Meditation (guided or silent) has been part of my daily life for the past few years. I found meditation through yoga practice. The aim of my meditation practice thus far has been self-healing (physical and mental). The introduction of a contemplative practice as a pedagogic tool in this course was appealing. I had expected positive results, as I have been… Read more »
This was such an engaging course looking at the politics, policy, and environmental consequences of the world food system. It is so much more complicated and interconnected than I had imagined. I think my biggest takeaway is the connection between industrial agriculture practices and climate change. Industrial farming has removed people from being connected to the land. Monoculture production of… Read more »
Politics and land are an inseparable combination. Humans, from the dawn of agriculture to modern day, have viewed land as property to be acquired and controlled. In the pre-Civil War US, a political party called the Free-Soil Party (1848-54) ran on a platform opposing expansion of slavery and also called for free land to be given to those who would settle… Read more »
Our world food system is broken. The evidence of this is most apparent in the ironic stories of food culture on our divided planet. Developed countries produce many times more food than needed to feed their populations, the US produces 4 times its needed calories (Stuart, TED), while developing nations struggle to produce enough to feed their hungry populations. Indigenous… Read more »
The world’s food system is intricately connected through a myriad of national and international organizations and policies. Ironically, at the same time that millions of people are dying from a lack of access to food, the Western diet of an overconsumption and processed foods is increasing mortality through diseases such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Food and trade… Read more »
The world food system as it currently functions is not sustainable. In the contemplative practice of lesson two we were asked to think about the systems involved in the food we eat. I make a concerted effort to eat locally grown and unpackaged foods but this contemplation helped me to imagine what my diet would be if I truly ate… Read more »
Having previously learned anatomy and physiology while studying nursing, this crash course in systems theory reminded me of the complicated interconnections of the inner workings of the human body. When Western medicine attempts to use drugs as proxies to replace, enhance, or repress failing systems without looking holistically at the patient, while the patient may get some relief, the… Read more »
Repercussions are rippling through many of our living systems due to the industrialization of food. Monoculture farming is causing untold disruptions in plant and animal systems. Processes we have invented to feed the capitalist food system are rendering our soil biologically inactive, striping it of minerals and nutrients. This degradation of soil is disrupting the symbiotic relationship of organic matter… Read more »