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August 18, 2006
Eat more, not better
This is the message we are constantly being given. I have always (well, not ALWAYS) said that I'd rather pay more per gram from better food and not as much of it than the mountains of crap we see people eating now. Here's a great summary.
What a bunch of self-indulgent pigs we are.
I wish I could see commercials of people actually eating sensibly for a change. Or ads of people being more conscientious in general, without proselytizing for some religion. But everything is driven by exactly one thing: the dollar. And even those of us who are aware of this succumb to it, for isn't blogging a way for people that know a little more than the average bear to simply feel better about the things that trouble them in the world without actually doing anything to really change it?*
When I think of the things that people have to face and compare it to me, I sometimes feel ashamed that I might complain about my own situation. I don't really have a right to bitch about my Internet connection acting funny sometimes. It's literally 100 times more expensive for less than half the speed in some parts of Africa. But bitch I do, because that's what people who almost have it all do. They complain about not actually having evreything. They (we) think that we are entitled to everything. We stop short of saying that we are God's chosen people, and not all of us stop short of saying this.
And so we eat, and we eat, and wonder why we don't feel any better. Why aren't we trained to understand what really matters in life? Because it doesn't pay.
TIP: Rarely enter the aisles if you want to eat well. Everything good for you is on the periphery. They don't want you to buy the good stuff. Also, shop on a full stomach if you can so that you don't buy unnecessary crap.
Posted by JonasParker at August 18, 2006 9:51 AM
Comments
The reason I don't compare my life to others - either more fortunate or less - is because I think most of my decision-making is already based on empathy. I also believe it's condescending to point out how fortunate we are in comparison to others - who's to say anyone wants our life? Sure, we can flog ourselves to death if we play the shame game, but it would be far more beneficial to put our undeserved "superiority" to better use.
Posted by: Elizabeth at August 18, 2006 10:12 AM
You make an awesome point. However some would use that as an excuse to do nothing when something probably should be done. On the other hand, teaching to world to eat bad food and to buybuybuy isn't something to be proud of. It's probably what a lot of leftists say when they talk about the dangers of military/missionary-style democracy, and that it is unwise and/or disrespectful to impose our lifestyle on others. They do, in fact, have a point, especially when they add the fact that the real goal is to exploit them for our purposes. We are the chosen people after all. There are a number of different possibilities here, and this deserves its own entry.
Point: we are selfish hypocrites.
Posted by: JonasParker 
at August 18, 2006 10:28 AM
I think Elizabeth has a good point about what makes for a desirable standard of living. Right on. Who are we to say we are "better off"?
However, it's also true that we here in the so-called developed nations really do, collectively speaking at least, take our physical comforts for granted and become spoiled by the ease with which our basic needs are met. And, yep, that leaves us with plenty of free time to whine about not having 52" plasma TV set, or whatever.
Whether or not this relative wealth and convenience of ours brings happiness... well that's a whole other point. ;)
Posted by: Sadia at August 30, 2006 4:05 PM
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