It sucked me under last week. Today. Feels like forever right now.
The rising tide of bad news and disappointment and just straight hardcore defeat. I started questioning this blog. I started questioning the fight.
(Is there a fight? I didn’t even know it WAS a fight. I don’t like fighting. Please stop.)
It started when I realized a company I love dearly uses a preservative that’s relatively questionable. Then, I found a list of MANY different companies that I formerly loved dearly and how they’re fudging it when they call themselves natural and/or organic.
Stewing ensued.
And then – THEN I read about how Whole Foods (and Trader Joe’s and Stonyfield) have all but bowed down to Monsanto and raised the white flag in defeat. Or, you know, just rolled over enough so that Monsanto could genetically modify us in the rear.
The gist: They’ve stopped insisting on oversight of GM alfalfa, and have called for peaceful coexistence between people who desire organics and Monsatano. The quote from this article that sums up the mood of the whole situation is this:
The Organic Inc. CEOs are tired of activist pressure, boycotts, and petitions. Several of them have told me this to my face. They apparently believe that the battle against GMOs has been lost, and that it’s time to reach for the consolation prize. The consolation prize they seek is a so-called “coexistence” between the biotech Behemoth and the organic community that will lull the public to sleep and greenwash the unpleasant fact that Monsanto’s unlabeled and unregulated genetically engineered crops are now spreading their toxic genes on 1/3 of U.S. (and 1/10 of global) crop land.
Completely out of control. To me, it feels like we’re no longer being given a voice. Our wishes are not being granted. The WORLD’S wishes are not just ignored by government and Monsanto, but a Wikileaks cable demonstrated that our government, in collusion with Monsanto, discussed retaliation against France for rejecting GM seeds/food.
Defeated, I felt, when I considered the ramifications of a behemoth corporation forcing the world – kicking and screaming – into their agenda.
The kicker, though … the thing that knocked me off my rocker and into a state of almost-giving-up-on-caring was this:
Bill Would Warn Public of Mood-Altering Drugs in Water
And here’s the deal with that: It’s just a small bill that an Arkansas legislator presented to the state. No biggie, except that it’s been discussed (for years) that perhaps the U.S. should consider putting statin drugs in the water supply to help reduce cholesterol. This is very dangerous. And now it looks like the case for adding lithium to the water supply is gaining momentum, too.
The quote that concerned me the most was this:
The bill states that such regulation is necessary in part because “public policy discussions of the prospects of adding lithium to the public water to alter human mood imbalances, and statin drugs to affect human cholesterol … have increased.
Frankly, I could sit here and list a dozen more doomy things I had the unfortunate pleasure to revel in the last few days.
They crippled me. Like, literally. I was so mired down in worry, fret, and concern that I couldn’t write … or look forward at all.
And then yesterday, my mother forwarded me some emails from an amazing man in Iran who writes her often. They’re incredible. And one of the things he said what was I needed to hear most:
You are the rider of your brain and you can take it anywhere. You can do anything from stopping it to letting it run uncontrolled. As the owners of our thoughts, we alone can choose to accept or reject them. It’s the same for any thoughts, not just fearful ones. Will a brain full of negative, trashy, or petty thoughts allow you have the life you really want?
The human brain creates thousands of thoughts every day but very few of them result in making a better life for the thinker. People readily accept thoughts into their brains and never ask the question, “Are these thoughts beneficial for my life? Are they allowing me to live a happier, richer, more beautiful life or are they just sinking me into a hole of doubts and fears?â€
Hm.
Food for thought.
Tastes good, at the moment.
I’m going to try it for the next week and see how it feels.
In examining, though, I’ve realized a few things: When this blog focuses on what other people (companies) are doing/not doing, I feel dejected and sucked into confusion.
When this blog focuses on what we can do – ourselves – at home, with our friends, I feel empowered and excited and good.
So … time to get back to the spirit of Crunchy Betty.
Look for new recipes soon!
—
PS – The winner of the Salus lip balm was comment #29 … Amy! Congrats again, Amy! I’ll get your lip balm in the mail as soon as the snow stops!
Natural Lip Balms You’ll Love – Plus a 3-Set Salus Lip Balm Giveaway!
We are fighting a battle currently that we don’t want to fight. I’m not your fighter. But, our county is trying to sneak in one of those giant mega dumps less than three miles from my house. They changed ordinances behind closed doors and under a code name to allow a 1,000+ acre landfill to come within 1000 feet of a residence. They’ve taken away liner restrictions and put no height restriction on it at all. Trash from several states will be brought to it and we will get about 200 trash trucks a day on our roads.
I know it’s not the same thing, not global. But, it’s wrong and icky. And I’m just saying, I understand that defeated feeling. But, we’ve been writing letters going to council meetings and generally being pests.
The council repealed most of what they’d Tuesday. And it was only because of the outcry from the public.
Focus on the good you can do, not the negative that can be done to you! I love your quote, but don’t get weighed down in the dirty dealings of others! If you do, it’s like they win twice. Don’t give them your positivity!
Sorry about the above rambling, I’m probably the reason lithium in the water is being considered.
I’m not allowed to come back, am I?
I promise I’ll try to stay on topic and have a coherent thought if you’ll give me another chance!
Ok, this was favorite part: The human brain creates thousands of thoughts every day but very few of them result in making a better life for the thinker. So true, but so sad. Should our thinking and learning help make our lives better??
In the spirit of feeling defeated, depressed, anxious and tired (misery loves company, eh? :), I have been realizing that I also need to work on my own thoughts (hence my mental detoxification plan from Tuesday, lol!). We really have more impact on ourselves with our own voices in our heads than anything else…and we have to harness our own internal influence for the better of our hearts, our souls, and our lives.
Keep the crunchiness coming, we love ya for it! 🙂
Oooh, one other thing; check out this rant from Mark Bittman (food critic from the NYT) http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/01/a-food-manifesto-for-the-future/
Keep fighting the good fight!! I am, and I try to spread the message to whomever will listen. You are very much appreciated, for your extensive research and your voice. And if the US can’t be bothered, I say we all move to Europe. No seriously. Btw-do you have a button on your posts to share them on twitter and facebook? I want to share your wisdom, but I’m a bit lost. Off to copy and paste the link!
Gosh – THANK YOU, lady!
(I also say we move to Europe. Especially the south of France. Maybe we should start planning … or, you know, at least do a scouting trip soon. Heh.)
Actually, just above the top of the “comments’ section, there’s a little bar that says “Sharing is Sexy” with links to all the different social media sites – it should just import links straight into them when you click on one.
I’ve often wondered if it’s obvious enough for people to see – now you’ve REALLY made me wonder. May have to switch to a different social-media-sharing plugin! Glad you asked!
A lot can seem overwhelming at times; but it is great that you are able to take a step back and look at it thoughtfully. There is a great book called Psycho-Cybernetics (I know, I know, crazy name) http://amzn.to/2aB7lTx — but it is really excellent.
Ride on, baby!
Haha! You’re going to love this. When I first read your comment, I thought you were recommending Scientology to me. (I confused Cybernetics with Dianetics.) Too funny!
So I checked out the book on Amazon, and whoa! I’ve read LOTS of self-helpish and new agey-ish books, but I’ve never even HEARD of this! The reviews make it sound doubly good.
I’ll be ordering it soon. THANK you for the recommendation!
Sure — I hope you enjoy it; it was recommended to me by my mentor and I’ve loved reading it. Super strange title, though! I’d love to hear what you think of the book (there is also a rebooted version that has been updated to include the strides that have been made in the psychology field since the 1960’s, when it was written, called Psycho-Cyverbetics 2000).
Your blog is one of my favorite things in my day 🙂
Aw, Crunchy, I am sorry you felt defeated this week. But you know what? I think you’re taking the right approach. Whenever I feel like I’m eating like crap, I think about kristin from peace, love and muesli and how she’ talks about how it’s okay to take baby steps and do things slowly.
Your blog is a baby step. And with a whole bunch of baby steps…who knows where you’ll go. 🙂
have a better week ahead.
Aw. So true, Gigi. I did a lot of pondering of your comment today, and really decided to embrace the fact that blogs ARE a sort of evolutionary thing. And nothing’s ever going to be perfect. (But the journey itself? Priceless.)
I just get SO terrified that I’m going to endorse someone who later turns out to be scary. Like, the amount of guilt that I’d feel? Tremendous.
Caring TOO much … sometimes it really hampers the blogging process. Sigh.
I’m a college student and a for my chemistry project we’re focusing on current(ish) events in the world of biology and chemistry and reading some no-fun-nasty-technical chemistry magazines. Pardon my french, but hoooooooooly SH*T there are some seriously messed up things being pumped into all aspects of our lives. I had realized we were in a very chemically polluted society, but the extent to which it reached in all aspects of life…and the extent to which it goes uncheck, supported even? After reading some of those articles I just sat there, dumbstruck and terrified. And then the hopelessness took hold. I was right where you were, wanting to curl up in a ball and cry and wait for the end.
The only way I could get over it was to get out and DO something. Its 6 degrees here, but going out to the barn really helped things. Getting out, touching something real, something natural (something that can be hard to do for college students who are stuck in 11×15 rooms and who spend a good portion of their lives studying and sitting in class surrounded by artificial things and handed artificial food) is the cure for me.
So go ride your horse, pet your dog, hug your cat, hold your kid or your love, put on a honey mask, open your fridge and touch those organic fruits and veggies, or go outside and see that some things still grow in the dead of winter, just find something REAL. In this world of artificialness we need to find and treasure those things that are real. We can’t take on the big baddies by ourselves. Find what is natural in your life and revel in it.
I LOVED this advice, lady.
You know what it actually made me go do? I bundled up in the -15 degree temperature and walked to one of the natural mineral springs here in town and filled up a giant jar full of mineral water. And I’ve almost drank the whole thing now.
(Interestingly, this particular spring already has a high level of natural lithium in it … ha.)
Anyway, made me feel SO much better. So THANK you!
It is hard to keep your head up, I understand that. But PLEASE try! You are an inspiration to me, I was sooo happy to come across your blog! I have a small bowl that my fiance dumps the coffee grinds into for me to scrub with, and the Mocha face mask was so fun because I got both of us to do it. I have been inviting friends over and have enjoyed at LEAST 4 recipes with them.
I was wondering why you were not posting recipes, but I have the same problem with my own blog. Just try to do what you can. We need to work to evolve to be better people, and unfortunately big business like Monsanto care more about the money than the people. It is especially hard on my family because we want to garden and grow for ourselves, but in that case it would be just me. (Fiancé in wheelchair) But we still try to do what we can.
But don’t take away the new found joy of whole foods on my face, and the best part (for me) is telling others about what the things scientifically do (like honey= antibacterial) and then getting them to try it. So please please keep posting.
THAT is an awesome visual – you and your fiance covered in coffee grounds.
Aren’t guys who join in on this the hottest thing ever? I haven’t talked my fiance into doing a facial mask with me for months … maybe that’s why I haven’t been as rrrowr lately. Guess who’s getting a homemade beauty treatment tonight? Ha!
Y’know, one thing I think I came to terms with during my mini breakdown was that blogging IS an evolution. There’s no real goal – no finish line. It’s just a constant developing.
There’s zen in that somewhere.
Yay! More stuff we can do. It’s all about the grassroots right now. Please keep blogging. It is much needed.
Grassroots, baby. That is what it is. And when I read this comment, it reminded me how true that is.
It’s not for us to worry so much about what other people are doing, but take our own paths the way we want them to go.
Personal responsibility, yeah? If we all just start being responsible for what WE’RE doing, maybe the “outside influences” will follow suit.
Yahoo Crunchy Betty!! I was excited to find your site because of everything I found about using food to clean and make me beautiful.
I decided a while ago to stop feeling dejected about what are essentially the lies we’re being told. I don’t have the time to put up that fight, but I do have time to make the changes in our home. It’s not a lot I know, but it’s what I can do right now. And, your postings get me to my goal!
YAAAAA Crunchy Betty!!
Yes! YES EXACTLY! I’ve been telling myself that about a lot of things lately “I don’t have time for this negativity if I want room for the positive …”
Thank you for the reminder. Mwah!
I agree, the more you read and hear about things, the less you feel like you can do. But we can do something…take a few simple ingredients and have some fun putting food on our faces. There is so much stuff out there that we can buy, but do we really need it all? I think that I am just going to put my energies toward having a great time making as much stuff as I can on my own! Don’t get too down, just keep on giving us the great things you have been…it really brightens my day to find a new recipe posted!
Hey, lady.
I just posted the new post, and I want to reiterate that you’ve been a HUGE inspiration for me to keep up the momentum. If it weren’t for you, I’d probably still be huddled in bed, staring at the wall.
So big love. Big, big, big, big love.
YES!! More what we can do. Less dependence on big companies and more recipes to make at home.
p.s. Have you read Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake or Year of the Flood? Great stories, about the genetically modified future. But maybe wait until you’ve mastered riding your brain.
I have! MA is one of my most beloved authors (I’ve often said that if I could choose anyone to write EXACTLY LIKE, it would be her). I read Oryx and Crake some time ago, but actually just got around to reading Year of the Flood last month.
It’s true, though, that just reading the imaginings of what could happen if companies like Monsanto are allowed to run rampant, unchecked, can cripple you even more.
Oddly, though, the books give me hope: Mainly because I figure because we’re aware of potential disastrous results, we’ll do something to stop it before it happens.
I mean, most of the time I think things like that. Last week all I was thinking about was hiding under the blankets and doing nothing while waiting for the Apocalypse.
when I took an environmental studies class in high school (yeah San Francisco rocks like that) my teacher kept saying that the purpose was to “move from depression into action” but I hear sit many (many) years later sometimes unable to move….
when you figure out a positive action step for the Monsanto debacle please let me know…I’ve just been rocking in the fetal position for days…
PS you absolutely must continue this blog, I will hound you daily if you quit
Ah, San Francisco.
I was depressed and felt powerless for years before I started this blog, and then I started it … and felt the burgeoning glimmers of hope. Last week plunged me back into this depression, though. Thinking a) I really don’t want to fight. “That which you resist, persists” and all, right? and b) it doesn’t matter if I did want to fight. What chance does a little person like me have against Monsanto?
They don’t get to decide what’s available for me to eat. I get to decide that (unless the government decides to decide for us). But the only way I can have what I want now is to grow my own food.
So now it becomes a question of what’s most important to us: Convenience or autonomy.
I looooove that quote – “You are the rider of your brain….” And, if it helps you any, know that you are an inspiration. You recently inspired me to make home made coconut oil lotion. Small steps. Individuals. We can each make the choices that make our lives and our world better. Bit by bit.
Oh, crud! I went to your blog after I read your comment and then forgot to reply – I was so sucked in!
Okay. I read your coconut oil lotion experience, and I MUST try that soon. It sounds so danged easy, and heavenly (the best things are almost always the simplest, right?).
Thank you!