This is an experiment. I will start with a commitment of an year. I will try to do a little good. I study human rights and politics and it seems to me that all people around me, me included, have a great understanding on what should be done to help others. Yet we continue to enjoy their life of excessive consumption and gluttony, while most people cannot.
By writing this blog I will try to encourage myself and others to find the ways to change their everyday lifestyle to help others and themselves.
I will kick off by fasting for a week, starting tomorrow 14 April. Join me please. Would not mind to have others to share this with. For me, there are various reasons to start this, and getting rid of the winter weight is right there with the rest of them.
But seriously, I notice that my eating habits have changed from eating the necessary to eating all the time and endulging myself with wonderful food and sweets almost on a daily basis. This is while 14 percent of the world population is undernourished, 16 percent lack access to safe drinking water, 40 percent lack access to basic sanitation, and 854 million are illiterate. 15 percent lack access to health services, 17 percent have no adequate shelter, and 33 percent no electricity. One in three children in the developing world are underweight. So I think I'll be quite fine not eating for a week. I still have my warm bed, my shower and a toilet with running water. Even another one outside, although not eating, I doubt I need either one very frequently.
I hope a week of fasting will give me the possibility to reflect on my own lifestyle choices, and its affects on other people. I will try to end my fast by making some new choices that might reduce my weight on the world. Anyone with me? If other things wont change, we'll all have a kick ass body for the summer at least:)
4 comments:
“Be the change you want to see.” This is exactly the way to raise awareness instead of just complaining and nagging others about how unsustainably we live. In other words: Merit, you have my full support!
I will try to join in my own little ways this week, mainly through “conscious consumption” where I try to be aware of what I eat, buy and use, and by truly appreciating and respecting what I use to nourish my body. I believe a part of why our society is so sick and why we end up consuming excessively is because we are no longer in touch with our bodies and with what they need. If we were truly aware and in touch, there would be no such thing as fast food or obesity because no one would want to harm themselves in such ways. At the same time, what is saved here could be used to nourish people who are starving in other parts of the world.
Food is one of the most striking illustrations of the interconnectedness of all beings in this world. The food we receive on our plates is the result of work by countless people, plants and animals. By stopping for a moment before gobbling down our meal - putting the paper aside or turning off the TV - we can start to appreciate how amazing the food in front of us is. It will also allow use to recognize when we have something on our plates that does not increase our well-being. Through these little moments before every meal we can cultivate a healthier attitude towards food, compassion for those who are not lucky enough to have such wonderful, if any, food today, and gratitude towards the web of people who have made our meals possible!
So while Merit is fasting, I will try to learn something more about my relationship to food and the role of food in this world by stopping for a moment before attacking the meal in front of me. I encourage you all to do the same. It does not require as big a sacrifice as Merit’s, but can still be an eye-opening experience!
Thanks Tiina for your support. And thanks for deciding to do a contribution of your own. I have a few people who have decided to join in some ways at least, but lets see what all I can think of during the year.
My first day of fasting has been going well, I will give a full update in the evening.
Hi Merit,
I totally respect your decision, and it is truly a noble cause. However, I'd be worried about your health and your body if it would not be getting the right nutrients it needs to function properly. A radical change in diet needs much thought and research - perhaps after consulting an expert. Would you still be able to waste as little without having to deprive yourself of these basic needs?
Eating out less often, buying as much perishables as one is going to consume, and preparing just enough to eat are ways of reducing the amount of food being thrown away. Would also help if one thinks twice before binning some food. Quite often I see good bread being chucked away just because it's best before date has passed.
Having said that, I am totally for your cause, and this is - in fact - one of the reasons why I'm vegan (as well as animal rights, the environment and my own health). Just imagine how much agricultural land would be freed when not used for animal feed. Want some vegan recipes? =D
As for doing it for your body's shape, there are many ways to get what your body needs, like the different proteins and vitamins while reducing what's fattening, like excess sugar, carbs in general and fat.
Elias
Merit, my dear friend.
This is how I know you. Without having read your blog I have decided this weekend to only eat when I am hungry. It sounds so natural, but it isn't. We eat all day. When we have an appetite. When we are in good company. When we feel like it. When it is the time of the day. When we should eat to prevent hunger.
I think this goes along with your ideas. Reducing the our consumerism already starts at asking us what do we need. We need food when we are hungry. But only enough to fill us so that we are "satt" (words that english doesn't have) and not to overeat. But can we still have those Crème Brulées in Paris with a tea even when we are not hungry?
"This is while 14 percent of the world population is undernourished, 16 percent lack access to safe drinking water, 40 percent lack access to basic sanitation, and 854 million are illiterate. 15 percent lack access to health services, 17 percent have no adequate shelter, and 33 percent no electricity." This is what you wrote. But you don't even have to go as far as the world population. Remember the soupkitchen in Paris? Every week I talk to people who haven't eaten all day. People who don't have a place to sleep. People who have to eat in the rain. People who have to queu for a warm meal. People who can't just go and have a hot shower. And all that in the capital of France. I find it disturbing how the extremes live right next to one another in this city without even noticing one another. I think we can already start doing a lot of good in our own countries by giving one or two hours a week of our time to the people right next to us who need it. And they don't just exist in Paris. They are in Colchster, Berlin, Helsinki.
Well I just want let you know that I am thinking of you. That you inspire me with what you do. That I love your enthusiasm. I won't be fasting with you, but I am doing my part. Only eating when I am hungry. And fasting is on my list.
Yours Juliane
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