We're All Poisoned . . . But There's Hope!

Sometimes, it's refreshing to take a break, whether from work, people or blogging. I spent part of the week in So. Cal at a conference. During the last session, we had a conflict resolution workshop. We had to pair up and I was grouped with someone I've known for several years and frankly rubbed me the wrong way. Stuffy, long-winded white lawyer/judge in a suit. We both belong to a small organization and have even had it out over the years (mostly because he just irritates me and talks too much and is arrogant.)

The exercise involved each of us having to listen to the other's life story, each of us talking for 5 minutes without any interruption. The listener just has to be there and listen.

I started, and told my story, and watched Suit's eyes get bigger and bigger. Afterward, he kept saying how wrong his assumptions and perceptions about me were, how fascinating my life has been, etc. Then it was his turn. And I must say, I had no idea. He has been a craftsman, wandered around, was part of the civil rights movement at Berkeley at the day, and generally had more going on than I ever imagined. We left the session with a newfound appreciation of each other and people in general.

Of course, when we have 5 minutes to tell our life stories, we are generally going to keep it somewhat positive and interesting ~ Jayne Wolf, International Woman of Mystery. I could have easily told a tragic story about my messed up childhood, failures, tendencies, frustrations, bouts with depression, etc. But I don't even tell myself those stories anymore (Boring! Futile!)

Anyway, I think I'm going to try that more often, ask people about their lives, especially with those who I perceive antagonize me. The number of those people is more than I care to admit. Have I mentioned lately that I am sick of being a lawyer?

I spent the second half of my week holed up and reading. A few books about herbs and two other books worth noting.

The first is entitled The Hundred Year Lie, How Food and Medicine are Destroying your Health, by Randall Fitzgerald.

The second is Harvest for Hope, A Guide to Mindful Eating by [SUPER STAR!] Jane Goodall.

In The Hundred Year Lie, investigative journalist Randall Fitzgerald culls scientific studies, facts and trends, and paints a stark picture of the past 100 years ~ how we're getting sicker, earlier. How many prescription drugs are not safe. How the nutrition in our food is depleted, how many toxic chemicals we each carry around in our bodies (about 700) and how many of those are known carcinogens (some, banned decades ago but hanging around) how the synergies - the combinations of chemicals - have not been studied, how children's nutrition and poisoning (pesticides, antibiotics, food additives, etc.) have been linked to violence, attention deficit disorders, etc.

Lab tests have found that four common food additives -- aspartame, MSG, and two coloring chemicals--interact synergistically to produce nerve damage. These additives are commonly found in junk food marketed to children.

Because two of my loved ones have been diagnosed with Parkinson's this year, and because that disease has been linked to high chemical exposure, this is a topic that more than interests me. We have become so toxic that our blood, fat tissues and breast milk would never pass an FDA inspection (unless we had a powerful lobbyist to slide us through, of course.) He ends the book with good detoxifying information.

In Harvest for Hope, Jane Goodall writes about many of the same studies and alarming information, and includes facts about genetically modified organisms (GMOs). But Goodall writes in a more anecdotal, sometimes playful style. She tells many stories of children and adults working together in community gardens, people tearing out GMO crops in protest, and provides several resources for linking up with community supported agriculture (CSA).

She unveils the mega-corporate ownership of many "shallow" organic companies, talks about the dangers of farmed fish and packed cow and pig feedlots (both to humans and animals) and urges us all to become informed and act to make our lives healthier. She has a great list of resources (also on her website) such as Local Harvest, which maintains a nationwide directory of CSAs, farmers markets, small farms and other local food sources.

I highly recommend both of these books. We have fouled our nest, bodies, animals and children in unimaginable ways, but we can turn it around, if each of us decides to take responsibility and act to reclaim our health and planet.

And here's the part where I bring in the first part of this post, about listening to people's life stories, and tie the whole thing up into a tidy package. Or not.

Comments

[V]

It's so good to see you back...and it sounds like you had a great restful week. Will you take me next time? I promise, you won't hear a peep out of me. I've got a big ol' pike of books just waiting!

I've been in exercises like that...only one person can talk, right? They were good, but man! I tell yuh, I had the roughest time monologuing for 5 minutes. I think I'm just too shy for it. Without some sort of input, I'd get SO flustered, and I couldn't remembering anything I wanted to say! I'm sure that people thought I had spent my existence in a cave talking to no one, thinking nothing!

It's hard, too, to pick and choose what to say. I'm curious...what did you say? Are you going to give us your five minutes?

[erika]

You might also be interested in Thomas Pawlick's "The End of Food." A review in my paper of his book (along with Michael Pollan's "The Omnivore's Dilemma," which I haven't yet read) got me started on the whole topic.

I've been duking it out with tomatoes lately. I was thrilled to find organic tomatoes today. Probably my first store-bought organic tomatoes ever. (My mom grew her own over the summertime.) The difference is remarkable.

I've had Fitzgerald's book in my backpack for awhile reading it on the bus. I finally got my own copy and left the cover on even though I didn't want to ruin it, just so people on the bus could see it and wonder what it was about. Every time I read one of these books on the bus, I want to lean over to the person next to me and be like, "Did you know about this? This is really shocking!"

I'm doing a project on the decline of food quality, and it will include a blog where I'd like to promote discussion. Perhaps you'd be interested. I'm tracking its progress on my main blog, where I have a broader range of topics and emotions... like ranting more angrily about bad tomatoes! ;)

[Jayne]

V: Ha! I'll tell a lot of it, all in due time. Sure, come with me, next time!

Erica: Welcome! I've heard of The End of Food ~ that's right up my alley (food awareness, soil sustainability, nutrition, etc.) I'm going to go check out your blog now!