A wareness

F reedom

R ationality

E thics

S implicity

H ealth

M indfulness

E xperimentation

A brief manifesto of change

Positive change, whether it happens on a personal, national, or global scale, begins with awareness.  If we are to actualize our innate potential, we must first learn to differentiate between the forces holding us back and those that serve to elevate us into the realm of virtue.  To be aware is to establish an intimate understanding of the cause and effect chain that rules every corner of humanity.  We must not only know when and how we are acted upon, but when and how we are acting upon others.  Only those who are truly aware of these often subtle relationships can lay claim to personal freedom.  Freedom is every bit as much a concern for the mind as it is for the body, every bit as much an internal struggle as an external one.  Those who exercises their physical liberties, only to submissively sacrifice their minds, cannot be called free, at least not in the most truthful sense of the word.  The United States is a country with a proud history of defending freedom, often to the death. Great men have fought valiantly to protect this collective ideal on which we were founded.  The best way to honor this struggle is to shed complacency and dogma in favor of activism and rationality.  The challenges of globalization can only be matched by solutions born of sensibility, compassion, and humility.  If we can teach ourselves to be the rulers of our own minds, we will remove the temptation to be the ruler of other’s.  When human beings are at their best, they are both individually autonomous and ceaselessly diligent in protecting the autonomy of others.  Those most worthy of admiration are men and women who understand that this truth is a cornerstone of ethics.  These people are acutely aware that the fight for freedom in our country did not end in 1865, that the 21^st century is only the newest front in an eternally evolving conflict.  We live in an age that is more riddled with moral concerns than any that preceded it.  Recognizing this, the responsible citizen seeks means by which he can rise to the occasion and thus respond to the call for solutions.  The ethical concerns of our day are often issues of over-consumption, therefore the answers may very well lie in a return to simplicity and moderation.  Too often we assume that complex problems can only be met with complex solutions, thus, lacking confidence in our ability to deliver, we meekly raise the white flag and surrender to forces we perceive to be incomprehensible, and therefore indomitable.  This retreat is not only critically dangerous for the well-being of a nation, but also entirely unnecessary.  How does the ant colony build its intricate empire of tunnels?  One grain at a time.  One individual effort after another.  So too will the world end its plunge towards disaster- one simple and ethical personal choice at a time.  Acts of individual progress are only mistaken as small or insignificant when considered independently.  The truth, of course, is that righteousness perpetuates righteousness, and the culmination of individual decisions is what will inevitably make or break the entire system.

One individual effort paramount to societal progress is a devotion to physical, spiritual, and intellectual health. It is difficult, if not impossible, to contribute to the health of the collective, if we are not first determined to maintain health at an individual level.  The truth is simple enough- we are best suited to help others live well when we are living well ourselves.  Being “healthy” means so many things to so many people, but we can say with certainty that any true definition of the word begins with mindfulness. Mindfulness is the trait that describes a person who maintains a keen awareness of the present moment. These people understand that each one of their waking seconds affords them the opportunity to have an impact on the health of their mind, body, and society.  Mindful people recognize the beauty of slowness and the wisdom in careful deliberation.  It is in the vastness of the present moment that clarity and transparency are rooted.  This is a place where rationalization and impulsivity cannot dwell, a place where we come face to face with our thoughts and behaviors.  When we are mindful we cannot help but honor our virtues, for the guilt in doing otherwise would be unbearable.

We are an imperfect species at war with the shortcomings of our evolutionarily unprecedented brains.  If we are to rise together, we must champion a culture of experimentation.  Revolutionary ideas are sparked by the most daring experimenters, men and women who not only have the courage to break with tradition, but the humility to admit when they are wrong.  We modern Americans would be well served to mirror these virtues.  Now is not the time to be entrenched in the misguided priorities of the past.  Never before has so much ridden on our innovative spirit.  Never before has there been so much at stake.

What is the state of morality in America?  When our story is told by historians, what kind of story will it be?  Will it be a tale of greed, oversight, and disaster, or one of self-correction and redemption?

Many would argue that we’ve made great progress.  Skeptics would turn to the dealings of corporate America for evidence on the contrary.  In reality, they’d both be right.  We’ve made obvious strides to differentiate our current moral landscape from that of our ancestors, but with an increasingly complex society comes the advent of unprecedented ethical concerns.

Ethical failures at an individual level are often related to the choices we make as elements of a consumer driven society.  It is not a widespread corrosion of principles that leads us astray, as some might claim, but rather the degrees of separation that have come between our spending decisions and their outcomes.  Transparent cause and effect relationships, which were once the rule in early markets, are now virtually non-existent.  As a result, what we know inherently to be fair and right is compromised- by ignorance, confusion, learned helplessness, an “out of sight, out of mind” mentality, or any combination of the four.  Too often we cite ignorance as personal and public justification of our ethically questionable decisions.  In other cases we rationalize our behavior by throwing up a white flag in the face of the highly complicated demands that the modern world makes of our morality.  When these mechanisms fail, we shirk responsibility by blocking the problem from our consciousness entirely.

Regardless of which personal brand of denial we subscribe to, the result is the same- unfavorable, often disastrous, outcomes play out in some far off place and are therefore relevant only in the outermost realms of our moral consideration, if at all.  It is often true, that in order to live a life that honors our personal principles, we must have direct contact with the ultimate outcomes of our decisions.

Perhaps the most blatant betrayal of collective values today is consumer support of widespread factory farming.  Few among us endorse the torture of sentient beings, the degradation of our environment, or the perpetuation of public health risks, yet these are just what this institution has come to represent.  Factory farms, by definition, are those that are focused on mass scale
efficiency- maximum output, minimal cost.  These are not the rolling green pastures we’d like to believe in, they are tightly confined torture camps.  That we are not often confronted with these horrors is not to suggest that they don’t exist, but that the omnipotent corporations running the show have paid top dollar for our ignorance.  The glimpses we do get of factory farm operations come from the hidden cameras of disgruntled employees or undercover investigators, and as anyone familiar can attest, the footage is truly horrifying.  (For an excellent comprehensive view of standard factory procedures, visit meatvideo.com)

The driving force of the problem, of course, is that aside from its obvious moral atrocity, factory farming puts meat and dairy products on the table at remarkably low prices.  These products are tasty and cheap.  What else is there to consider?

A lot.  We know that factory farming, which is more or less to say, “”American Farming” (the VAST majority of meat and dairy farms in America are factory farms), is a major contributor to a myriad of problems at local, regional, national, and global levels.  These include, but are in no way limited to,…

• critical degradation of air, water, and soil quality
• ozone depletion
• risk of epidemic and pandemic diseases (unhealthy animals–>compromised immune systems–>increase in disease–>increased probability that disease will spread to humans)
• animal cruelty and torture
• bankruptcy of family owned farms and agriculture related businesses
• threats to biodiversity
• decreased resistance to bacteria, resulting from overuse of antibiotics in animals with compromised immunity

For a detailed explanation of the risks related to factory farming, I highly recommend EatingAnimals, by J.S. Foer

How alarming does this reality need to be in order for it to pervade our consumer consciousness?  In the words of author and activist Jonathan Safran Foer, “if contributing to the suffering of billions of animals that live miserable lives and (quite often) die in horrific ways isn’t motivating, what would be?  If being the number one contributor to the most serious threat facing the planet (global warming) isn’t enough, what is?  And if you are tempted to put off these questions of conscience, to say not now, then when?”

My personal prediction is that one of two scenarios will play out.

1. Fast paced change will come when individuals in the West experience direct and observable threats to their life and well-being, at which point it could already be much too late.

2. A grassroots culinary revolution will be sparked, wherein conscious consumption becomes the norm, not the exception- not just one acceptable choice, but the only acceptable choice.  We would eat fewer animal products, willingly pay more for what we do consume, and insist upon vastly different products.  If the movement were strong enough, the industries would have no choice but to comply with consumer demands.

One way or the other, modern meat and dairy farming will fall.  Just how much of society it brings down with it will be determined by the spending patterns of individual consumers.

It is imperative that we support a new era of farming that is both morally grounded and ecologically sustainable.  We can do it because we love animals, out of concern for our health, to reverse global warming, or to promote the well-being of our families.  Why we do it doesn’t matter, but we absolutely must do it.  Vegetarianism and ethical meat consumption are powerful ways to voice one’s dedication to the future of mankind.

The best time to begin researching and implementing an ethically conscious diet would have been a decade or two ago, but today will be just fine as well.

Before you get any further into this post, do me a favor.  Take the cash and credit cards out of your wallet or purse, and spread them in front of you.

Think about what these resources mean to you.  What will come of them?  Gorceries?  A flat screen television?  Vacation savings?  New shoes?

Now expand your considerations beyond the personal implications of your money.  Begin to consider what your money will mean to the outside world.  What will be the impact of your spending on your family?  Your community?  Your country?

What lays before you is undoubtedly one of the most important opportunities you have to make a moral statement in society.  Whether we like it or not, how we cycle our income into the system will inevitably play a part in perpetuating specific trends.  The strength and definition of these  depends entirely on the power of consumer choice.  Every dollar is a vote for that which it is used to support.  As spenders we are engaged in an ongoing election of ideas, which are represented by the the many market players- the corporations, the non-profits, the small businesses, etc.

Along with each of these entities comes a very particular, though not always clear, set of values.  Wal Mart represents certain principles, as does the vendor at your local farmers market.

Framed this way, it becomes clear that personal finance really isn’t so personal after all.  It is, in fact, one of our most critical connections to the outside world.  Spending responsibly does not end at ensuring our own personal financial security.  To be a truly conscious consumer, as to be a truly conscious voter, we must understand that our dollar(our vote) is intrinsically tied to the well-being of  the collective.

If we want to see an improved world, we must spend in accordance with that vision.  If we wish to be champions of social justice, environmental conservation, and human creativity, we must consume with these ideals, not against them.  The reality may be that our personal moral code is only as worthwhile as that of the businesses we choose to support.

With the power of our money comes great responsibility.  If we are to avoid hypocrisy, we must plot a spending course that is in harmony with our personal principles, as well as our vision of ideal humanity.   Our conscience fully recognized asks that we judge the merits of the many choices we face as consumers, a task that must be completed with discernment, and at a good distance from selfish impulse.

This, as we all know, is where the ground gets unsteady.

Balancing morality and consumerism demands the perfect blend of education, self-dicipline, and and base level stability.  Sometimes the proper course of action is veiled by the complexity of modern markets, or by the cunning nature of the corporations that control them.  Also common is the virtual impossibility for people in lower income brackets to make the truly ethical(and often more expensive) financial choices.    Too frequently we are cornered, whether by crafty advertising or sheer necessity, into making spending decisions that are a betrayal of our values.

To a certain extent we must forgive ourselves for being imperfect cogs in a remarkably flawed machine.  At times we will spend our money in ways that are both personally and collectively irresponsible.  Individual battles will be conceded- this is both inevitable and acceptable, but it is not justification for giving up the war.

It is essential to remember that ethical spending is not a goal that is obtainable overnight, nor does it call for an all or nothing approach.  The societal issues fueled by ethically irresponsibility spending are certainly pressing, but few among us have the time or resources to ensure the moral outcome of every dollar spent.  However, step by dillidgent step, over time,  we will learn to create harmony between capitalism and morality.  This is the only path that leads to a sustainable future.