Freeconomy Blog
Fri
27 Feb
Frustrations...and delights!
| 4 comments |
I love this world. It's absolutely fantastic, it really is. What a wonderful experience it is when you find the time and space to see it as such. But on the days you don't have the calm mind that happiness in this world requires you to have, it sure as hell can frustrate you!
Here are a list of the things that frustrate and delight me about this world, that, for some genuinely unknown reason, I seem to have found myself in.
The not-so-good stuff!
This is all tiny stuff and completely random, and just thought I would let it out to see what people think -
1. When I hear people say “Stop preaching at me!” - this is something I don't really get that much anymore, though I used to in my younger days. However it did, and still does, really baffle me. People seem to hate preachiness and those who preach. I often hear people say “you're always preaching at me, can you not just leave me alone” when a so-called 'do-gooder' is highlighting to them some of the harsher implications of their actions.
These are my questions to those who hate being preached at, and I think they are very important questions to ask – Do you think the preacher actually wants to bring up what will obviously be a difficult and sore subject? What would you want someone to do if you were the victim of violence by the masses – remain comfortably silent, or to speak up for you? And if you seen a person kicking a dog, or hitting a child, in front of your own eyes, would you preach to them about their negative actions? I assume so. So then why shouldn't any of us be preached at for eating factory farmed meat, or pesticide ridden and Unfairly traded food, or for driving to the corner shop at a time when millions are at risk of having the tide rise over their homes from rising global temperatures?
People get defensive because peoples comments hurt their ego, especially when the know that what gives them pleasure actually leads to a lot of suffering for somebody or something else. Lets not let our egos get in the way of not only our own personal progression, but the survival of our own and many other species on this beautiful planet.
Don't get me wrong, I am not saying preaching is positive (though it is an excellent chance to improve yourself if you are not defensive). But what is the 'preacher' meant to do? It is a no-win situation for him / her. And if you want a way to finally shut the preachers up, do this – attain your pleasure in a way that doesn't cause pain to somebody or something else, whether it be in this generation or the next.
2. Labeling – Instead of all the positive companies out there having to put 'Organic' or 'Fair-trade' or 'Cruelty-free' on their products, why don't we flip it around and have a bit more truth out there. This is what I suggest.
Instead of having the label 'Organic' on the tiny percentage of products that respect the soil, why not make all those who are not organic have the following on their front label – 'This product was made using oil-based pesticides that kill wildlife, erode soil fertility and are proven to be carcinogenic to humans', and then have 'organic food' just labelled 'food'!
Instead of 0.1% of products being called Fair-trade, why don't the other 99.9% have, for example, to state something like this - 'Unfairly-traded Basmati Rice – the producers of this rice got an awful deal, can hardly feed their kids and can only expect their prices to go down', with a picture of a real farmer living in extreme poverty. Not sure Tesco's marketing department would like that though.
Instead of a handful of small companies having to state 'Cruelty-free – our products are not tested on animals' on their labels, why don't Proctor and Gamble, L'Oreal and Maybelline have to state 'Our products ARE tested on animals, causing them great distress up to the point that they can't take it any more and die.' Is it because you are worth it?
3. The comment "You're an idealist!" - this I do get thrown my way, though not as often as before. Being an idealist has a negative stigma attached to it. Can somebody please explain to me why being an 'idealist' has such a negative stigma attached to it and why it is always given with such a condescending tone? Is it not wise to formulate ideals and strive to live them out to the very best of your ability?
4. 'You cannot love others until you love yourself first' - this, to be honest, doesn't actually frustrate me, as there is some truth in it. My advice is this though – if you want to heal yourself, go out and try to heal others. If you want to love yourself, go out and love others, and I can assure you love for yourself will come.
I heard a great quote one time – “There is a wonderful mythical law of nature that the three things we crave most in life – happiness, freedom and peace of mind – are always attained by giving them to someone else.”
5. "I find eating meat a spiritual experience – I often hear people honouring meat before they eat it, or saying grace and thanking the animal for the meal it is about to provide. Now this is one of the few things that does actually wind me up. Firstly, the animal doesn't give you their life – we take it. Also, in taking the life of an animal so that we affluent 'civilised' folk can have a nice meal (lets face it, that is the main reason for anyone in the western world), there is at least an element of selfishness involved, and where there is selfishness there can never be spirituality. If you are going to eat it, please don't sugar-coat it with a superficial sense of spirituality.
The Good Stuff
Enough of the negativity, time for some of the good stuff!
1. Parents – They're just always there for you no matter how much you mess it up. And mine have just started their own little organic patch of land in Ireland! Three cheers...!
2. Friends and loved ones – they astound me everyday, their ability to be kind and generous and to be there for you when you need it. And remember, strangers are only friends you haven't met! Did I just stoop to that level of cheesiness?!
3. People in general – There are so many people doing so many amazing things around the world, dedicating their lives to areas where they see huge injustice. These people should be celebrated every day. Next time you go into the charity bookshop, tell the cashier how amazing you think they are for giving up their time to do it. Write an email or letter to an organisation you love and tell them how great you think they are.
We're not all paedophiles, rapists and murderers like the tabloids would have us believe – in fact I have found people to be, in relation to others, amazing. And very few people cause direct physical suffering (lets not talk about the common mental suffering we seem to want to cause each other or the indirect suffering our actions inevitably cause, this is the good stuff section!)
4. Animals – we cause then so much pain and yet they rarely hit back. They're loyal, loving and whenever I see one wild it gives me a huge sense of joy.
5. Nature – when you contemplate the invisible thread that runs through everything in what we call 'this world', all frustrations subside and you cannot help to see this as the most wonderful and mind-blowing experience again!
What causes you frustration or delight?
THE FREECONOMY BLOG is written by Mark Boyle, founder member of The Freeconomy Community. If you want to respond, debate or ask questions, please just comment below; you will have to sign in (or sign-up) first.
Comment on this Post:
Robert Howes comments ...
Hi Mark,
Pasted below is your question about idealism:
3. The comment "You're an idealist!" - this I do get thrown my way, though not as often as before. Being an idealist has a negative stigma attached to it. Can somebody please explain to me why being an 'idealist' has such a negative stigma attached to it and why it is always given with such a condescending tone? Is it not wise to formulate ideals and strive to live them out to the very best of your ability?
The reason for the negative aspect of idealism is because most people are aware of how big the problems are and they strongly suspect that there is no simple solution. Their logic is that if there was a simple solution we'd have found it long ago. So they refuse to look for any solution, simple or otherwise and they get on with their lives within the constraints set by the society they live in. The go to work, or go on the sick, they go to the doctor, they go round the bend, but they refuse to become idealists because they know they will have it thrown in their face by people like themselves, the majority. The life of an idealist is a lonely life, I know because I am one.
***
How do we change these perceptions? We meet the sceptics halfway. Ask a sceptic what they think would work, and listen carefully to what they say, and don't argue. Ask as many sceptics as you can for their solutions, and keep a log of their replies. Some of their replies will contain kernels of truth that can be put together to help formulate a plan that they cannot easily castigate.
Jimbob comments ...
Show me a loyal, loving chicken, and I'll stop eating them. Heck, I'll even stop buying the cheapest, most caged eggs I can possibly find, if you can forward me one example of a \"loyal\" chicken.
I don't find eating meat a spiritual experience, I do it because I like eating meat. I'm fortunate enough not to be below chickens in the food chain, so I eat chickens.
Markus comments ...
Here you go JimBob, one example of a loyal chicken. Enjoy your lentils.
In his studio's first feature-length movie, a brave chicken plots an escape from a small Yorkshire chicken farm. The stern and angry Mrs. Tweedy (voiced by Miranda Richardson) and her hen-pecked husband have bullied their hens into producing eggs, but now they've set up a fierce-looking machine that turns chickens into chicken pies. Ginger (Julia Sawalha) is a smart, brave, loyal chicken who won't leave unless she can take the others with her. When an American circus rooster named Rocky ( Mel Gibson) arrives, Ginger gets him to agree to teach the chickens to fly over the fence, so they can find a place where they can live in freedom.
Marlene Foliot comments ...
I wanted to comment on your point 3 about Idealism.
To my point of view, by being negative towards Idealists, the average people on the way confess that they are things to improve but they dont try or dont want to try to improve their lives and change. It might sound a bit negative and pretentious of me but not at all. I think the reason why is that people, including myself are scared to start making change. But I am not desperate and I hope change will come...
Secondly, I also think that people like to critizise others in order to feel better with themselves. It is a bit vicious but I can recognize this thinking. Do you?
Finally, I think people dont understand the meaning of Idealism. But at the end of the day, it is only a word and I think there is a lot more to it.
Thanks for reading me.
