us and making it possible for us to be.Do you see the link between you and me?If you are not there,I am not here.Thich Nhat Hanh, The Heart of Understanding The Heart of Understanding (1988) (1988) WE HAVE PRESENTED THE latest science-based advice, and the age-old tradition of mindfulness, as means to help us understand and transform the unhealthy habits that have led to our overweight. With consistent practice, you will be well on your way to adhering to lifestyle choices that improve your well-being. As you practice mindful living in your daily life, you will gain further insight into the interconnectedness of all things and begin to see the effect of your daily practice extending well beyond your own body-and beyond your own well-being. Science informs us that when our diet is more plant based, and when we exercise regularly, our health will improve. By mindfully reducing meat consumption, you are also performing a miracle, because your change in diet indirectly helps make food more available to hungry children in underdeveloped countries as well as reduce global warming. When more of us practice mindfulness this way, we are creating transformation at not only the individual level but also the collective level. We are changing the world.
Our well-being and the well-being of the world are mutually dependent. We need to stay well at the individual level, and then we will be able to contribute to the well-being of others. By living mindfully, and seizing every moment to live with understanding and compassion, we improve not only our own health but that of all future generations.
The Wise Graduate On her graduation day in June 2007, senior and salutatorian Jennifer Leigh Levye delivered her address to her Sharon High School classmates in Sharon, Massachusetts. In her speech, she cited the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh, which were passed on to her by her sophomore English teacher, Mr. Murray.
Thich Nhat Hanh, ... holding up an orange, said, "The entire world is inside this orange." "Inside an orange?" was the thought that ran through many of our minds. How can the entire world be inside something as small as an orange?But think about everything that goes into making an orange. The tree it grows on, the ground it grows in, the water that nourishes it, the sun that gives it the energy to grow. If any of these things are removed, the orange won't exist, so they are all inside the orange. That idea can be pulled out further-a person had to plant the tree, another probably picked the fruit, a third packaged and shipped it. Each of these people was influenced by others and so on until everyone can be connected to the orange-if any one thing were different, it would not exist.So, from ... that orange, we see both that our ideas and experiences intertwine and that we are all linked to each other. This isn't the most difficult of ideas to talk about, but it seems very difficult to put into practice. We tend to see ourselves as isolated islands, or as too insignificant to have an effect on the world as a whole. We often think of other people's problems as remote and having no impact on ourselves. We believe that foreign ideas are separate from ours, and we do not really need to understand them. Though these assumptions are common and easy to fall back on, we can remember that our actions do not occur in bubbles, and that we are impacted by the lives of people outside our little spheres. If the entire world is inside an orange, it is also inside each and every one of us-if any part of it were different, we would be different.... [R]emember that everything is connected and that the whole world is inside us. Everyone influences us in a great web, and we can influence it by changing some small part.... [I]f we take away from these four years the idea that we are all connected and that we can bring about change, our education has not been in vain, and the world will become a better place."1 It is impressive that a young woman like Jennifer already had the wisdom to realize that we do not exist as separate islands. Everything in the universe depends on everything else for its existence. There is nothing that can exist as a separate, independent entity. We are all connected. Our thoughts, speech, and actions affects our family, our community, and our country, rippling out to the entire world. At the same time, the state of our family, community, country, and world affects our own state of being. When Jennifer said, "Everyone influences us in a great web, and we can influence it by changing some small part," she raised the awareness of all her classmates and called them to action.
Individual and Collective Well-Being Self and and other other are concepts created by us as conventional notions to communicate our ordinary, everyday perceptions. Although these concepts can facilitate communication, they often mislead, and cloud our understanding of the true nature of reality. In our ordinary perception, we see things as independent of one another. We generally perceive things according to preexisting constructs in our mind, which manifest themselves from seeds in our store consciousness. If we are not mindful, these mind constructs may distort the true reality of what we experience. We are often caught and misled by these conventional concepts and their many illusions of duality, like self and other, you and me, inside and outside, being and nonbeing, coming and going, individual and collective, one and many, life and death. are concepts created by us as conventional notions to communicate our ordinary, everyday perceptions. Although these concepts can facilitate communication, they often mislead, and cloud our understanding of the true nature of reality. In our ordinary perception, we see things as independent of one another. We generally perceive things according to preexisting constructs in our mind, which manifest themselves from seeds in our store consciousness. If we are not mindful, these mind constructs may distort the true reality of what we experience. We are often caught and misled by these conventional concepts and their many illusions of duality, like self and other, you and me, inside and outside, being and nonbeing, coming and going, individual and collective, one and many, life and death.
In our ordinary perception, we readily understand a table as a separate, independent object with a flat surface and four legs. But if we look deeply into the table, we see that it is made only of non-table elements-all the phenomena needed for its manifestation: wood, earth, water, fire, air, space, and time. The existence of the table depends on the causes and conditions of all these elements in the entire universe. That is the interdependent nature of the table. It cannot come into being if any one of the conditions or elements is missing.
This is interbeing. interbeing. One thing depends on the manifestation of all other things, and what makes the all possible is the one. One is all, and all is one. In the one you touch the all, and in the all you touch the one. Everything in the universe is present in each of us. I am in you, and you are in me. One thing depends on the manifestation of all other things, and what makes the all possible is the one. One is all, and all is one. In the one you touch the all, and in the all you touch the one. Everything in the universe is present in each of us. I am in you, and you are in me.
I know that you are still there because I am still here.
The arms of perception embrace all,joining life to death, subject to object, everything to everything else.2 We need to cut through the ideas of "individual" and "collective," "inside" and "outside" to see the truth. Inside is made of outside. Our body is not just something that is bound by our skin. Our body is much greater; it is without boundary. For the body to function, we need earth, water, air, heat, and minerals, which are both inside and outside our body. Try to experience the magic of your boundless body the next time you go into a lake or the ocean. Close your eyes, and feel the intimate communion between your body and the water: your body is the water, and the water is your body. The ocean is expansively connected to all things, and so are you.
Looking deeply this way, we can appreciate that the sun is our second heart. If the heart inside our body stops beating, we will die. Similarly, if the sun, our second heart, stops shining, we will also die. Our body is the whole universe, and the whole universe is our body. There is nothing in the universe that is not part of us, be it a speck of dust on the table or a shining star in the sky. This insight is possible only when we transcend the notions of inside and outside, self and other. It is important for us to live mindfully so that we are truly present in every moment, always alive and nourishing the insight of interbeing.
When we practice mindful breathing, smiling, and walking in a group or at a retreat, the collective energy generated by the group helps us build up our own mindfulness energy. When we make an effort to cultivate our mindfulness energy individually in this group setting, we also enhance the energy of the entire group. The individual and the collective are not separate entities. When we touch our inner peace, we smile with joy. The moment we beam a smile, not only do we feel a little happier, but those around us also begin to feel lighter. Individual action always has an effect on the collective, and collective action always has an effect on the individual. When we are looking deeply, the moment we take a mindful step the world changes; everything changes.
When we see more people living mindfully, practicing loving-kindness with understanding and compassion, we gain confidence in our future. When we practice mindful breathing, smiling, eating, walking, and working, we become a positive element in society, and we will inspire confidence in everyone around us. This is the best way to ensure that a future is possible for the younger generations.
From Compassion to Action To effectively transform our world, we need to touch the source of real strength to mobilize us. Intellect alone cannot motivate us to act compassionately. This strength lies not in power or money, but in our deep, inner peace. This means that we must transform ourselves first to become solid and peaceful. True transformation comes from within. We make changes in our daily lives-in the way we think, speak, act-becoming solid and peaceful, transforming ourselves and the world.
Compassion is a source of powerful, boundless, and wise energy. This is the energy that will move us to act. However, just feeling compassion is not enough; we have to act on it. Understanding and insight guide us to act. That is why love and compassion must always be combined with understanding.
We can cultivate compassion by performing even the smallest acts. If while practicing walking meditation we come across an ant on our path and step aside to avoid crushing it, we are cultivating compassion. If we practice looking deeply and live our daily lives mindfully, our compassion will grow stronger each day. We as individuals can initiate change. When more of us are practicing mindfulness, there will be a change in our collective consciousness. We need to wake ourselves up, and we also need to wake up the collective community. Mindfulness practice at the individual and collective level is the key to this awakening. Our efforts both to change ourselves and to change the environment are necessary, but one cannot happen without the other.
When you live mindfully, taking care of yourself, becoming solid, peaceful, whole, and well, you are empowered to do your part to improve the well-being of all those around you and the well-being of the world. If each of us builds up this collective compassion, we can create a sea change. We must not waste time, but immerse ourselves in the present moment in order to have a clear perspective of our difficult circumstances and transform them.
The practice of mindful consumption should become a global practice. We have to encourage it at both the individual and the collective levels. We need to introduce and support greater mindfulness in all aspects of our lives and invite everyone to join us: parents, educators, students, physicians, social workers, lawyers, scientists, novelists, reporters, filmmakers, businesspeople, architects, artists, farmers, police officers, factory workers, janitors, economists, legislators, and world leaders. This is true peace education.
The World and You There are many examples that constantly remind us that we are all connected, that we live a life of interbeing. Our tendency is to focus on ourselves for our survival and achievement. Yet in reality we are not separate from others. The financial crisis in the United States in 2008 revealed that we are all interconnected-rich and poor people, farming and manufacturing industries, developed and underdeveloped countries. The banking crisis not only affected the economy in the United States; it also quickly rippled out to affect other markets around the world. The pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza-often referred to as the "swine" flu-is another concrete example, one in which the source of the virus could well have been pigs. Once one child in Mexico got infected with the virus, the virus quickly spread to Mexico's neighbor, to all of the fifty states of the United States, and within months to forty countries around the world in 2009. With technological advances in communication and travel in the twenty-first century, our world is shrinking, and we are more connected than ever before.
When we are mindfully aware from moment to moment, we realize, "One contains all. All contains one." "One contains all. All contains one." Just pause to focus on anything that is in front of you-a flower, a computer, a photograph, a glass of water-and you'll see the miracles that connect our world, how all the things we need in our daily life, anywhere and anytime, exist only because of this limitless web of connections. Think of your commute by train or bus from home to work. Could you have access to this transportation without countless others? The train you are riding on is the culmination of years of dedicated hard work by designers, engineers, and craftsmen. The road your bus travels exists only because of the hard work of the highway crew, urban planners, and the many others who also use it. Without all these people, it would take you hours or even an entire day to get to work, just as it does for people who live in developing countries, many of whom still walk on foot to get from one place to another and to meet their daily needs. Thinking this way, you will realize how blessed we are to be able to rely on so many others. We take many things for granted. Many of us tend to be self-centered, living fearfully, with a scarcity mind-set, and trying to accumulate more wealth, power, or status so that we can become more secure. Living like this prevents us from seeing the many wonders that already surround us. Every time we leave our home and commute to work, we can give thanks to all the people who built the commuter trains and buses and constructed the roadways. Just pause to focus on anything that is in front of you-a flower, a computer, a photograph, a glass of water-and you'll see the miracles that connect our world, how all the things we need in our daily life, anywhere and anytime, exist only because of this limitless web of connections. Think of your commute by train or bus from home to work. Could you have access to this transportation without countless others? The train you are riding on is the culmination of years of dedicated hard work by designers, engineers, and craftsmen. The road your bus travels exists only because of the hard work of the highway crew, urban planners, and the many others who also use it. Without all these people, it would take you hours or even an entire day to get to work, just as it does for people who live in developing countries, many of whom still walk on foot to get from one place to another and to meet their daily needs. Thinking this way, you will realize how blessed we are to be able to rely on so many others. We take many things for granted. Many of us tend to be self-centered, living fearfully, with a scarcity mind-set, and trying to accumulate more wealth, power, or status so that we can become more secure. Living like this prevents us from seeing the many wonders that already surround us. Every time we leave our home and commute to work, we can give thanks to all the people who built the commuter trains and buses and constructed the roadways.
There is a human need for meaning, for purposeful connection, for community, and for real engagement in the world. All of us have a great capacity for compassion. We want to help those who are really in need, who are suffering. We want to make the world a better place for this generation and many generations to come. But how do we begin to do this?
Transforming the world starts with oneself. It is through attending to our own well-being and staying in touch with what is happening in our own personal lives that we can have a greater capacity to understand and address the world's suffering. We are then on a sturdier foundation to contribute to improving our world. Have you ever suffered from fatigue or exhaustion from helping others-family, friends, work colleagues, others in your community? Recognize that it is not really possible to steadily help others when we ourselves are not in a good physical, mental, or emotional state. We may be able to carry on for a while, but sooner or later we end up feeling depleted, discouraged, or weak. We cannot keep on giving when we are running on an empty tank. We need to be solid. We need to practice mindful living to be able to offer our best to our family, our friends, and our world.
Influence and Support For us to be able to eat healthfully and stay physically active, we not only need to have the knowledge, the focus, and the motivation to carry out these daily healthy practices; we also need support from the people and places that we encounter each day-from our closest family and friends, our homes and offices, to the world at large. The Healthy Eating and Active Living Web highlights some forces that can affect our intended goals and the key elements needed for all of us to make healthy eating and active living a way of life. (See figure 8.1.) As you can see from the illustration, your social environment-friends and family who share your commitment to healthy eating and active living, work colleagues who understand and respect you for taking time to eat a nourishing lunch or go on a walk during your break-has a strong influence on your daily ability to eat and move mindfully. You also need support from your physical environment: If you live in a neighborhood that is unsafe, without adequate lighting, sidewalks, bike paths, parks, or trails for you to bike or walk on, chances are that you will find it much more challenging for you and your family to bike, walk briskly, or jog at will. By the same token, if you live in a "food desert"-a neighborhood that does not have a supermarket-you may have to rely on convenience stores or fast-food restaurants for your food and drink. So instead of being able to easily buy fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains, you may have to choose your meals from the highly processed, refined carbohydrate-rich foods and the high-sugar drinks that line the convenience-store shelves, or the mega-portioned "meal deals" offered by the fast-food restaurants.
Figure 8.1 THE HEALTHY EATING AND ACTIVE LIVING WEB [image]
Societal forces also influence the healthy-eating, active-living web. The food industry, ever seeking more profit, controls what foods are offered in the marketplace. The advertising and media industries shape how we view these foods. Agricultural policies influence what foods are most profitable for the food industry to grow. A host of local and national policies also shape our access to physical activity and our environment-architectural and zoning policies, recreation and transportation policies. We need support from all levels of the healthy-eating, active-living web in order for us to change our daily habits for the better. This perspective is described in greater detail in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendation for community strategies to prevent obesity in the United States.3 A panel of experts identified twenty-four strategies that can help communities create environments that promote healthy eating and active living-among them, improving access to supermarkets in underserved areas, offering incentives to produce food at local farms, improving public transportation, and enhancing personal safety in places where people would be physically active. (The complete article is available at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/ preview/mmwrhtml/rr5807a1.htm.) A panel of experts identified twenty-four strategies that can help communities create environments that promote healthy eating and active living-among them, improving access to supermarkets in underserved areas, offering incentives to produce food at local farms, improving public transportation, and enhancing personal safety in places where people would be physically active. (The complete article is available at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/ preview/mmwrhtml/rr5807a1.htm.) Note that the arrows in figure 8.1 go from the outer rings of the web to the center as well as from the center to the outer rings. This is a reminder that we are influenced by our environment at many levels but that we can also influence our environment.
Be an Agent of Change As you look deeply at the Healthy Eating and Active Living Web, the longer you contemplate it, the more you realize how many people, businesses, organizations, and governments-at the local, state, and national levels as well as globally-shape your ability to follow a healthy-eating and active-living routine on a daily basis. For many of us, healthy choices are not yet easy choices. When any of these forces are not in line with our healthy-eating or active-living goals, barriers and challenges arise. As Dr. Barry Popkin recounts in his book The World Is Fat The World Is Fat, technological changes, globalization, government policies, and the food industry have changed our diet and activity over the latter half of the twentieth century. The culmination of all these changes: an unprecedented era of unhealthy eating and sedentary living unlike anything seen previously in our world, in which the number of people who are overweight-1.6 billion-is more than double the number of people who are undernourished.4 This dire state simply cannot continue, given the economic and health burdens of obesity on individuals, businesses, and countries. All of us can take part in making our world healthier for many generations to come. This dire state simply cannot continue, given the economic and health burdens of obesity on individuals, businesses, and countries. All of us can take part in making our world healthier for many generations to come.
This may seem like an overwhelming, daunting, and impossible task, but each one of us can be an agent of change. Here are some examples of inspiring grassroots efforts at social change led by individuals or small groups of people.
From a Mother's Tragedy to a Worldwide Campaign After the death of her thirteen-year-old daughter to a repeat-offender drunk driver in 1980, Candace Lightner started a small California grassroots organization that became Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), to address the problem of drunk driving.5 Instead of becoming immobilized by grief, she channeled her grief and anger toward social action. Since then, MADD has become an international organization with more than four hundred chapters worldwide, dealing with drunk driving on multiple levels, from working with city council task forces and state-level legislation to working with a presidential commission on drunk driving. MADD's efforts ultimately led to changes in alcohol policy across all fifty states, including the raising of the legal drinking age and the lowering of the drunk-driving blood-alcohol limit. Lightner's story shows the power that an individual has to make a difference in the world. Instead of becoming immobilized by grief, she channeled her grief and anger toward social action. Since then, MADD has become an international organization with more than four hundred chapters worldwide, dealing with drunk driving on multiple levels, from working with city council task forces and state-level legislation to working with a presidential commission on drunk driving. MADD's efforts ultimately led to changes in alcohol policy across all fifty states, including the raising of the legal drinking age and the lowering of the drunk-driving blood-alcohol limit. Lightner's story shows the power that an individual has to make a difference in the world.
From Scientific Inquiry to a Healthier Food Supply The successful minimization of trans fats in the U.S. food supply at the dawn of the twenty-first century was initiated by the actions of a small group of dedicated scientists. Chemists in the late nineteenth century found they could change liquid vegetable oil into a solid form by adding hydrogen atoms, a process called "partial hydrogenation" that changes the healthy liquid oil into what is known as trans fat.6 For food manufacturers, this solid form is much more desirable for use in different types of foods such as baked products and margarine, because it is more stable. It does not become rancid easily like liquid vegetable oils, thereby prolonging shelf life. Up until the early 1990s, most people thought that they were reducing their risk of heart disease as long as they stayed away from animal fats, as recommended by health professionals. Margarine with partially hydrogenated oil was considered to be heart healthy, since it does not contain cholesterol. This fact was challenged as research emerged in 1990, when a landmark study by Dr. Martin Katan and his colleagues published in the For food manufacturers, this solid form is much more desirable for use in different types of foods such as baked products and margarine, because it is more stable. It does not become rancid easily like liquid vegetable oils, thereby prolonging shelf life. Up until the early 1990s, most people thought that they were reducing their risk of heart disease as long as they stayed away from animal fats, as recommended by health professionals. Margarine with partially hydrogenated oil was considered to be heart healthy, since it does not contain cholesterol. This fact was challenged as research emerged in 1990, when a landmark study by Dr. Martin Katan and his colleagues published in the New England Journal of Medicine New England Journal of Medicine showed that high levels of trans fat increase LDL ("bad") cholesterol almost as much as saturated fat and, unlike saturated fat, decrease HDL ("good") cholesterol. Since then, this finding has been replicated many times. Subsequently, in 1993 researchers in the Nurses' Health Studies at Harvard University found that trans fat is associated with coronary heart disease in women. These scientific findings provided the evidence for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a public nutrition advocacy group in the United States, to file a petition requesting that the Food and Drug Administration require the inclusion of trans fats in the nutrition labels of food products. Then in 1994, a research team at the Harvard School of Public Health, led by Dr. Walter Willett, surprised consumers when it found that trans fats are more damaging than saturated fats and are likely to be responsible for at least thirty thousand premature deaths each year in the United States. With this finding, the major international food conglomerate Unilever started to eliminate trans fat from margarine and spreads, which required restructuring at numerous levels including farming, processing, labeling, and advertising. showed that high levels of trans fat increase LDL ("bad") cholesterol almost as much as saturated fat and, unlike saturated fat, decrease HDL ("good") cholesterol. Since then, this finding has been replicated many times. Subsequently, in 1993 researchers in the Nurses' Health Studies at Harvard University found that trans fat is associated with coronary heart disease in women. These scientific findings provided the evidence for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a public nutrition advocacy group in the United States, to file a petition requesting that the Food and Drug Administration require the inclusion of trans fats in the nutrition labels of food products. Then in 1994, a research team at the Harvard School of Public Health, led by Dr. Walter Willett, surprised consumers when it found that trans fats are more damaging than saturated fats and are likely to be responsible for at least thirty thousand premature deaths each year in the United States. With this finding, the major international food conglomerate Unilever started to eliminate trans fat from margarine and spreads, which required restructuring at numerous levels including farming, processing, labeling, and advertising.
Meanwhile, scientists continued to publish new findings about the adverse effects of trans fats, pushing for the U.S. Dietary Guidelines and Institute of Medicine reports to include the adverse effects of trans fats, while consumer groups continued to advocate trans-fat labeling on food packages. Finally, the FDA ruled that as of January 1, 2006, trans fat must be listed on food labels along with other bad fats (saturated fats) and good ones (unsaturated fats). In the wake of this ruling and the addition of one line on the food label, food manufacturers and fast-food companies have been overhauling all of their products to reduce or eliminate trans fat. Numerous cities have now declared that restaurants must go trans-fat free, including New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia, reaching what the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) estimates to be roughly 20 percent of the U.S. population.7 CSPI also estimates that the amount of trans fat in the U.S. food supply has declined by 50 percent since 2005. These sweeping changes came about because of the dedicated effort of a small group of researchers on two continents working for nearly twenty years, as well as persistent grassroots advocacy by health and consumer education groups. CSPI also estimates that the amount of trans fat in the U.S. food supply has declined by 50 percent since 2005. These sweeping changes came about because of the dedicated effort of a small group of researchers on two continents working for nearly twenty years, as well as persistent grassroots advocacy by health and consumer education groups.
Sounding the Alarm on Sugary Drinks We are far from reaching the public-health goal of getting everyone to choose healthier beverages, but the social movement has begun. The movement was ignited by the first scientific study indicating that sugar-sweetened beverages increased the risk of obesity. The 2001 study was based on the work led by Dr. David Ludwig and his colleagues at Harvard University and reported that drinking an additional can of soda a day increased teens' risk of becoming obese by 60 percent.8 This study, which was widely reported in the press, spurred parents all over the United States to speak up against sugar-sweetened beverages in vending machines, especially in elementary schools. Under pressure, the beverage industries removed sugar-sweetened sodas in all their school contracts with elementary schools in 2006. This study, which was widely reported in the press, spurred parents all over the United States to speak up against sugar-sweetened beverages in vending machines, especially in elementary schools. Under pressure, the beverage industries removed sugar-sweetened sodas in all their school contracts with elementary schools in 2006.9 Meanwhile, other studies reported increased risks of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease among adults.10 These scientific studies provided further evidence for the need to control the public's consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages across the entire life span. Insights from the success of the tobacco-control movement in the United States suggest that multiple comprehensive strategies need to be engaged. These inelude clinical intervention so that doctors can help people lose weight; economic approaches such as taxing sugary drinks; regulatory efforts such as limiting access to sodas and sports drinks in schools; and educational strategies in schools, at work sites, and in the media as well as at point of purchase. These scientific studies provided further evidence for the need to control the public's consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages across the entire life span. Insights from the success of the tobacco-control movement in the United States suggest that multiple comprehensive strategies need to be engaged. These inelude clinical intervention so that doctors can help people lose weight; economic approaches such as taxing sugary drinks; regulatory efforts such as limiting access to sodas and sports drinks in schools; and educational strategies in schools, at work sites, and in the media as well as at point of purchase.11 We need to work to change the norms around sugary drinks: Water should be the choice nearly all the time, and sugar-sweetened soda should revert back to the "treat" status, something to have once a while, as it was up until a few decades ago. We need to work to change the norms around sugary drinks: Water should be the choice nearly all the time, and sugar-sweetened soda should revert back to the "treat" status, something to have once a while, as it was up until a few decades ago.
From a Life Cut Short, Countless Lives Are Saved In 1986, Countess Albina du Boisrouvray lost her only child, Francois-Xavier, who was twenty-four years old, during a helicopter mission in Mali.12 Instead of feeling devastated and drowning in deep sorrow, she decided to devote all her energy and resources to humanitarian causes that perpetuate the values of generosity and compassion that guided her son's life. She founded the Association Francois-Xavier Bagnoud (FXB International: www.fxb.org) by selling most of her own possessions and getting her friends involved. The mission of FXB, an international, nongovernmental organization, is to fight poverty and AIDS and to support orphans and vulnerable children left in the wake of the AIDS pandemic. Understanding the importance of the individual and collective contributions to a community, FXB offers comprehensive support to the families and communities that care for these children, assisting in the planning and building of these communities to be self-sustaining. FXB has over one hundred model programs in Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe. Instead of feeling devastated and drowning in deep sorrow, she decided to devote all her energy and resources to humanitarian causes that perpetuate the values of generosity and compassion that guided her son's life. She founded the Association Francois-Xavier Bagnoud (FXB International: www.fxb.org) by selling most of her own possessions and getting her friends involved. The mission of FXB, an international, nongovernmental organization, is to fight poverty and AIDS and to support orphans and vulnerable children left in the wake of the AIDS pandemic. Understanding the importance of the individual and collective contributions to a community, FXB offers comprehensive support to the families and communities that care for these children, assisting in the planning and building of these communities to be self-sustaining. FXB has over one hundred model programs in Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe.
Three Mindful Farmers Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a farm model in which members of the surrounding communities buy shares in a farm; in return, the members get produce and grains grown on that farm. Apart from the exchange of money for fresh, locally grown, often organic products, the CSA model builds important relationships between the communities, the food, and the environment.
There is a notable CSA farm in Santa Cruz, California-Freewheelin' Farm (www.freewheelinfarm.com)-that was started by three young farmers with a vision to provide the community with fresh, organically grown fruits and vegetables while caring for the earth, water, environment, and people that make it all possible. Besides practicing organic farming, they are committed to innovative irrigation and resource consumption analysis, striving to nurture their crops in the most sustainable and environmentally friendly ways. They work to minimize petroleum consumption, and they use recycled materials for all aspects of the farm. As their name suggests, they express their commitment to a greener environment by delivering fresh produce by bicycle!
Beyond growing fresh, healthy food, Freewheelin' Farm is mindful of the need to enhance a collective awareness in the local communities with regard to food, the environment, health, community renewal, and social responsibility, especially in the younger generation. They have developed programs to capture the interests and participation of young people and have been partnering with a youth-empowerment program in the school system to offer hands-on farm training, sustainable-agriculture education, and nutrition education.
The vision of these three farmers is exemplary, and their overall perspective on how to contribute to building a healthier community is admirable. They clearly see the interdependent nature of the land, the food, and the community, and the importance of engaging young people in planting the seeds for our future. This is a wonderful model that should be replicated in communities throughout the world.
Change the World, Step-by-Step Living in a healthy and supportive environment is a key part of attaining a healthy weight. You may be wondering: What can I do to support the healthy-eating and healthy-living movement? A good place to start is in your immediate environment. What elements are missing from your home environment, your workplace, and your local community that prevent you from nurturing your body and practicing healthy eating and active living? Chances are that the issues we raised in chapters 5 and 6 have alerted you to the many challenges and barriers you face. By now, you realize that you can't blame yourself solely for your past failures to reach your healthy weight. There were many external forces shaping your behavior and preventing you from reaching your goals. Reflect deeply on these challenges and barriers, because understanding them is important in helping you reach your healthy weight and live a mindful life. Everything can begin with you. You are the foundation of any change that will happen in your society. A student asked Thay, "There are so many urgent problems. What should I do?" Thay answered calmly, "Take one thing, and do it very deeply and carefully, and you will be doing everything at the same time."
Knowing that sugar-sweetened beverages are a foe to our weight goals, what can we do to control their consumption? Many of us may say that we just need willpower-that we just need to decide to not drink these beverages. But willpower is likely to be short-lived, especially when we are immersed in an environment that provides easy access to sweet, supersize drinks of twenty ounces a bottle or more. On top of that, we are bombarded with advertisements enticing us to gulp down these drinks. Take action so that you can safeguard yourself from these unhealthy choices.
Start with your immediate environment, your home. Don't keep sugar-sweetened beverages in your fridge. Instead, reconnect to the refreshing taste of tea or water flavored with lime, lemon, orange slices, or mint. When you are thirsty, drink water mindfully and you will discover how refreshing it is. At the cafeteria at work, ask the food-service manager to stock healthier drinks of flavored water and ones that are much lower in sugar-up to three teaspoons per twelve ounces, as recommended by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health.13 Do the same for your neighborhood convenience store. Petition, call, or e-mail the consumer hotlines at all the major beverage companies such as Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Schweppes or the manufacturer of any of your favorite drinks and ask them to create a lower-sugar drink of up to three teaspoons of sugar per twelve ounces. All businesses are consumer driven. They respond to customer demands. The more consumer requests the beverage industries receive, the more likely it is that they will commit to introducing new products. Do the same for your neighborhood convenience store. Petition, call, or e-mail the consumer hotlines at all the major beverage companies such as Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Schweppes or the manufacturer of any of your favorite drinks and ask them to create a lower-sugar drink of up to three teaspoons of sugar per twelve ounces. All businesses are consumer driven. They respond to customer demands. The more consumer requests the beverage industries receive, the more likely it is that they will commit to introducing new products.
You really enjoy riding the bike for your errands around town, but you are worried about safety, since the streets are busy with traffic and there is no bike path. Speak up at your local town meetings, and ask for bike paths to be built. You have already paid taxes to your town, and you have the right to request a safe environment for routine activities. Get your neighbors and friends to do the same, and be persistent. Don't be surprised if your advocacy effort for the bike path encounters some resistance from town officials, who are concerned about costs, or even from some other residents, who may initially see only potential negatives. Find like-minded neighbors to help you get the word out about a bike path's many benefits: A bike path will make families feel more at ease when their children ride their bikes around town, and it will also help reduce your neighborhood's carbon footprint and improve its air quality. Your action will bring the light of mindfulness to your town's elected officials, helping them act on their good intentions for the well-being of all.
Don't underestimate the power of mindful action. You can be a change agent for a healthier environment and for the future. To improve your environment and support healthy eating and active living, there are many needs and options. Take a look at the list of suggestions by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States.14 (See appendix E.) Focus on one area that you are drawn to and passionate about in bringing about change in your community, in your state, or even at the national level. It can be working to bring farmers' markets to your community or revitalizing your community's parks and playgrounds so that children and families can play safely. Or it can be calling the consumer hotlines of food manufacturers and restaurant chains to request healthier choices. There are numerous Web-based resources that give you ideas and help you change the world around you. (See appendix E.) Focus on one area that you are drawn to and passionate about in bringing about change in your community, in your state, or even at the national level. It can be working to bring farmers' markets to your community or revitalizing your community's parks and playgrounds so that children and families can play safely. Or it can be calling the consumer hotlines of food manufacturers and restaurant chains to request healthier choices. There are numerous Web-based resources that give you ideas and help you change the world around you.
To gain more insight and get more ideas on how to promote social change, so that healthy eating and active living can be a reality for all, visit the Web sites of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, in the United States (http://www.cspinet.org); the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, at Yale University (http://www.yaleruddcenter.org); the Canadian Obesity Network (http://obesitynetwork.ca); Sustain-The Alliance for Better Food and Farming, in the United Kingdom (http://www.sustainweb.org); the Parents Jury, based in Australia (http://www.parentsjury.org.au); Fight the Obesity Epidemic, based in New Zealand (http://www.foe.org.nz); and the International Obesity Task Force (http://www.iotf.org). You can see more ideas for social action at this book's Web site (http://www.savorthebook.com).
In your Mindful Living Plan, include a goal to participate actively in a community-based organization that is focused on improving foods and drinks or your environment. You will be helping not only to improve your community but also to improve your chances of sticking with your own healthy-lifestyle goals as you become surrounded by like-minded volunteers.
Every Day Is a Thanksgiving Day Every year on the third Thursday of November, Americans celebrate the national holiday of Thanksgiving, which has its roots in the centuries-old Native American tradition of celebrating and giving thanks for the harvest. With our realization of the interdependent nature of what what and and who who are needed so that we can eat well and stay active every day, Thanksgiving should be celebrated not just once a year. It should be celebrated more frequently-like ... every day. Make a habit of thanking silently all those whom you are connected to and dependent on, be it your spouse who prepared a healthy, delicious meal; the dedicated researchers who discovered the scientific wisdom on healthy eating; the cashier at the lunch line; the food businesses that offer us the healthy choices we need; the radio reporter announcing the farm bill that has just passed in Congress; the representatives and senators who worked tirelessly to pass legislature to improve our diets; or the physician who encouraged you to work toward a healthier weight. When we are in touch with our gratitude for all of these people, we will be inspired and energized to act and do our part to contribute to improving our own health and quality of life and that of many others. are needed so that we can eat well and stay active every day, Thanksgiving should be celebrated not just once a year. It should be celebrated more frequently-like ... every day. Make a habit of thanking silently all those whom you are connected to and dependent on, be it your spouse who prepared a healthy, delicious meal; the dedicated researchers who discovered the scientific wisdom on healthy eating; the cashier at the lunch line; the food businesses that offer us the healthy choices we need; the radio reporter announcing the farm bill that has just passed in Congress; the representatives and senators who worked tirelessly to pass legislature to improve our diets; or the physician who encouraged you to work toward a healthier weight. When we are in touch with our gratitude for all of these people, we will be inspired and energized to act and do our part to contribute to improving our own health and quality of life and that of many others.
Savor Every Moment None of us lives forever. While we are alive, all of us have the choice to live a life of mindfulness, leading to more peace and joy-or to live a life without mindfulness, leading to more anxiety and suffering. Every day, it is important to remind ourselves that all notions, things, and people are impermanent. That sickness and loss are inevitable. And that we need to live in the moment to be truly fulfilled. The Buddha encouraged his students to practice and reflect regularly on these Five Remembrances: I am of the nature to grow old. There is no way to escape growing old. old.I am of the nature to have ill-health. There is no way to escape having ill-heath.I am of the nature to die. There is no way to escape death.All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change. There is no way to escape being separated from them.My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground on which I stand.15 Savor the time you still have in this life. Savor every moment, every breath, every meal, every relationship, every action or nonaction, every opportunity to maintain your well-being and the well-being of our world. Integrate and practice mindfulness in your everyday living so that it becomes a habit, a way of life. Get others to join you, lending support to each other to eat, work, and live mindfully together. Living like this is your only true belonging and is the essence of a meaningful and fulfilling life.
NOTES.
Chapter 1: Ending Your Struggle with Weight.
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Chapter 2: Are You Really Appreciating the Apple? An Apple Meditation 1.J. Mooallem, Twelve easy pieces, New York Times New York Times, February 12, 2006.
Chapter 3: You Are More More Than What You Eat Than What You Eat The epigraph is taken from the Sutra of the Son's Flesh. The sutra is included in its entirety in appendix B. For commentary on the sutra from which the epigraph is taken, see Thich Nhat Hanh, The Path of Emancipation The Path of Emancipation (Berkeley, CA: Parallax Press, 2000), 8491. (Berkeley, CA: Parallax Press, 2000), 8491.
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