Living Justly or Just Living?

Are we living justly or are we just living? Have we gone through this class saying that were going to try to make a difference or are we really going to try? If we are going to try, are we going to try consistently or are we going to try when someone needs us? I can’t answer for everyone in the class but we all have to figure this all out ourselves. There is one thing that I can say about the people in this class is that something has changed in the way we view food and the community. The thing we all need to ask ourselves is: are we going to act on what we say or we just going to sit around while knowing exactly what to do to make a difference?

No one in this class is a bad person; we are all genuinely good people. But doing absolutely nothing with what we learned is exactly what Kidder describes as people who are not meeting expectations. “It's like a guy on our own team, a nice guy, who said he would help with a water project in a town here, but only if the people really showed they wanted it” (291). We seriously need to do something with the information that we have learned from this class because there are a lot of people that don’t know anything about nutrition, community building with food, and eating locally. We have always stressed that there needs to some sort of education for people about what we learned in this class. So why don’t we just start by telling people (people we know for starters) about the things we have learned. Is that not going to make a difference in someone’s life?

Now I know I’m writing about how we should be doing things but I’m definitely not doing as much as I could. All I’m doing right now is informing people about what I’ve been learning in this class with my family and some friends. Sometimes I’ll get the occasional “I don’t care” but sometimes I’ll get a “really? Wow!” and it makes things easier for me to tell people about random facts about community and food. But I know I can do more, I receive emails from Marin Organic but I can never show up because I’m busy with my own personal life. I need to step up but I’m doing what I can. I’m trying my best to live justly not just live.

Observation and Application (from Courtney)

Paul Farmer clearly sets a heroic example for the rest of the world. But instead of idolizing the man, like a defenseless infant looks up at the fireman who saved its life, his example is best honored by following it. His efforts have ultimately manifested on a worldwide scale, as noted by Kim Jim when the World Health Organization adopted new prescriptions for dealing with MDR-TB, who wrote to Tracy Kidder, “the world changed yesterday (299).” However, what strikes me most about this statement is that Kim Jim did not say, “Paul Farmer changed the world yesterday.” This distinction may seem trite, but upon closer inspection, it reveals itself as the mountain beyond the immediate mountain. Furthermore, he seems to have managed the most daunting mountain above all: Pride. Pride has scared me out of taking action countless times. I had such a strong desire, but never could I manage the fact that affecting change upon the world takes time. I wanted to be world-renowned for impacting the world in a positive way, and I believed that I could, but I didn’t want to admit that true belief goes beyond thought. Until I began treating people I met every day the way I believed the world should be treated, without any recognition other than the internal sense of strength, I hadn’t truly believed what I thought.

Just about everyone on Earth can recognize a problem when certain veils are lifted, but few reach the conclusion that global problems affect them personally. And barely anyone actually takes responsibility and acts to solve such problems as Farmer has. This colloquium also struck me, which is why I decided to take the classes over medieval studies or some-such option. I want to help change the world, but the things that need changing are almost inextricably entwined and stacked upon one another that taking action requires a superhuman level of focus. However, recognizing that the simple, local injustices are powerful indications or symbols of the complex, global injustices has made action seem more plausible. Conversely, Farmer stands as a powerful symbol for the simple, local solutions that eventually turned into their own massive movement.

The Little Things Matter (from Pedro)

“If you do the right thing well, you avoid futility… ‘You have to believe that small gestures matter, that they add up to something’” (295). This statement is very true and I agree with it 100 percent. I always hear people say that they didn’t do something because it wouldn’t make a difference, for example, voting. They see themselves as just one really small person in the world and that they can’t make any change but this is not true. I know from experience that you do not necessarily have to change the entire world to do some good. Even just changing one persons world, can fill you up inside with happiness and love. Honduras is a third world country where my family is from and I visit every 2-4 years because I have family over there. Going over there and seeing some of the poverty and the way the kids live makes me really sad, so I always try to do what I can for them. I know that I have a lot of clothes that I do not wear all the time, therefore I always leave them clothes that they can wear. I know they love the soccer stuff I leave them, to see the smile on their face just for a piece of material really makes me appreciate what I have and makes me want to give back to those who do not have that privilege. I know it doesn’t come close or compare to what Paul Farmer has done but making someone happy or doing something good for another person can make you feel really good, especially if you are doing it with a kindness and happiness in your heart. Now I know why my mom is always so happy to watch us open our presents on Christmas morning. The little things do add up.

point blank

"If you do the right thing well, you avoid futility. . .'You have to believe that small gestures matter, that they do add up'" (295)

Step by step, little by little, we will eventually get there. As Dr. Seuss once wrote, "A person is a person no matter how small." Many people do not realize how much power or significance they truly possess. Even a small statement has its own effect in the world. If people realized their ability to make such differences, maybe they would not be so hard on themselves. In some cases, instead of just not acknowledging their potential, some people are crippled by the fear alone that they are capable of change. "Why me? I am just an average joe or jane." People need to fully embrace it and recognize that they are really are the masters of their own destiny. It does not matter whether you are a male or female, young or old, black and white or rainbow. Several of us tend to pass aside the torch of responsibility once they are given it. In contrast, when we lack power, we tend to try and achieve it. As this colloquium class learned from reading Love and Power, it displays the same epic battle between love and power. It is difficult to find the desired happy medium of the two mentioned subjects. In the book, it is mentioned continuously that stumbling and falling happens frequently during the process of finding the much yearned for balance. These trips and whatnots are almost like requirements for such change to occur. Relating back to the original point, it is key to realize that sometimes a fall during the road of success can also help you not delay you as some tend to act as such. A trip or fall or stumble could only delay you or disable you if you let it. They could be the assets or stepping tools for such progress, such development, such change. Realizing one's true potential or even the tiniest thing could do so much, maybe the world would be a better place. It would not just be a place of reluctancy and hestitance. TAKE A STEP UP!! LOOK AT YOURSELF NOT THE GUY NEXT TO YOU! If one desires a change so bad, realize instead of expecting one, be the change. As the quote goes, "be the change you wish to see in the world."

"If you do the right thing well, you avoid futility. . .'You have to believe that small gestures matter, that they do add up'" (295) This quote represents a theme that has been present to myself through out this semester. I used to think that even helping out in the slightest way could make a difference. I seriously never considered that I could really impact and help make positive changes in someones life. Of course there is the exception of my family and friends but I did not think that by just talking and spreading the word about what we have been learning in class could affect someone. Now in my future I want to spend more time being out in the community informing people of the knowledge I have gained and will continue to gain from this class. Healthy eating, sustainable living and just being more aware of every day life.

"I imagine that many people would like to construct a life like Farmer's, to wake up knowing what they ought to do and feeling that they were doing it right. But I can't think that many would willingly take on the difficulties, giving up their comforts and time with family." (213). I believe that this quote holds true for many people, including myself. I would love to be able to wake up and know exactly what I am doing with my life is actually helping others and making a positive impact on this planet. However I know that having that luxury is not very realistic hence why so many people feel trapped and small in this world. I think that if everyone could realize that we all have the power to make changes, even if they are small ones, the world would be a better place. It is OK to feel intimidated by the largeness of this world but instead of hiding behind ones fear we need to embrace the endless opportunities we have and need to take full advantage of the power we have inside.

Lost War

“Why do we intervene as aggressively with one kid and not with?” was a question asked by the doctor interviewed in this book (286). It is an interesting issue when it comes to the medical world, because it involves health. More importantly it involves the issue of morals and intention. There are always going to be times when our morals will be tested. A lot of people will do many good deeds when they know that other people will be watching, but will not lift a finger when the cameras are off. The same goes to supporting seemingly lost causes. This can refer to war, or disease, or sports, but the example in this excerpt involve that of allowing the most seriously injured individuals to get help first. This has always been a major issue for those who don’t have the resources available. When this situation occurs, a distinction has to be made as to who is suffering the most, but has a chance to survive (287). A smaller example of this refers to the “good Samaritan” scenario. When a driver on the highway spots someone who needs help, a part of the decision to help will involve the appearance of the individual. What this means is that when they will spot a person in need of help and if they look attractive or the problem seems minor, an attempt to help will be made, priority will be made to those people even if a quick solution cannot be found. Throughout this semester I have read traces of this principle and was illustrated when I did my gleaming project. They send out produce to local schools in the area knowing that there will still be students getting their proper nutrition.

It adds up

After a semester long of learning about food, specifically how we should eat it, what we should eat, and how we should distribute it, has come to an end. And what do we have to account for it? I believe, that everyone in this Colloquium class, has always and will probably always have a different idea of what we learned, and what we should take from this class. I know, on my own personal view, I came into this class clueless and not sure how I felt about my own diet and the world food system. Now, after ten weeks, I have realized I need to pay more attention to what I eat, and focus more on how I can help to make my part. Yes, I still have some reservations, but I am not being close minded to accepting any change, as I most likely would have at the beginning of the semester.
Just as Farmer describes his power: Doctoring is the ultimate source of his power, I think. His basic message is simple: This person is sick, and I am doctor. Everyone, potentially, can understand and sympathize, since everyone knows or imagines sickness personally. And it can’t be hard for most people to imagine what it would be like to have no doctor, no hope of medicine” (295). I would like to think as our class’s simple message of power is similar to Farmer’s: Food is the ultimate source of power, I think. Our basic message is simple: This person is hungry and needs help, we are people and can help. Everyone, potentially, can understand and sympathize, since everyone knows or imagines food personally. And it can’t be hard for most people to imagine what it would be like to have no food, no hope of health. We all saw a need in the School Lunch Program, so we helped with our power by gleaning and educating youth. We were even able to raise money to transport students so they could glean on their own. Whether we would like to accept it or not, we have all made a difference by being in this class to the School Lunch Program. While some have helped more than others, and some don’t see it, we have made some change in at least one student’s life to pay attention and eat a little healthier, because we were there---to go gleaning with them, or to educate them on eating healthy.
We have all made a change to the Marin School Lunch Program. I have even made a change to my food lifestyle, as of recently, and I am sure I am not the only one. Although things may seeem futile in the beginning, small gestures “add up”. Just as our change to the lunch program will help students eat healthier. Just as I will get a healthier life. These gestures only continue to grow, bring hope, and make a change.

Like Farmer

The quote about how we do not all have to be like Paul Farmer is clearly what this colloquium class is about in my view, “What PIH-ers should take from Paul wasn't a manual from their own lives but the proofs he'd created that seemingly intractable problems could be solved. […] 'Because if the poor have to wait for a lot of people like Paul to come along before they get good health care, they are totally fucked'" (244). Throughout this class, we are taught to become leaders and engage ourselves with the surrounding community. Like Paul Farmer, we created solutions to providing students with better meals and fresh fruits and vegetables. Instead of following Farmer as a manual, we have used him as a guide and made it possible for students to go glean and learn about where their food comes from. We often do not realize in this class that we are causing major changes within our community; we have created new methods for these students to get better lunches and such. A perfect example of this is Miguel, like Farmer, he did not have take on such a difficult position, but he did because he believes that there will be a positive outcome and that every student deserves healthier meals as with Farmer and every person should have available medical treatment. There are several examples that demonstrate how people take on responsibilities to help others. Ti Jean is one of these people, Farmer’s chief of staff, and “He has the right attributes. Ti Jean gives portions of his own salary to destitute patients. He has said, about Nation Highway 3, ‘I’d rather we have a fixed road and a hundred thousand extra patients a year, because it’s our vocation to receive them’” (281). There are plenty of people like Farmer that we have read about of encounters, each contributing to a greater change in the world.

-Stephanie Huynh

Time to change..

The legacy that Paul Farmer has created has changed the world. He has looked into health care making it something everyone deserves without looking at the income or lifestyle they have. Everyday he wakes up feeling unable to make all the changes he wants yet still pushing through to continue the progression. "If you respect someone and you have a deep affection and admiration for the people you're with, you should embarrass yourself by singing for them. So i will sing for you." (page 250) This a good quote in my opinion because i feel like in life to progress embarrassment has to happen. Humility is some thing very beautiful and rare to find in this world. Farmer has been able to find it and share it with those he has helped. The more we can put ourselves on the line to share something true and be vulnerable the more others will follow our lead.
Following dreams is something to be valued as well. How often on a daily basis do we follow the dreams we set? It should be something much more prevalent. "The dream seemed impossible, of course, but he still held to it." (page 261) Farmer believed he would be able to do anything he set him mind to and that is why he has been so successful. It hasn't been without stress however. I think the more we are able to act as one the better chance we have at making a real difference. A single voice is definitely not as loud as many. "So many hearts beating through a single stethoscope." (page 298)

Last PROMPT! for last section in Mountains Beyond Mountains

Choose any of the following ideas to reflect on in relationship to the work that we have been engaged in this semester in the community and/or class themes, other reading etc. Please bring in other quotes/examples from the reading to further support you points.

We don't all need to be, nor can we, be Paul Farmer. Each of us has our own, unique way of expressing our values and desire to participate in the world: "What PIH-ers should take from Paul wasn't a manual from their own lives but the proofs he'd created that seemingly intractable problems could be solved. . . 'Because if the poor have to wait for a lot of people like Paul to come along before they get good health care, they are totally [screwed]'" (244).

Questions of equity, who wins/who loses, long defeat or just doing what is right?
". . . triage isn't supposed to imply withholding care from anyone; rather it's identifying the patients in gravest danger and giving them priority. . . What else is a 'preferential option for the poor' in medicine?" (287). Yet, there are always the questions about the ways in which energy and resources are spent, as Farmer says, "I have fought the long defeat, and I'm not going to stop because we keep losing. . . sometimes we win. I don't dislike victory. . . [but] people from our background. . . we're used to being on a victory team, and actually what we're really trying to do in PIH is to make common cause with the losers (288). On the next page, Farmer says, "I don't care if we lose, I'm going to try to do the right thing" (289).

Complexity and double standards/expectations:
"There's also a sociopolitical lesson to draw. . .'The woman who said to me years ago, Are you incapable of complexity? That was an epiphany for me. Are you going to punish people for thinking TB comes from sorcery? It's like a guy on our own team, a nice guy, who said he would help with a water project in a town here, but only if the people really showed they wanted it. What if that standard had been applied to me when I was a kid, before I knew that water could carry organisms that made people sick?" (291).

Also: "If you do the right thing well, you avoid futility. . .'You have to believe that small gestures matter, that they do add up'" (295).

Others before ones self..

I love Paul Farmer. He is the type of person that inspires the whole world. I mean, it is incredibly evident that he has already done so with his work with PIH. As i was reading Mountains Beyond Mountains i couldn't help but feel inspired to do my own type of human service work and give every ounce of power, money and care i have to others. I do feel that in my life i devote a lot to others. I never put myself first, which usually gets me into trouble, but it makes me feel good and happy plus the added bonus of helping others. I don't know how Mr. Farmer is able to do what he does with his constant grant writing, travailing, and going above and beyond what the call of duty is. He is an inspiration to the entire world. Imagine what would happen if there were more people like him on the planet. Imagine how different our health care would look today. We wouldn't have as many people suffering on the streets in wheelchairs because the cost of an amputated leg made them homeless. Something else i think i do to inspire the world or community is through my art of dance. I think the passion i exude enhances others to do whatever they want. Passion speaks very loudly. Farmer's whole revolution is now a huge phenomenon. This is because of the passion he has for what he does. He will make health care something amazing, he's already done it in many countries. He is changing the world and helping to inspire the world to change it as well.

From Courtney: Internal Patience=External Progress

The value of a service is not based on how much money it will rake in. I have never been one to really deify money, but I do know what it feels like to do someone a favor out of pure kindness, and as soon as money enters the equation, that favor feels cheapened somehow. When I get paid for something, the person paying me usually doesn't know me well enough to provide a truly useful compensation, so I've deduced that a paycheck is an easy out of getting to know a person. The message I attempt to send when acting out of kindness is “all I need from this situation is to participate in it,” and in an ideal world my example inspires more participation, which to me, like Farmer, is worth more than paper compensation. Farmer articulates this point by stating that he, “feel[s] ambivalent about selling [his] services in a world where some can’t buy them. You can feel ambivalent about that, because you should feel ambivalent." I’ve learned that price does not notate the quality or importance of a service or human creation.

Rudolf Virchow, Paul Farmer’s role model, believed that, “physicians are the natural attorneys of the poor, and the social problems should be largely resolved by them,” thus acknowledging that an acceptable reward for his work would be social change, not fame or financial stability. I admire Paul Farmer for his advocacy of health, but more deeply, I admire his internal conviction to keep that advocacy alive and progressive. For instance, when a Haitian soldier entered the hospital, Farmer told him no guns were allowed. The soldier asked of Farmer: “Who are you to tell me what to do?” And Farmer responded clearly and bluntly: “I’m the person who’s going to take care of you when you get sick.” Farmer knew his purpose was to spread health and care for as many people as possible in his lifetime. The knowledge of this provided him with great power. Taking his life as an example, I have learned the importance of becoming objectively educated about oneself. Patiently discovering one’s passions and challenges. And once that kind of knowledge is amassed, a person is able to participate confidently and positively in the world.

The way Farmer is so selfless amazes me. He could have a very successful life in the United States. He has highly respected degrees of education and is respected among the medical community. Instead of making a ton of money and living a cushy life here the fact he has decided to open and run a free clinic in Haiti is beyond amazing and noble. His simple belief is that everyone should have free medical care-no mater the social standing or level of wealth. His philosophy and beliefs lead clinic to be as successful as it has been and has lead to influence other doctors to come to Haiti and be a part of his hospital. It takes a lot of courage and strength to move to an extremely poor country and help others as your life’s work and I have a lot of respect of them-it is something I do know if I could do for my career. However I have never experienced being I a country of extreme poverty so my mind could change if I am in the surroundings. I think that is what motivates Farmer and his collogues; being around the people, feeling such accomplishment after saving a life-even though the material benefits are no where the same as they could receive in other locations, the physical feeling must feel amazing. Learning to let go of the feeling good when doing things for yourself and learning to drop the selfishness and embrace the feeling of doing good for others I think is a very important lesson to learn and one I am striving to achieve everyday.

I had gone to a high school where sustainability and community service was very important and they incorporated it into the curriculum. Giving back always seemed like part of my schoolwork and it was not until this colloquium that I opened my mind up to seeing giving back to the community in a new way. Learning about health and nutrition and being able to tie it into the community was really cool for me. Reading the books have helped me to realize the little ways I can make differences everyday. By beginning to understand the power I could have has opened myself up to want to do more-not just for other peoples benefits but for myself as well. I have learned that working with young adults and teaching them new information that pertains to their life makes me feel really good and accomplished. Even if I walked away with just teaching one kid, I still know I made a difference. Also through this colloquium I have learned how messed up our food system here in the United States really is and I am making much better choices now. I have always ate organic but I am now looking at labels and trying to buy locally organic as much as possible. I am informing my co-workers, peers and family members of the statistics and articles we read in class. I like that through my class I have been able to teach others.

Selfless

Selflessness is defined as the act of sacrificing one’s own interest for the greater good. Selflessness is Doctor Paul Farmer. This is an educated man who could have done anything with his life. He could have worked for a hospital, maintained a steady job, and made a large amount of money. Instead, this man spends his days treating people who are less fortunate and tries to make a difference in people’s lives. This is the man who I mentioned in class discussions that “stepped up” and actually did make a difference rather than talk about it. The prompt asks what about him resonates with me, and I respond his legacy. Dr. Farmer spends only four months of the year with his family and spends the rest of the year helping patients in areas such as Haiti (23). He holds the health of others higher than he does his own family. His selflessness is beyond what most people can comprehend. He doesn’t even have a comfortable house as he travels, he just stays in a tent just like everyone else (51).

Farmer is the hero for this class as we are trying to make a difference with our work with service learning. If this man can bring so much positive change into the lives of many almost alone, imagine the possibilities we can do as communities. Just this past week as I looked at food banks for the food assessment project, I learned that local farmers donate excess to them in order to share with people around the community who are in need to food. Finding this our surprised me because I thought all the food was provided from the USDA but was also community driven. It was great to hear that the efforts that we have all been talking about in class have really been put to action in small communities around Marin County. These acts may not match the selflessness of Paul Farmer but it is what it is: selflessness.

The Same

I admire/believe in strongly the standpoint of Dr. Farmer, where he wants universally everyone to be treated the same way. I do not think it is fair or even remotely practical to treat anyone differently from one another. For example, if someone is always harassing someone else from verbal insults to actual physical action, then asks the person who does nothing to be nicer, that is not logical at all. Regardless of people's diverse statuses in the world (ranging from gender to age to race to political party to etc.), people should still be treated fairly. As a Psychology major whose long term goals are being a psychologist for any age and helping as many people and animals before I die, I take this belief to heart. In my opinion, everyone is the same deep down. No one is entirely good or entirely evil. We all have strengths and weaknesses. No one needs any additional assistance than others. Furthermore I do not think a person should ever feel weak about needing or requesting help of any kind. It shows more courage to take a stand and ask for assistance. In many ways members of this colloquium class shows these traits and acts of service mentioned above. All of us have different backgrounds and standpoints but we all should be treated the same as anyone else. Some of us use food stamps, while some of us have never even heard of a food bank. Some of us have a good share of cash, some of us might still rely on an allowance. Some understand things from class on a personal level, while others only understand it from then the bystanders' point of view. Whatever it may be, it is. However we should be treated the same.  If I am willing to give you a hand, it is only right to assume I would like a mutual hand to return to me as well. That I believe, can quite simply the meaning of life. Why deny someone something I would like myself? There, there is no exact reason not to. Here's to a more tolerate, equal future. Let's raise all of our hands into this one. When the hands meet, we will see we are all the same deep down. No more segregation, just unity. After all, what are the first three letters of unity? U N I (aka you and I). Exactly. Point made.

Prompt for Mountains beyond Mountains. . .

What aspect of Paul Farmer's and Partner's in Health story resonate with you? What does this story tell you about how individuals might come together to address seemingly insurmountable issues? How did Farmer's personal philosophy/how he wanted to live his own life-- influence the people he chooses to collaborate with and the approaches that PIH take to these huge, complex issues? Of course, we don't all have Farmer's boundless energy and drive--we each have our own way of moving forward and making choices about the issues that are important to us. What are you taking away from this colloquium that informs you in some way regarding your own philosophy, choices, working with others, shared human and environmental issues? What connections can you draw between the ways in which PIH addresses a complex issue and some of the ground that we have covered together over the last few months? What have you learned about complexity, shared issues, meaning and what motivates you? What do you think motivates Farmer and his colleagues etc?

From Bioneers Conference: We live in critical and wondrous times

The Challenge is Great! from Bioneers on Vimeo.

Power to change

In finishing this book I looked for only the positive ideas Lappe talked about. I fully believe in the changes our world needs to apply for survival. We can accomplish this through an active and orderly democracy. We have to be understandable with the process we are facing. It will take time and knowing that will change the frustrations we might feel. The other thing we have to do is have patients. “In order to multiply the courageous, we can actively protect, publicly reward, and honor truth tellers – including those risking humiliation, livelihoods, or their lives to uphold democratic values. “ (page218) This gives us opportunities to expand our ideas in only a positive way. What can life be if we have an open positive mind? How much progression can be produced with that type of heart? I believe that the more our society, as a whole, thinks like that the more we can get ourselves out of the problem areas we face. “We can transform these assailants into that which can save us.” (page174) Time goes by, we can either carry each moment with an idea of togetherness or we can just watch it pass. The people who let it pass are those who are afraid. I do not want to be afraid of what is in store for me. I will accept it as it comes and make the best of that. People who fear don’t every truly get that chance to live. “We can remake the idea of fear itself and reshape our instinctual responses.” (page166) We can change. Democracy can change.

The Invaluable Resource

Humility is a virtue that is often overlooked until the moment when it is displayed. What makes humility so difficult is the fact that we as a race are proud and we give ourselves a false sense of entitlement to what is around us. To admit that things aren’t the way we perceive we first must admit that the other view is more accurate and that is not always the easiest thing to do. An example of this would be war. Each point of view intends to make the other point view appear evil or misguided while making their angle on the matter appear like the logical and well-meaning side. With that in mind we are brought to the point of the probability of success and failure: which is more of a perception issue than actual reality. The failure to do one thing means to successfully achieve another thing. Many times the reason we fail isn’t because what we were pursuing was out of reach, but rather our resources were not applied properly. For example, it was said that humans cannot fly, and now we take the idea of flying for granted. However, look at it this way: before flight was possible people had to fail. Does that mean that they failed because the probability of success didn’t favor them? No, what it meant was that they had the right resources, but they didn’t apply them in such a way that would make flight possible. Now that brings the point of people who go to college. Most would say that going to college is expensive and in some cases impossible. But while some may have the money to enter college, if they don’t apply themselves academically, they might as well not have the money. Then there are those who have the brains, but don’t have the financial resources. Though it may sound cold, almost everybody has the resources to go to college, but most prioritize other things. This results in the misapplication of resources in favor of something else; resulting in the failure to enter college. If we can identify, with some confidence the conditions that bring out the worse in us, we know what to do”. (181)

From Amber. . .

I’m not too sure about how I should feel towards this book. I mean, when I started out reading, I didn’t like the author’s ideas at all, but then I found myself agreeing to some of her ideas on life as I continued to read. I’m really struggling trying to figure out what she stands behind though, because I find her contradicting herself a lot. I also find that she points and puts the blame on humans rather than pointing the issues out, placing the blame on no one, because it’s no one’s fault really as to why the world functions the way it does. Placing blame suggest that there is no room for change in my opinion.
One statement made in the book was, “We as humans see pretty much what we expect to see.” (158) This is one that I just can’t sit with. This statement to me has blame written all over it. I believe some humans go through life this way but not all, I believe a lot of us go through life seeing what is put in sight, because of many different reasons; whether its just society, culture, race, whatever. Our society as a whole has created things that give humans the right to expect. Well some humans. My family always told me, “Never expect anything.” So I don’t. Which is why I disagree. Expecting is a path to failure and yes some humans do it but a lot more don’t go through life this way. If all humans were this way, there would be no such thing as creativity, change, movement, etc. So yes I, agree that some people don’t live outside the box and see what they expect but I will not let her place everyone in the same grouping, especially being an artist.
I also find myself scattered because her thoughts are scattered throughout the reading. I’m not disliking the book completely because Lappe’ does hold some valid points. “The danger lies in refusing to face fear…courage is more exhilarating than fear and in the long run it is easier.” (165) This for example is a beautiful quote to me. Fear is one of the reasons I can agree with her idea that humans see what they expect. If you have fear all you see and expect to see is failure. There’s nothing to look forward to when living with fear. Courage is what we all need. If we as a community think courage than our world could quickly become a better place. I love that she brought this up. We’re often held back as a community because of fear, which then leaves us “powerless”, as she would say.
I believe this book suggest change in some way. We just need to think positive outside the box, to move towards change. “Where do we go from here?” (224) We can only move forward, because what’s done is done in the world. Living democracy is a must, power and love must combine, fear must disappear and hope must grow.

Righting Wrongs

"It's hard, but sometimes we get lucky. We get a kick in the pants. We experience a moment of internal dissonance in which we suddenly realize that our old ways of seeing no longer helps us make sense of the world." (158)

Geez, when is that NOT true? I have always been a very stubborn person. I am the person that refuses to admit they are wrong even when all signs show how incorrect they really are. I have also been the type of person that either blames themselves all of the time or not at all. I personally had multiple "kick in the pants" all through my life. However one key moment rings a very loud bell to me at the time and still now.

I thought proving friendships that seemed rather unfavorable would benefit from giving certain tests to the friend/s. In the process, it nearly ruined a friendship ultimately. I would regularly test my friend from seeing if they would answer their phone/text at several times early in the morning or late at night to borrowing random stuff to just having a sporadic talk out of the blue. I thought I was fully in the right place by doing all of this stuff. If anything, not only was I in the wrong place actually but I could have been the textbook example of how wrong I was. My so-called necessary tests were maiming my already sensitive friendship. I saw how irritated and annoyed my friend would get. Did the signs stop me from distributing more tests? NOT AT ALL. 

As for the long overdue kick in the pants moment was this.  My friend did not only get beyond frustrated and bothered with my antics, but he told me he would never talk to me again and that we were through. I have always feared of pushing any of my friends away and them saying any of those words. I was at long last meeting one of my biggest fears. It made me realize I do overreact, over-think, over-speak, over-analyze, and how utterly over I am with the tests. Maybe in the beginning of the friendship, a few tests are fair game to figure out what type of person you are befriending is. 10 million tests per month no, not fair at all. I saw my over-analyzations although occasional fun, can lead to damaged situations. I could not see anything as simple. It made me jealous of a small gesture to someone saying "hi". I learned to take things as they are or least not as extreme heightened versions of themselves. I am just starting now to breathe a little more balanced, content. This was needed and will be continued. This time I will admit I was wrong but at least, I am right in admitting to it :)

Standing up to fear

"As fear spreads throughout our culture, it's not surprising that many of us are even more tempted to run from conflict" (168)

Lappé talks a lot in these three chapters about standing up for what you believe in, not letting your fear stop you from questioning authority or compromising your integrity. She tells us to stand up and break the cycle of fear. She claims just raising her hand to speak out against Al Gore was enough to make her realize that feeling of fear can be squashed. However it is not as easy as that. Sure we are taught to stand up and not let anyone stop us but it is much easier said than done. Acceptance is something we all as humans strive for. Acceptance from our parents, our peers, bosses etc. As we learned in power and love, no one wants to be alone, we strive to gain love from others while maintaining a certain level of power. As much as I wish I could say every time I wanted to say something I have, that would be a lie. I hate conflict, I don't like fights and I don't like arguments. However throughout reading this book I have learned to look at conflict in a new light. Conflict can be a good thing. It can be ways to open up the eyes of someone else, arguing in a positive way is possible. "We must rethink fear itself so that we can see what some others may not want to see and say what they may not want to hear" (173).I've learned that voicing your opinion can open someones eyes up and challenge their point of view. It is a way to open up someones mind while letting yourself be free and staying true to your beliefs. I have no always said everything I have wanted to say before for fear or sounding ignorant, or upsetting others but now I am going to start to have some more confidence in myself and my believes. Who knows it might open up someones mind and change their way of viewing the subject. To me that is powerful and that is ways that I can begin to break my own cycle of fear-instead of letting fear fuel my feelings of powerless, I am going to fuel my power by squashing my fears.

This Opportunity Comes Once In a Lifetime?

Throughout my life, I was taught that “‘Seize the moment’ [… referred] to a positive moment of opportunity, one not to be wasted” and that we live and strive for these moments, but according to Lappé:

[…] that such a moment can come as a disconcerting shock, dissonance that might not feel good at the time. It is in these precious moments –when something shakes up us, rattling us from our resignation or depression, or galvanizing that vague sense that there must be more to life ––that we can break free of the cycle of fear (161).

In order to break free from the cycle of fear we must recognize fear and realize that there are different alternatives to enter the hope cycle. In the section, “Rude Shock,” the author provides an example of a Republican couple belonging to a “conservative” Christian church. The couple informed their minister about the new realization they have come to regarding the Bush administration and were told to not share it with other church members. This was a shock to the couple, how could such advice come from their misters (162)? The jolt, gave them two choices, follow the cycle of fear or break free from it, which is what we must choose between.

It is not easy to turn down job offerings or opportunity for higher education, but you have do to what feels right in most cases. Like the couple, I have explored new ideas and have come to accept them, for example, holding off on applying to medical school and working from home. When I came to my family for reassurance and comfort, they were not my strongest supporters at first. I thought about pleasing them, but after some realization, I did not. I choose to break free and listen to my conscience. Although, the “moment” was given to me I chose to delay it, by widening my ideas to provide myself with alternative opportunities. As long as you do not think that once an opportunity passes, it is wasted, then you can break free from the cycle of fear and move on to greater opportunities.

From Pedro: Seize the Moment

I have always been told to seize the moment because I will never get it back. When I think about seizing a moment, I usually think about soccer. I am an athlete, and every athletes dream is to go pro in their favorite sport. The book talks about the cycle of hope and the cycle of fear and I feel that I have gone through both with soccer. I remember when I was 17 years old I went to Florida for Super-Y ODP (Olympic Development Program) National Camp. Needless to say I was very scared and nervous because I knew it was a pretty big deal, I would be playing with 350 of the best players in the country, with 100’s of college coaches watching. I feel that I went through the cycle of Hope in that week of camp. I experienced or recognized fear on the first night of practice which I didn’t play too well. However, I met new people and it helped ease my fear, especially when I talked to my parents. They told me to enjoy myself and to remember the reason that I was there. “To break free, we must understand how we arrived here, and to do that, we have to reach back in time” (165). I was there because the coaches of northern California had voted me to represent our region of the United States. That is when I realized that I deserved to be there just like any of the other guys there, and I experienced joy and got a glimpse of possibility. I slept, ate, and played soccer the entire week, and I played really well. Out of the 350 guys there, I was selected to play in the All Star game where they would choose the US Men’s ODP National Team to go to Germany and play. I barely missed the cut, but I was very proud of myself and I had proven that I could play with the best of them. It also helped me get into college, which is the main reason I was there, to seize that moment, something that I will always remember. “The danger lies in refusing to face the fear…courage is more exhilarating than fear, and in the long run it is easier” (Eleanor Roosevelt 165). She is right.

I've Got the Power....I DO?!

 As a young adult, it is common to feel like you are absolutely powerless. You have no control whatsoever, you have to succumb to your parents' word and abide to it as law. Little does most young adults realize that they truly have a power of their own. In fact, many people regardless of their age, class, gender, social status, etc. have power such in cases of democracy. "So this is what democracy must feel like. I bet I've have heard this twenty different times in completely different settings - it doesn't feel foreign when people experience it but democracy is a need we don't always know we have," (77) Martha Mccoy proclaims. Some may think ignorance is bliss, and while I may agree to the phrase on occasion, in this case I certainly do not. I believe more people should realize the true power they possess along with democracy. They have what it takes to change the future or even just to alter a rather ignorant or close-minded individual's mind about something. It is possible. Take for instance this colloquium class. Without much exaggeration, this class is a prime example of that. Several people in this class realized how much power they really had. When we were informing our own school about gleaning and its importance, I believe  it is safe to say we have changed our multiple peers' minds or at the very least, informed them. Our peers generally had no idea what was gleaning, as well some basic nutrition facts. With the game we put together to inform our peers better about gleaning and nutrition, it brought to all of our attention how little and at the same time, how much some of our peers were informed on the subject. Regardless though, they were informed further about this subject. Thus, we made a difference and even used our power even if we did not realize it at the time. Maybe we are not kings, rulers, presidents, or what have you, but we still have a voice and sometimes, that is all we really need.

Knowledge is Power

“Knowledge is power”—a famous quote from a theme song to the children’s television show, “Schoolhouse Rock” once told me. Growing up, I was always taught that it is important to know a lot of information; meaning that the more you know, the more success you will attain in life. Now being older, as well as more knowledgeable, I have to admit that there is some success in my life because I was able to know certain things. Yet, on the other hand, much of my success has been inherited through my experiences in life, i.e the power that I use to control what goes on in my life.
What Lappé is expressing is the fact, that we will never know everything! Knowing everything is not even plausible or possible. As Lappé states, “it is not possible to know what’s possible,” (217). She is correct in that, big things come out of small steps. Those small steps brought about huge change, and I am sure those people that brought change, did not have the knowledge beforehand that it would affect so many, and make such a huge contribution. Take for example, our class, and all of the effort we have been doing in teams and/or alone. We were all able to gain knowledge of gleaning, and with that knowledge, we were able to spread our knowledge out to our community, and use it to teach others, assist in feeding, and even do research with a community leader to help others gain more knowledge. With this past semester alone, we have all stepped up, using our knowledge, and created power through experiences, and made a more possible awareness of the School Lunch Program in the Marin community. I, along with many others in the class, am sure that we all did not expect to make such a change in taking a Colloquium class at Dominican. It’s amazing the change we have already made, and we have made it possible for many others to take our knowledge and experience, and use it to create their own.
My main point coorrelates with Lappé’s: “...initiatives you’ve encountered in this book began with one person or a small handful of people. The rapidity of their growth, the parallels in the lessons being learned, suggests that we would be naïve—just plain silly—to underestimate their potential to scale, enabling us to truly live democracy” (217). We need to use our own knowledge and be “willing to say the unpopular and to say what has to be said, even when it upsets another or makes their eyes glaze over!” (218). Using our knowledge, we cannot predict the success in it, but we can use our power and create an experience out of it that can make change.

Prompt for final reading in Getting a Grip and an interesting upcoming event from earth.350

I'm going to give you a few quotes that you can choose to reflect on using other parts of the text, as always, to support your point and also, hopefully, using examples from your experience this semester. You can chose to use these prompts or, of course, any other textual points/concepts that you want.

1. A rude shock or dissonance--may be telling us that something important is happening--that is not as negative as it feels. Noticing our fear and discomfort may help us to grow, stretch, learn:

"'Seize the moment' typically refers to a positive moment of opportunity, one not to be wasted. . . but [it dawned on me] that such a moment can come as a disconcerting shock, dissonance that might not feel good at the time. It is in these precious moments –when something shakes up us, rattling us from our resignation or depression, or galvanizing that vague sense that there must be more to life ––that we can break free of the cycle of fear" (161). (Or, if you don't see yourself as having been in that cycle, this is a moment that informs you, period.)

2. Lappé was never saying that her message was one of lack and scarcity of power, instead, in the beginning of the book she was laying out, a "dangerously false premise" (178), a message that many of us receive on conscious and unconscious levels everyday that can rob us of our power and our desire to act (those of you who have remained untouched with power/sense of self intact, I am envious! If you don't see that any of this is true for your experience, then pick another quote). Now towards the end of the book, she writes:

". . .the most debilitating piece of the scarcity message is its insistence on the lack inside of us. A constricted self-concept drives the dominant worldview, reinforced not only by dominant political and economic theory, not only by incessant corporate advertising, but also by strains within many religions. . . From this premise of lack we are finished. We end up locked in a belief system that actually creates the very scarcity we fear. . . we're vulnerable to simplistic social dogma ––to 'isms' encouraging us to turn over our fate . . . Our planet's survival therefore depends onwhether we can break free–– whether we can affirm not the goodness of human nature. . . but the richness in human nature." (179-180).

3. Contradiction: knowing=not knowing=knowledge/power=humility of not knowing= freedom to act:

"Real humility, I now see is admitting that it is not possible to know what's possible. And if this is true, we are free to go for the world we really want, unhindered by the false idea that we should calculate action based on probabilities of success" (217).

Please remember that all of these prompts and weekly assignments are also aimed at helping you write your final integrative paper. You have a body of work to now look back and draw on as you think about the shape and direction of that culminating paper. You might want to go peek at the assignment on your syllabus or on moodle so that you begin to be clearer about where we are headed.

Unrelated to prompt: here's the interesting event I mentioned in the title:

Cooking your food with the sun in South Africa

Imagine if you used the sun to cook your food instead of using the electricity or gas? Well, in the sunny balmy climate of Cape Town South Africa they are doing just that! On November 27, 2010, 1,000 people will sit down for a meal together that will be cooked exclusively with solar cookers. But before the community sits down to feast they will engage in an intergalactic photo shoot. They will create the above image out of the solar cookers and will have a 59 second window where the design will be photographed from a passing satellite.

People all over the world are joining this event in South Africa by donating $150 to buy a large solar for this event and as a permanent solution to carbon reduction in the Khayelitsha neighborhood of Cape Town.

Here is the deal in Khayelitsha, many residents do not have access to electricity and those who do generally can’t afford more than the government’s Basic Allowance of 50kW per month, which seldom lasts more than a couple of weeks. The rest of the month, and those households without electricity, people end up cooking with parffin, scraps of wood or other flammable and carbon-intensive materials. Energy is also very expensive in South Africa. The NGO, South South North, estimates that in neighborhoods like Khayelitsha 25% of a families income is spent on energy service. These cookers are an immediate and critical solution to the energy crisis in this community that also helps to relieve the financial struggles of local families.

Please email heather@350.org if you are interested in donating to the solar cooker project or would like more information.

This project is being organized by the Canary Project, an arts collective that has been producing art and media that deepen public understanding of climate change since 2006, as well as several South African NGOs.

November 6th, 2010 |

From Pedro: Empathy and Power

Chapter five begins talking about the word power, similar to the previous book that we read. I noticed that the first thing to pop into my head when i heard the word power was wealth. An older person with a nice suit on driving around in a nice car, and having a lot of money of course. The word power has a negative connotation to it when you think about it, but then as i kept reading the chapter i realized everyone has power, and if used correctly could make the world a better place. The power of influence.

The most interesting part i found in the chapter was the study in the 1990's that they did on monkeys. It said that "neuroscientests were studying the brain activity of monkeys, particularly in the part of the brain's frontal love associated with distinct actions, such as reaching or eating. They saw specific neurons firing for specific activities. But then they noticed something they didn't expect at all: The very same neurons were fired when a monkey was simply watching another monkey perform the action" (119). They are called "mirror neurons" and it is pretty amazing to think about. This means that by simply observing another person do something you can experience what they are experiencing. Humans have the ability to empathize, and this also brings the power of influence. I never really thought about it but my mom was right when she told me to set a good example for my brother because he looks up to me and i influence him. Therefore, when used in a postive way, this power can really do some good for our world. I never saw the word power in this light and it is very interesting. I know there are people that i look up to who influence me like my mom and dad. Their influence and actions have helped shape me into what i am today, and not just them, my friends as well. "We can be certain that our actions, and perhaps our mental states, register in others. We change anyone observing us. That's power" (120). Amen.

Changes.

In our society, government has always been a huge taboo. They are the cause of all problems and constantly making the problems worse. We in turn, are hushed by government making it impossible to produce any change at we actually want. Well, that is what we are taught to believe. “The maddening irony is that those who scare us with the threat of Big Brother government are to often the same people who cut back essential government services and turn them over to private interests… thus making government scary.” (page 81) The reason government is scary to us is because we really are never in control. We might think that our ideas are going to change something at some point but I have yet to see the real change. This is when we need to step up and make our needs even more heard. Maybe even change from neighborhoods, to towns, to cities, to states and so forth. The only change we can make the notice is that change we make ourselves. Such as “think local, buy local, be local.” (page 97) This is a perfect example of helping the local businesses and also help change the impact of the global crisis. This has been noticed by the local community but also on the national scale. Change is possible, if and only if, we work together and have a plan that begins operation in the smallest of area. Educate, think openly, live to better everything. This has also been seen in school programs. This is even better because people always learn more when they are experiencing it. Plus it is the students that are making the change. “Students are gaining ground in holding school administrators accountable for buying products only from companies that play fair with their workers. “(page104) We are young and have ideas to help the world, so lets do it!.

from Amber. . .

POWER; a word that many are afraid of and others take advantage of. I believe that majority of the world takes this word too lightly and the other percent takes the word to the extreme. Power is an extremely beautiful thing and can be overlooked or turned into something ugly, causing the many that's afraid of the word to feel powerless and creating a manipulative meaning for those to walk all over the word. Everyone holds power in many different ways. Lappe' expresses that, "Power is an idea."(122)I agree. I believe that power is the idea of many things. It is the idea of overcoming, idea of being on top, idea of change, idea of freedom, idea of plenty more; which is always great until taken to the extreme and wanting to hold too much of it. In my opinion, no one should have too much power; too much of anything is never good. This is when and why power can be viewed as negative.

The original meaning is, "to be able". (118) This definition says a lot by itself. It lets me know that power exists in all forms seen and unseen. Everyone is able to do something which gives everyone power, this is why in the last blog I disagreed when she mentioned, "We feel powerless". We might feel powerless but, there is a form of power we all overlook; silent power. Power doesn't have to exist as big; power can be as little as overcoming internal obstacles. It's based on intention not just action to me. It’s much bigger than we think, but the world sees differently. Here in the U.S it seems as though the wrong things create power, such as money, talent, fame, winning, etc, but honestly those are the things that make no difference to me. Why should money or fame make one feel better than another? Those are both things that won’t even last for long. It can be gone in a blink of an eye, so why do we think such things and give in to such things; just an example.

One thing I do agree with is that, "Power is necessary to produce changes I want in my community."(117) We are given plenty opportunities to create change and even when not given openly we still have the power to do anything to keep evolving. Power is in every individual’s hand.

Aladdin vs. Jafar

In the Disney movie Aladdin, Jafar plays the villain who sought the power of a genie for his own personal gain. He wanted to be king while having the power of a genie so that the people would fear him. He was willing to do anything to obtain the power of a genie and in his quest; he sacrificed people to obtain the magic lamp that held the genie. Jafar is a prime example of what power is: scary, intimidating, controlling, and strengthens people at the expense of others (122). Power is something that is usually interpreted as something that is bigger than any single man or woman. Power is normally negative but it can be a positive. Power should be defined by the man or woman that possesses it. In the hands of the right person, power is not negative but a positive that can bring meaning to a person’s life. Not so much of negative when I put it that way now is it?

When power is used correctly and for the right reasons, the Aladdin character come out of the best of us. Aladdin is the type of character that uses power with responsibility and positivity. He gave the genie his freedom and he used it for love (balance of power and love = “good guy of the movie”). Aladdin is exactly what power can be for people today: freeing, collaborative, and derived from relationships, knowledge, experience, vision, and discipline (122

We have to know where we stand on power. As of now, in regards to this class, I am trying my best to be Aladdin because the efforts I am making is definitely not for my own benefit. Of course I have had my benefits from this class (reading ingredients like CRAZY) but the greatest part I took from this class was spreading what I know. Whenever I come home, I’m always sharing what I learn in this class with my friends and family because they can relate to the topic of food. I hope I’m not alone in being Aladdin on this magic carpet ride we call our colloquium class. We all need to step up because if you’re taking all we learn and doing absolutely nothing with it, the only thing keeping you from being Jafar is that you don’t have powers of a genie.

The unfiltered reality

I am but a number. My name being the product of circumstances I could not control. I live in a world built by the ambitions living. There are a million problems in the world and I feel apathetic, because those issues seem irrelevant. At times I feel indifferent about my own issues because I don’t think it is worth it. I currently serve a role as a student in the world; not only in the classroom, but in life. I am constantly learning new things, but I am frustrated when each individual answer triggers several questions. Accepting the hard truth is like swallowing a cup of nails, because even when I feel that I am finished I still have to deal with the scars. I feel that I have to live some of these hard truths with a chaser because they are strong by themselves. We see reality through frames of meaning that we create, so there is no unfiltered reality for us (25). As is commonplace I have several aspects in my life that allow me to look past some my tough realities, because as long as we are convinced we have no power, it will always seem negative (117). My friends and family have been a driving force behind the self-confidence that has defined me among those who know me. What makes reality difficult is the fact that it can turn for the worst without warning and it doesn’t respond to criticism. What has made life tough for me is that even when I feel I have taken a big step I still have to look up and see a road that extends beyond the horizon.

One Choice We Don't Have

For this week's reflection, I wanted to take the time and reflect about one choice we don't have.  This is one of the sections in our book.  "We have no choice about whether to be world changers" (118).  This quote from the book was very interesting to me.  This is true because people have to be world changers.  That is one choice that we don't have.  Later on in the section, Lappe says that "the choice we have is not whether, but only how, we change the world" (119).  This makes perfect sense because the world does not change on its own.  People can't just sit around and do nothing with their lives because our lives and our world do not gain anything from it.  Some people may thing we have that choice whether or not we should be world changers by simply doing nothing with our lives.  What they don't understand is that they are changing the world by starting a trend that people in the world.  For example, if I kid decides that he wants stay at home, then his or her friends would just end up staying at either their own homes or going to each others homes to hangout.  Another example that specifically applies to our class is the obesity rates in children being high.  According to kidshealth.org, 1 out of 3 kids are now obese or overweight.  This is because kids now a day would rather stay at home with their friends and play video games instead of go outside and exercise.  This is just an example that explains how what we do changes our world today.  There is one thing that we need to know.  We can't stop changing the world.  Each decision we make changes the world and the world will not stop changing.

Life's Tough

Life is tough. We all have our own difficulties and we all face the struggles of our own power and love day after day. I know, even in my own twenty-one years of life, have faced many tough times along with good times. One of the major influences that all people can agree to disagree upon is the rules and the democracy by which we are all overruled upon—the one set of rules that we as citizens of the U.S. must abide by. The government influences us all, and we all are ruled by the government—whether we agree with it or not. Lappé conveys, “Citizens are made to fear that going for what they desire and know is right, like ending poverty and rescuing the environment, would unleash the big, bad state” (80). We all empower ourselves with our desires and the things we like and want to accomplish.
Personally, I have dealt with many struggles in my life, and have been caught between making decisions best for me, that have also been complicated by the rules that override me. For example, for the past three years, I have been a year long Student-Intern Technical at an Aerospace company in Southern California. I carry very top United States clearances and have to keep very secure secrets for the safety of the company, as well as the country. My job is within engineering--engineering a plane that will drop bombs, that we also make, over another country in war. Don’t get me wrong, I love my job and am very blessed for the opportunity I carry. It is even something I plan to do after graduation. Yet, I am sometimes caught in the middle between my corporation’s opinions, and my own personal opinions. I believe, and will admit, that I don’t believe we should be in war, and we should change that (but it’s not like I can say this in front of my boss!). Although I have my own desires and things I want to accomplish in my own life, along with those things I want to do to influence the world, I am a little held back by this position that I carry within the company, because I will forever be followed by this job.
Job or not, I will, along with many others are going to be held back by “the man” i.e. an important figure that holds all of the rules. It is a struggle that we all must accept, along with life not being fair. We need to abide by these rules, or else we will all perish and the state, country, and even our future will fall apart.

Local Reflection

Like the author of Getting A Grip 2, our class exposes us to so many issues in the world. We cover issues such as nutrition to power within the world and within ourselves. The word “power” has a different meaning to me after reading our last book; it seem like a word we always go back to when discussing other issues. Power is the main source for problems, because most of the time is it not balanced. In an inaugural address by Ronald Regan, he says that, “‘Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem, […].’ Citizens are made to fear that going for what they desire and known is right, like ending poverty and rescuing the environment, would unleash the big, bad state (80)”. Often times this is the case, we are afraid to speak up for what we believe so we just go with the “flow”. Until we can gain power, we will always feel helpless.

This class draws on a variety of issues that I do not feel like they apply to me and it is hard to accept the ideas that are out there. However, I have learned to acknowledge that they are there and that it is okay for me to not agree with them. I think that the world has many issues that need to be resolved, but we cannot tackle all of them at once. We should solve them one at a time, before picking at newer issues. This class is a perfect example of this, we came into class with so many ideas and problems with our community that we want to fix, but we narrowed down our focus, which is educating our neighbors about gleaning and exposing high school students to issues with the food programs. We were successful, because one, we worked together for a common good and we had a goal.

Besides dealing with world hunger and such issues in class, I do not think I am involving myself with similar issues out of class. I am distracted by education and in the process of finding my position in the world, which should make me more aware of it, but it is not. The more I learn in this class, the more I find myself in denial of the truths. I feel like I do not want reality to settle in just yet, because I am afraid of having to deal with them when I am on my own after graduation.

TREAT! The Girl Effect: The Clock is Ticking

Prompt for second reading in Getting a Grip

I am writing this prompt on an impulse--I don't even have Getting the Grip 2 in my possession yet but as I start to read the text reflections and blog posts below (no problem, you can always blog rather than turn in) , I am inspired to just respond and invite you, for next week, to draw both draw from the text and to write about where you are now in your thinking about the world, your role, acceptance of and desire to escape from hard truths. . .and the energy, people, activities, distractions that bring you hope and peace in the midst of it all.
First, I want to say that I have many if not all of the sentiments that many of you express--both of powerlessness and also many small glimpses of hope or the feeling that at least I will do the little that I can do and that is something. But, I often feel frustrated with the world and with myself--I am more than twice your age, and I am still asking all of the same questions and wondering what am I really doing to have an impact or contribute in any positive sense to the shift that I believe is so necessary? I worry about the world that my children (and all of you) are inheriting. At the same time, every age in history has had huge challenges. Possibly what is different now is that we have the technology to "better" destroy the world--but at the same time, the technology, the knowledge, and the consciousness to do a much better job at re-creating ourselves and our shared reality.
In yesterday's class we talked about the relationship between knowledge, awareness, our own ability to think, reflect, reason, create and what it means to live in a participatory democracy in which, yes, we do have a lot more power and "freedom" than we would have under a totalitarian regime and many, many of these still do exist. Yet, the awareness/the truth does not set us free, does it? And it depends what we think it means to be free. But is ignorance really bliss? I think of a quote by the ironic French philosopher/cultural theorist, Jean Baudrillard, who said, "The deepest desire is perhaps to give responsibility for one's desire to someone else." Sometimes, yes, it is so difficult to even say or know what we really want because once we know, we may feel obliged and/or compelled to act on/with that knowledge.
Knowledge is painful. I feel that all the time. There is truly a lot of pain in the world. Knowledge can make us feel stuck, and wanting to just turn it all off--because what can we do in the face of all of this? At the same time, we can keep putting one foot in front of the other, using the knowledge that we have to at least make the changes that we can--in our own behavior. We can do the little that we can--isn't that a better choice than ignorance? What do you think? What does Lappé say about this? And is feeling futile and frustrated and stuck the worst thing in the world? We could actually BE literally imprisoned or without any choices. I remember feeling at 20 like my prison was the space between the bars. I had choices that I didn't want at the time, that I wasn't prepared to make. I didn't know who or what I was going to be when I grew up. But guess what? I still don't know! And now I am glad to be able to have choices and to be able to continue growing and learning--even when I feel angry and frustrated. The great Southern writer, Flannery O'Connor wrote that: "The way to despair is to refuse to have any kind of experience." And educator/activist bell hooks states: "I will not have my life narrowed down. I will not bow down to somebody else’s whim or to someone else's ignorance." We can chose experience over withdrawal and despair. We can expand our lives and resist the "narrowing" down of our own lives and perspectives by the limited understanding and views of others. Right?

Getting a grip on my power

There are many issues in this world such as environmental damages to this earth, world hunger and living sustainably. When it comes to the environment, I make sure to use a reusable water bottle, I recycle, carpool-I do little things that I am sure a lot of people do. When it comes to sustainable living, I eat organically and share my knowledge of sustainable living to others. I have grown up with the mindset that making little changes can be a part of the greater good. However I do feel powerless when I think that I can make a large difference in this world. Everyone has their own life to worry about, many people to do little things everyday that impacts their life along with others but I can't help to think that I am just one person, can what I do really make a difference? This world is so large it is sometimes hard to grasp the concept of change when I feel so powerless when it comes to major problems in this world.

After reading Power and Love and starting to read Getting A Grip, I am starting to see that the little changes to make a difference and I am starting to see more options of helping the world and my life in ways I did not before. When I am in the grocery store I take more time not just getting the first label that says organic but I am looking for locally grown foods, going to farmers markets and finding ways to give back to the farmers rather than giving my money away to a large corporation. Through reading the texts and hearing various speakers speak to us,I have been able to share my knowledge to my friends and family. It has given me this new sense of power that I did not have before. I like being able to teach them new facts and it makes me feel good about myself knowing I am helping others along the way.
Out of the five qualities she talks about, learned and not automatic and power creating, not controlling where the two that stood out to me the most when I think about what I have learned about so far in this class. I have learned that it takes time to open peoples minds up to new ideas and it is not going to always be accepted right away but that is the power of change and moving forward to get to that greater good. Understanding that there is a difference between teaching people and telling people. Teaching is a process just like learning and practice only makes perfect. After learning something it must be applied to the real world, in everyday life, and that is how change occurs in this world. It happens gradually, not automatically over night.
When I went to the Novato High to pass out food, I did not have very high expectations for it. I assumed the kids would just walk right past us and nothing very interesting was going to come out of it. I was surprised when kids actually listened to what we were saying and seemed interesting in learning about it. We did not get anyone to sign up for gleaning but the fact that I was able to let them know some information was empowering for me. The facts I told them hopefully they will think a little more about what the eating and where it is coming from and maybe even encourage their parents to look into more sustainable living and buying locally. To some other people it might not seem like I made that much of a difference but if opened up one kids eyes to see how they can make a difference in their eating habits that is good enough for me.
I am starting to learn now that by taking the knowledge I have and sharing it with others, is helping out and being powerful. I am definetly going to be looking into more organizations that I can join and finding projects I can lend my hands to so that way I can empower others with the knowldge I am learning over this course.

IT'S ALL ABOUT YOU...WAIT WHAT?!

"Feeling powerless, we're robbed of energy and creativity, with hearts left open to fear, despair, and depression...For a lot of us, there is no big answer to 'why'. Things just keep happening. We know we're not in control, and it seems like no one is....Brecht implies that inaction proves callousness. But I believe it proves something else: Mainly we don't reach out to save the millions because we have no idea how this tragedy came to be or how it could ever end. We feel powerless." (4)

Too often and too cliche-like I know, but I have often submerse myself to the beck and call of certain members of the opposite gender. In a rather innocent sense, I have always taken it upon me to be a fusion between a nurturing mother, best friend, and Snow White rolled up in one for these selected males. A friend however, preferred to simply call me a fairy tale princess due to the exuberance of joy in my voice and demeanor. It was obviously quite a contrast between my normal monotone and lack than zealous mannerisms to the overly heighten current state. I chose to take on this difficult task of portraying these three roles due to my own weakness, my heart. As I have stated multiple times, my heart has always been my biggest strength as well weakness. When I care deeply, I act as if it will be eternal and it is my life goal to make everything in the subject/s of my choosing to be the very best ever. If it is anything less than the best, it is not good enough for them, everything is over, and I am to blame. OR so I act as such. In reality, it is rarely over and I am hardly ever to blame. I just take on to the position so easily. I do sincerely want everything to be perfect, but the expense of that cost is anything short of cheap or exhausting. I have lost myself multiples in spells of doing it. It has went as me saying being verbally abused on the daily was not only okay but I deserved that treatment too. I felt like anytime I would "mess up", I needed to be yelled at for discipline or even just criticized to declare my wrongs. This game went too far like most games do often. I not only started to welcome the abuse, but if I did not receive it, I would lecture myself instead. I felt utterly powerless and weak. It was a painful, recurring pattern that I felt trapped in eternally. At the times, I could have left so easily but with my narrow vision, I saw no exit. I just saw entrapment day after day. Fortunately, this summer I spent a lot of time with only myself. I started to spend time thinking and truly thinking about the whole ordeals of these "trapping" situations. I realized the truths. 1) It was really hardly my fault when something flops 2)It is not even my responsibility to take care of anyone that extremely 3)Things sometimes just do not work out well and I have to be okay with it. 4)I'm a person, too.  I worked on this new mindset all summer long. I am finally at peace at finding balance with caring for myself and others. I can care for all just not them more than myself. It is not healthy or even practical.

"2) Values-guided, not dogma-given"

I think the message of this one quality in particular has left the most severe effect for me and this colloquium. I have always the humanitarian bug in me, but this quality just intensified it more. Lappe states Americans feel reluctant to help one another because they see one another as more divided than together. If only, they could see the "deeply shared values." I believe that is quite similar to our beginning days of this colloquium. Many of us felt like we did not have much in common with our peers other than taking this class or perhaps, our major. Now with almost just a month left of this colloquium, we could see this not the case anymore. We may not be identical with one another which is only understandable, but we can see a lot more similarity than thought previously. At the start of this term, I thought gleaning had commendable meaning behind but the process of gathering the products was rather tedious to be frank. Also I thought a good share of my peers might ignore my first statement but would agree with the latter. I was thankfully surprised to learn I was mistaken. A good share of my peers enjoyed the gleaning process tremendously and are a good majority of the activism breed as well. As much as gleaning may not be my ideal cup of tea, it has however, made an impact on how I treat my activist side. I used to think my opinions would not change anyone or even broaden someone's horizons. Since this past Thursday when we as a group sold our gleaning items as well informing the DU campus about gleaning, it altered my perspective. I realized I do have a voice that change someone's mindset or at the very least, add more to their current thoughts. As I stated earlier, I have/had a tendency to make my own thoughts and opinions low key to others. Well, not anymore. I mean I still refuse to suffocate anyone with my opinions. I however though, will not be as timid or reserved with stating my thoughts and ideas. I will speak my mind more. Who knows? Maybe I won't change the world by myself, but who says one voice cannot help to bring the other voices together? I won't take it lying down not anymore.

FACE YOUR FOOD

A friend of mine who lives in Amsterdam is working with this non-profit. They just opened a SF office. You can make your own video--check it out.

JOIN THE FACE YOUR FOOD CAMPAIGN AND SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR FAIRFOOD'S GOALS OF ACHIEVING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS RECORD YOURSELF WHILE EATING A FOOD PRODUCT OF YOUR CHOICE AND THIS WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY SLOWED DOWN AND PLAYED BACKWARDS. YOU CAN THEN SHARE YOUR VIDEO WITH YOUR FRIENDS ON FACEBOOK!

Being on your own

After reading the section in the conclusion talking about becoming aware of both our power and our love, it made me think about the first time I started at Dominican University of California as a freshmen.  I took related this to the statement "our first step in learning to walk on our own two feet" (129).  I noticed how Kahane said that we need (129).  I felt like this related to when I was a freshmen because I would always wonder why I would go to class and what are the benefits of it.  The teachers I had mostly read off of slides that they presented at class.  I thought about advantage and disadvantage of going to class.  Since our lectures were already posted online, I felt like the disadvantage of going to class is that our lecture and basically our whole class is online. At that time I didn't see an advantage to going to class because I could have just learned the material on my own and also attendance did not count.  This made me think of how Kahane said that we have simplistic and mistaken drives in our lives.

Moving on to this semester I thought about the second part of this passage when Kahane stated that "we must learn to live with the permanent reality, outside and within ourselves" (129).  I related to this as how serious this school year means to me.  This helped me realize what I should be doing in school as well as real life.  This helped me realize that we need to be able to perform actions in our lives that help us in our lives externally and internally.  This means that we need to be able to perform actions that help us gain something mentally and physically.  For example, going to class is a way that helps us gain something mentally.  This has helped me realize that I need to start being more serious in my life instead of joking around all the time.  Reading this passage made me realize everything in life cannot always be turned into a joke or something fun.  I found out in my life there is a need to be more serious than ever.

Change is change, no matter where it comes from.

Kahane grew with a privileged life and most likely group with in a loving and powerful environment. He probably did not have to go through as much hardships as someone else who wants to bring about change. But does the successful living of his parents and his life of privilege make his words any less meaningful? Do his actions have less of an impact? Is his drive to bring about change any less significant because he has never experienced any food insecurities or living insecurities? Kahane may not have lived through what he writes about, but he definitely knows there needs to be change. A person should not be judged by their social status but rather by their actions. Kahane may not have gone through the hardships of unjust foods, but his devotion to changing it, despite the way he lived, is somewhat admirable. His concepts and ideas should not be judged for his upbringing, but by the actions he has taken in order to set his ideas in motion. “The movement from power to love enables actors to see more clearly the system that they are part of and their role in it. “If your not part of the problem, you can’t be part of the solution” (125). In my mind, this read “if you’ve never had any of the problems, there’s no way you could possibly help”. This interpretation most likely came from my newfound knowledge about Kahane and I disagree with it. There is no guideline or pre-requisites to want change in something you believe is wrong. Kahane clearly sees a system producing bad results and wants change. Though Kahane has the will, he still needs companions to bring about his vision. In order to walk the path he chose, he would need others walking with him. It is a path one cannot walk alone. “How can we learn to walk with power and love? The way is long, terrain, is rough, there is no path, and there is no map. We need companions on this journey, but no one else can make a way for use. We must use both our legs; we must put one food in front of the other. We must step forward” (140).

Fluidity and Moving Forward...

Everyone has had struggle in their lives. As days go by we always have to overcome those struggles and as we learned we have power and love to help us through. I know that my issues on a daily basis are nothing compared to those who have real troubles, such as the miners who were stuck underground for two months. This is real pain. I have nothing like that happening to me, or even a real fear in my life. Power and love relate to that because it takes the power of people, prayers and passion to help find those who are in scary circumstances and love to recover from the trauma. "Walk Together"(p.127) in a group to change a situation as a whole we don't like. "vital challenges we face cannot be addressed effectively by any one leader or organization or sector, and so we need to build our capacity for co-creation.(p. 127) There are many saying relating to this very thing such as strength in numbers. We know through experience that things workout better when numerous helpers are passionate. So lets create the numbers and make people aware of how our planet is fading. We can turn around the unhappy progression we are making and turn it into something we are proud of. Like in Cuba. That is a perfect example. I can make this apart of my life by talking to everyone, creating that awareness and making people see what i do. Also by changing what I buy or where i buy it. I know this change is possible. We just need to learn to walk again. "We must use both of our legs; we must put one foot in front of the other. We mus step forward." (p.140)

The Power in the People, of Privilege

Adam Kahane does come from a place of privilege. This is obvious from the kinds of trips he has made based on his stories from the book, the kinds of connections he has had with many different political and business leaders from around the world, and the fact that he has book published by his won company, Reos Partnerships. I believe that just because he comes from a place of power and privilege does not mean that his ideals for social change are invalid. He has the means of power, the means to achieve any goal he would like, the money and the networking; and by understanding that this world is more than just himself, that there is a need for social change, he has tried to incorporate his power with love.

Throughout the book he has reasserted the importance of balancing power and love: “We need to be able to prevent ourselves from going so far with our power that we lose touch with our love, or so far with our love that we lose touch with our power. This requires building up our awareness of and openness to feedback about how we are exercising our power and our love and with what results” (Kahane 130). These are wise words, and I definitely have feedback about the book. This book personally is not for me. Kahane did not connect to me strongly throughout the book because I could not relate to him. I could sympathize with his beliefs in social change, but we have nothing in common besides this. The fact that he is going around the world, talking to different companies, political figures and businessmen about social change and working with their groups shows me that there is not much empowerment of the disempowered. The disempowered are the poor in rich and poor countries, those who are uneducated and those who have circumstances that are not given attention to. A positive social change in this economically polarized society comes when a person of power shares their wealth with the disempowered, knowing that their inter-connected lives will become more prosperous through a dialectical and equitable relationship between each other. I do not think that this book is directly trying to do that; instead it is addressing other intellectuals and people of privilege with concepts and ideas. This book is not necessarily accessible to the everyday person because it is written in academic English, and it is a book where one has to have an interest for “a theory and practice of social change”, which a lot of people do not know the meaning of. It is for people who would want to learn about the theory and practice of social change from a book. I personally was not interested in the book, and many college students like me (not all but many) would not have read this if it was not assigned.

Even if this book did not relate to me, I cannot leave out its merits. A Filipino leader in the United Farm Workers’ movement named Philip Vera Cruz once said: “a movement must be a struggle at all fronts”. Kahane is included in this movement, whether it is for human/environmental/animal rights, education, healthcare, equity, sovereignty or simply balancing people with concepts of power and love. Kahane is someone who shares a vision universal to all those who believe in a greater good, those who believe in positive social change. His front just happens to be for the privileged. His work for social change is a stepping stone, and I believe the next step is to connect with poor communities and not only write journals and books about them, but to actually help people in these communities to publish their own books, come up with their own writings and let them tell their stories. Kahane seems like a nice guy, but I have had enough of his voice. We have all heard enough of the privileged; their voice has always dominated society. It is time for people like Kahane to fund the storytelling of the disempowered.