On The Definition of Cheating

Cheating…well everyone certainly has their own definition of what cheating is to them. I’ve heard some crazy ones though.

I am pretty direct and to the point about cheating. I’ve never experienced this and I’d certainly never cheat (I can say that confidently). I have no tolerance for it. I figure there are -always- better ways to handle a situation if my partner feels disconnected, wants to step outside of the relationship or has other desires. They can communicate to me and let me know what is going on. That’s not an easy thing to hear or to express, but it is always a better alternative to cheating.

Cheating to me is when:

1. my partner sleeps with someone else
2. my partner kisses someone else in a romantic or sexual manner or -lets- someone else do this to them
3. my partner fondles or gropes someone else or -lets- someone do these things to them
4. my partner makes efforts to get involved emotionally with someone else (love letters, phone calls, meetings, etc)
5. my partner is in love with someone else and encourages the associated feelings and connection
6. my partner goes online and uses dating sites or matchmaking services

Any of these things would fit into my definition of cheating. I can respect the decision of others to have an open relationship or one that is polyamorous in nature. There’s no “cheating” going on in those kinds of relationships if both people have an understanding from the beginning. I have a strong curiosity with learning about the relationship styles of others because it’s different from what I prefer or desire. However, I know relationships like that aren’t for me because I am wired differently. I prefer monogamy and my desire to be so has nothing to do with morals or ethics. Ethics only comes into play if a breach of trust is broken and there’s a lack of integrity involved.

I think if someone feels that they can’t commit to a relationship, then they need to be honest about and live according to those desires. Let people know from the jump if you aren’t looking for anything serious. Don’t string people along. Don’t play games or manipulate for ego-gratifying purposes. Set boundaries in casual connections. Get involved with people who are looking for the same thing. Explore other types of relationships that allow you to be with more than one person. Stay single and figure out what you want ultimately. Whatever it is…figure it out and be honest and direct.

I think cheating is most likely to happen when communication is dead or severely limited between two people…or if one or both people are “stuffers” or “internalizers”. Emotions get swept under the rug and there’s no desire a person’s part to find out what they or their partner feels because it’s awkward, perceived as weak and vulnerable, something they’ve never been used to or there’s a fear with laying things out on the table (used to avoiding conflict and directness).

I also think a lack of mutual vulnerability (openness) is damaging and threatening and it must be nipped in the bud early on. Being able to be vulnerable or open with a partner…or feeling like you CAN be…facilitates a desire to communicate and be a relationship team. Lack of vulnerability creates power struggles, resentment, manipulation games and posturing.

If you feel like you can’t open up to your partner, then you both start to conspire against one another. Both people feel suspicious about the other closing up and “hiding” information or their feelings. Both partners (or one person feel) feel like they are misunderstood and not listened to, which creates posturing. Posturing is when the person puts up a front to pretend that they are stronger or more secure than they are feeling inside. Anger replaces expressions of hurt because to cry or to show sadness is to appear weak to the “enemy” (the mistrusted one).

So with all of this toxic stuff happening…the relationship becomes a strong breeding ground for cheating/affairs although none of that will solve anything even if one or both people go on to other relationships. Not unless there’s some learning going on.

These are very common dramas in relationships and most people lack the courage to address these things head on. Relationships certainly present growth challenges and mirror dynamics.

Some people cheat for the thrill and the pursuit…to see what they can get away with…to establish a world within a world that only they and their lover(s) know about when they meet at their secret times and places. So it’s not always about an emotional connection or to get away from a mess in cowardice. Of course, if a person who craved this didn’t do it in the confines of a relationship, the affairs wouldn’t have mystery or a sense of adventure to it. They get off on daring liaisons. I think the only remedy here is for the other person to always pay attention to the person they are committing too. Study their personality and character closely.

Rarely does a person like this neglect dropping hints or revealing him/herself in some manner over time. No one is that good of an actor. There’s always a clue.

Openness and Intimacy

One of the subjects I’ve been thinking about more lately is whether or not people should strive to be completely honest in a relationship regarding their emotions and their past. What is true intimacy and how do you create that in a relationship?

Should someone know as much as possible about their partner or should both people keep some things (past expriences, beliefs, ideas, etc.) to themselves?

I initiated this topic on a discussion board and several people replied, but I came across a common response from a woman. She said that if her current partner revealed that he had slept with a prostitute in the past, then she wouldn’t want to know. Of course this reveals how she feels about prostitution and men who seek out prositutes for sex as there are many women who wouldn’t be bothered by this kind of admission. She also said that an ex-boyfriend revealed some things to her about his past and consequently, she couldn’t look at him the same although she stated, in defense of maintaining privacy in relationships, that “the past is the past and should not dictate who someone is today”…

She ended her response by asking why do we need to be that open in relationships?

I thought for a bit and this was my response:

I don’t think there’s a need to sit one’s partner down and mechanically go through a list of things that you’d want to reveal all at once or give explicit sexual details, but I do think if certain questions are asked, they should be honestly answered in a very close relationship or discussed later in an organic fashion.

I know I am in the minority with this thinking but I feel this way because whatever happens as a result will reveal truth regardless. It will reveal truth about whether or not there’s shame about one’s past, the relationship can still prosper after knowledge, and what judgment really means about intrinsic beliefs and values about the person judging and so forth.

I’ve always liked to get closer than most people feel comfortable with in relationships, because I like to do this with myself to a large degree, and I know that’s not a comforting thing. But I think it challenges in a way that is good in the long run.

For example, you mentioned a partner told you something about their past that bothered you. You kept focusing on it and couldn’t let go/work through it, so it changed the way you saw him. I think what the truth revealed was could you deeply love him regardless of what he did in his past (especially if you believe he was different at a later time), was he truly the person for you, were you able to analyze what he told you and gain some clarity as to why it continued to bother you…or if it really should?

That is -not- a comfortable process and people want to avoid that understandably so, but again it reveals truth, strength, inner feelings/values and emotions…and it establishes authenticity.

A friend (of the past), several years ago, told me in private that she learned about her boyfriend’s past. He opened up to her later on in the relationship. She was with her boyfriend for 4 years and she felt they were very close and could discuss anything. Eventually, after watching American History X and getting into a discussion about one scene, he revealed to her, that when he was younger, he had been raped by a couple of boys, who were sons of his mother’s boyfriend.

The rapes would happen often and he’d be coerced into them, being the youngest of the boys. Eventually, she said he mentioned that he became confused by the acts once he turned 12. He started to experiment and engage in the acts on his own and stopped when he was 14.

After he told her this, she admitted to me that she had been so affected by what he revealed and needed someone to talk to. She also said although she felt bad for him and saw the experiences as tragic, she started to wonder about his sexuality and if he had some repressed attraction for men. I asked her why and she said because he decided to “turn the rape into experimentation”. I found out that they eventually broke up a few months later as a result. She didn’t trust his sexuality and I think there was some part of her that felt that men who were abused (even without the experimentation part) were less masculine and partially at fault for “letting” rape occur because it’s hard for society to see boys and men as victims when compared to girls and women. It’s not uncommon for a lot of people to feel this way although it’s controversial and shameful to admit.

Should he have revealed the experimental part of his past or the abuse altogether? They seemed to be getting along fine before this but this admission caused conflict, shame, doubt and fear.

I think it was for the best. There are women who would hear his admission and not react the same way. They’d handle it differently; make him feel more comfortable in admitting, speaking about it further and getting out feelings on his experiences and so forth. She was not cut out to see her way through any of that, so the intimacy was not able to go any deeper.

I imagine that they might have stayed together longer if he didn’t admit any of that (all of him; his present AND his PAST), but again, he needed someone who could hear and deal with that. I felt for her…I did. But inside, I also felt it created some Taoism, so to speak.

I think the same way about other aspects of sexual pasts, including sleeping with prostitutes, threesomes and so forth. There are people out there who don’t care or aren’t bothered by certain admissions. They possess the right energy for certain people who might have a particular past that otherwise wouldn’t be accepted by someone else.

It’s up to each person to decide how deep and authentic they want their relationship to be. You must decide how vulnerable you feel you can be in your relationship in order to facilitate a feeling of comfort, trust and kinship. Who are you with? What can they handle? How strong is the relationship? What are you and your partner’s deepest convictions, beliefs and values?

I then thought further and realized that of course this topic is very complex and while I do totally stand by what I said, I know that there are some other issues that come into play regarding being open and very intimate. I DO realize this and I don’t think one should be open with just ANYONE until they are very sure, know they can trust and that the person is worth it and has decent character and maturity. Some things are just foolhardy. You can never know for sure, but that’s where instincts, attention and mindfulness come in to help decide these things.

I also think it’s telling if someone isn’t willing to open up as much as you are willing to at the same time. It could mean several things, some of those things implicating slow caution, but sometimes it means that you could be with someone that wants you to give them leverage over you through vulnerability.

Some people might not want to reveal elements of themselves or their past completely for these reasons:

1. Afraid of someone knowing so much about you and not knowing if a relationship with that person will last “forever”. Once you part with that person, they possess knowledge of many of your secrets.
2. As an extension of the aforementioned, when you share so much of yourself, you give the other person a certain level of importance, and in some cases, power. Will they use this information against you later on either during the relationship or if you wind up parting?
3. Afraid of looking flawed, weak, immoral and/or hypocritical.
4. As I mentioned somewhat in my response to this woman, there’s the issue of confronting feelings of shame, old demons, guilt and self-judgment. If some dredge up their pasts, they are afraid of disturbing the seemingly dead beneath the burial ground. Not everyone deals with their past experiences and decisions or comes to peace with them head on. They are stuffers. So as they go on with their lives and develop into another self-view, they don’t want anything being revealed or confronted to remind them of a self-view that clashes with their current one…and again they certainly don’t want to play these dramas out before someone else if they can barely do it through self-disclosure. I notice that in this struggle, some people might claim to be non-regretful of their past and even proud of it, yet they react in this manner with fear if someone very close wants to know about general details of their past. Culpability adds more to this tangled web.

Whatever we do NOW, we better be prepared to OWN it later. If not, decide why you are doing what you are doing.

I also think that some people really are impaired when it comes to being emotionally honest. They might have grown up in a family where metaphorically, closed doors in a hallway are fine, normal and expected. So when someone finally comes into their life to challenge that, they freak out, get defensive, become even more secretive to maintain control and get angry or shut down.

Again a complex issue…

Inspiration & Competition

Inspiration comes from so many sources – experiences, nature, people, events, etc.

Lately, I’ve been looking at a lot of inspiring websites and businesses. I connect with a kindred energy when I sense and feel it. You can discover a lot about yourself, your true goals and passions when you pay attention to what you are drawn to. Patterns can be acknowledged and analyzed and further clarity becomes a result.

I was talking my fiance Andrew about inspiration and also about competition yesterday. What does it mean for someone to be competitive when they aspire to reach a goal or better define themselves?

I don’t necessarily see competition as bad or even destructive, but I do think there are some delusions involved in how some people view competition in themselves. For example, I remember talking with a friend and he mentioned that he hates when others are competitive and that this world would be better off without that kind of drive or focus. I asked him if he saw himself as competitive and he said, “No, I am not really competitive, although I do try to top myself and that’s different.” I told him that was competition, but just directed in a different sense and I also mentioned that he’d be surprised to discover how that inner sense of urgency is often fueled by external factors. It’s impossible to be absolutely free of that as a human being or a life form period. On a very basic level, it’s what defines some function of life and also what makes us able to survive through better adaptations.

I explained how competition with others, in the realm of individualism rather than collective consciousness and being, is not really about “others”…it IS essentially about oneself; the preservation, survival and betterment of oneself through a mode of vicarious direction which reveals values and self-truths. A competitive target could be anyone and anything…it’s just a mirror. So again, it is essentially about self. Some people are more or less external in this mode, but that’s just a different mode of how competition functions. I also think that targets of competition can’t really take or be given any personal credit given what I just mentioned…because they are mirrors. If it’s not that particular situation or person, then it will be another…given that whatever is valued is present.

I thought about this because as I was looking around at sites and profiles of people that I admire, I felt inspiration but I also felt a twinge of wanting to compete. I analyzed that and saw that it came back to the vicarious mode. There are desires inside that create standards and I wish to reach and eventually surpass those standards because it all plays a part of how I desire to define my life. I feel that definition comes from who I think I am as a person and what I think my life purpose is and should be.

If one can look at this process of analysis, one can find out if components in this “formula” create a good result or link up. Look at what makes you respond, compete, feel inspired and so forth. Look at the inner pull involved in these expressions/feelings and see if a set of standards can be realized. Once those standards are realized, think further about life purpose and self-definition and decide whether or not this all really reflects who you think you are or who you think you should be. You might have to do some “retracking” and restructuring and what comes to be realized might not even be pleasant or make sense. This sounds very exact and sequential although the process is more quantum in nature. I think it’s an important process to put oneself through. Discovery and epiphanies will come about for sure and it won’t necessarily be instant…but it will be progress nonetheless.

On a more show n’ tell note, here are few sources of innovation that I feel a connection to and am inspired by:

Illustrators/Designers Vicki Wong and Michael Murphy of Meomi
Illustrator Simone Legno of Tokidoki
Jewelry/Fashion Designer Tarina Tarantino
Illustrator(s) behind Indeepop

There are many more to list, but I’ll keep the list brief…for now.

I’ve been able to read about the history of artistic development and ambition of some of these artists and again I find them so inspiring. I’ve been working on Pink Laughter Kingdom more actively in the last month, particularly with character development. Character development is central to creating a world identity. The Pink Laughter Kingdom concept has been in my head for so long and it’s time to really push it to the next level.

In an effort to further articulate many of my visions in this realm, I will be going into an intense mode of self-education and development. I decided to check back with Gnomon School of Visual Effects for 5 week and 10 week class sessions as I work at home. The classes are 500 dollars each so that’s not too bad for 5-10 week sessions. I’d like to develop my skills in gesture, character and figure drawing, by taking some of these classes during the weekend if possible in the middle of the week, because I have a lot of ideas for character development that involve stronger skills in this area of illustration. Additionally, I think Santa Monica College has some interesting weekend classes to look into.

As I mentioned before, I’d like to develop more skills in the area of web development as well. Nothing intense or big as I am not aspiring to be a full-fledged programmer of course. I just seek development that will further help me to be self-reliant in my design projects and as an artist with greater technical skills. I am trying to lessen that chasm I spoke about in a previous entry…between artistic vision and realization.

Cool site (I so love designer toys!)…it is in Japanese, but there are many figures to look at in the products section, once going further into the site.

Good Smile Company

On Making Things Happen

Are you a go-getter or do you wait for things to happen to you?

I’ve been a bit of both at different times in my life. Over time I see myself functioning more in the former category. I can be very type A and perform with an explosive and enduring amount of energy when I put my mind and heart into something, but then I can be bad at procrastinating in other moments and find it difficult to get started in executing an objective…for a number of reasons. Some of these reasons are ones that I’ve talked about in previous journal entries.

I truly do not believe in waiting for things to happen. Sometimes, one does get lucky and certain opportunities just fall into place, but even with that being a factor, some preparation must be present. If luck does occur, it would suck big time to NOT be ready to take on a given opportunity because you waited around and didn’t invest in any planning. It would pretty much be a case of “being caught off guard”.

I was talking to my fiance Andrew last night about ideas and concepts…as well as being in the habit of being overwhelmed by the desire to carry out many ideas and passions. This is common among a lot of creative types, so it’s something many can understand and relate to. He also he expressed his experience with this and talked about the long-standing desire of turning his novel into a graphic novel series at some point. We were looking at a lot of sites online for inspiration and this is what originally led to this discussion tangent.

I am seeing that many illustrators are taking their ideas and expressing them three dimensionally. I’ve always been fascinated with this process and wish to do this myself. I mentioned this to Andrew, and he expressed his desire for taking the characters of his novel into the three dimensional realm, drawing-wise, to create detailed characterization. Afterwards, I asked him if he ever had the desire to work with 3D Studio Max. He said that he briefly used Lightwave in the past, but that was about as much as he experienced with using 3D graphics software. He emphasized that writing is his main focus and he is overwhelmed with how much he’d ideally like to do overall. This is understandable, as he is swamped with work in his master’s program, will soon be gearing up for his internship in Montreal and spends any spare time working on the book drafts for the rest of his novel series for Eden’s Heel (and of course talking to me).

I told him that working in 3D Studio Max does not mean he has to focus on becoming a 3D modeler or animator. It would mean that he’d find his skills expanding in a way that might be surprising to him because I’ve seen this happen with myself in various circumstances. Regardless of where an artist is at, all artists have visions and when the gap between an artist’s vision(s) and the artist’s abilities is great, it creates more frustration and disenchantment. One of the most satisfying things to do, as an artist, is to be able establish visionary goals by decreasing that chasm…but I believe that in order to do this, we must sometimes seek to find and acknowledge connections in unfamiliar ways.

For example, I remember taking a 2D Design class several years ago as an art/art history major and the first projects in that class were several exercises working with pen and ink. Many of the assignments dealt with stripping down full-color photographs and images into basic shapes composed of values (black and white). All areas of light were displayed initially as white gouache (paint) and all areas of shadow were displayed as areas of black gouache and eventually we started creating a scale between those two values through shades of gray from a 10 step gradation scale. We worked so extensively with these exercises, that I can remember one day looking at my instructor during lecture and suddenly, I saw him completely composed in black and white values…almost to the point of being down right disturbing. My perception switched into a different area and I saw him as a foundation of basic elements.

We see chiaroscuro (shadow and light) everyday, but the average person takes these details in their environment for granted. Shadow and light are seen, but as elements they aren’t truly acknowledged by what I call the third eye. Artists with great execution have third eyes that are sharper and more refined. The third eye for everyone is composed of many different segments; often segments that remain undeveloped and as untapped potential. I started to see not only my instructor in values but everything around me. That segment of my third eye had come into further development since I had transitioned into a different visualization process through a series of pen and ink works and conditions.

The average person, in varying degrees, is relatively good at pattern recognition, which leads to clearer and sharper identification and associative cognition, and if a common object is asked to be described, most people can describe it in words and/or draw a very basic sketch of it on a piece of paper. Moreover, they can point it out if they see it in a lineup among other objects.

How well they can draw and describe the object is affected by the strength of their third eye. Some people visualize details of something naturally better than others and will be able to translate this in a number of ways whether it is with sketchbook, words or some other channel and that is often described as talent. However, even people with that advantage need further third eye sharpening. It takes practice, time and creative thinking. I liken this to being able to add up numbers in the mind’s eye. When we try to do this, we struggle more or less than others to keep the numbers present within a mental viewpoint. The numbers seem to want to disappear or move around and mess up the process of calculation while we imagine. People who are good (or get to be good) with mathematical calculations can keep a stronger focus of numbers, and their relations with one another, in the mind longer so that it is as functional to get a result as it would be in utilizing paper which provides static reference.

Another striking incidence of visualization shift took place when I started using 3D Studio Max. I became completely fascinated with the program and after class was over, I stayed up many nights experimenting with the program and doing various online tutorials until 5-7am in the morning. I wanted to learn as much as I could because it was a completely new process and there was so much potential to express my creative ideas in a different way than before. I noticed that, again, I started to see everyday objects in a completely different way. I began seeing everything in basic shapes or shape complexes the way I did when I worked in 3D Studio Max. I paid attention to texture and lighting the way I did when working in the program and I eventually noticed that when I went back to creating illustrations in Illustrator and Photoshop, I developed a stronger eye for creating depth through texture, lighting and shape. My technique became better just through using 3ds Max. I didn’t have this expectation when I first started using the program but the epiphany was a delicious encounter.

A lot of people would see working in this program and developing better skills, in other facets of illustration, as unrelated…but as a person who loves symbolism, analogy and seeing and making connections, I feel this is no different in gaining the benefits of taking, for example, an acting class and using that to further strengthen the ability to express yourself in other ways, unrelated to a career and pursuit in acting. Taking acting classes is a great tool for a lot of people who are shy, want to be speakers/lecturers, wish to sing and desire a better understanding of themselves and others kinesthetically, especially since this comprises a large segment of communication and relative interpretation. Again, the skills sets developed in this manner aren’t advantageous to just actors. There are a multitude of priceless skill development connections here waiting to be unsheathed and seized.

So, as mentioned before, decreasing the chasm between vision and ability can be achieved by seeking, finding and building connections between seemingly unrelated functions and areas.

When Andrew mentioned that he had no time for developing his drawing skills in the realm of character design by utilizing 3D Studio Max, and that it was unrelated to what he wanted to do with his focus in writing, I then disagreed due to the aforementioned thoughts. He might not have time to truly devote himself to character design right now in this manner, but he might find dabbling in a program such as that to be surprisingly beneficial. It might be the missing link in developing stronger skills spatially for the establishment of projects related to sequential art (comics). This isn’t the only way he can develop stronger character design skills. He could find other unconventional ways to do this, but it’s one of many ideas that could offer some results and progress. It’s good to experiment to see what can develop.

Build a ship, grab a pair of binoculars, pack necessities in preparation of your journey…and set out to explore…

On The Culture of Thinness

I recently had some thoughts on obsession of skinny in this culture…and why our society values very thin as the physical ideal when it hasn’t always been this way. I am thinking this really had a lot to do with our country moving more into a consumerist nation over several time periods. Excess is accessible to many people…even poor people in the U.S. aren’t on the same level as the economically dispossessed in developing nations. We have so much…in many different ways…food/nutrition, multimedia stimulation and so forth. It’s easy for someone to become overweight and excessively so. No longer is this a physical stature common to only the wealthy and well-to-do classes like it was back when zaftig and rubenesque bodies were admired and adored.

Having a full or plump form was associated with living well, having rich drinks and beverages, and having excess overall which wasn’t accessible to the rest of peasant society who suffered from nutrition deficiencies and the like. A collective social mind developed and many subliminal connotations were born creating a culture of desires, ideals and standards that reflected the environment and the economy. As our society became more industrialized and technologically advanced, no longer was the average American a peasant or dispossessed from accessing excess in some way or another…even if they were poor. Poor families are still “over-nutritioned”. They aren’t starving the way children are starving in developing countries and we don’t even get the types of diseases that starving children in developing countries get…quite often. The poor in the U.S. tend to eat more poorly more than anything else.

Anyway, a body that is fat is considered unfit and common. It is without a guidance of control and structure. Anyone can get fat and there are many relatively new illnesses at epidemic levels associated with obesity. In the past, these culture-specific epidemics weren’t there (and they aren’t in developing countries today), which further shows and validates a change in the infrastructure and culture of our nation. As a result, again the collective social mind has developed a culture of desires, ideals and standards which reflect these changes. A thin, lean and taut body is one of those pervasive ideals that have come out of this changing collective social mindset…

I would even argue, that although eating disorders aren’t truly about being very thin/weight and they are manifested through the mask of body image dissatisfaction and never before (until now) have we seen eating disorders at such an epidemic level, the mask that eating disorders take on is a symptom of wanting to gain control through an ill method of survival in this excessive and over-stimulated nation. The metaphorical desire is to be as thin as possible. It’s truly a dark theatrical entity which gives validation to what I am theorizing about here. We don’t see these problems in developing countries.

We can advertise about diets all day every day, but the common body ideal won’t change until our economy shifts and changes. I don’t see this happening unless the U.S., Canada and other first nation countries go into a deep, abysmal, economic depression for a long period of time, thus making excess truly inaccessible to the vast majority in a profound way…the way it is in developing countries. The very thin, lean taut body ideal will remain for quite a long time. It’s also very telling how weight loss surgery is becoming so common. I even remember the popularity of people getting their mouths wired shut, back in the 80s and early 90s, so they could only drink liquids in order to lose weight and control their eating. We have certainly gone to extremes and normalized them…and continue to do so.

Metaphorically, power now is about having control over one’s body in a world of excess and this translates into being very thin. It’s interesting because with so much excess all around, one would think we’d embrace what’s inevitable by living in it, which is an overweight body…a complete symptom of our cultural realm…but that’s what essentially makes the desire for control so much of a pathological focus and drive in this country

I also remember reading an article about men who suffered from anorexia or didn’t eat much and how this influenced the kind of body they tend to be attracted to in their partners. If I am not mistaken, I think it was a Psychology Today article. It was mentioned that these men found full-figured women more attractive because they represented enrichment in lifestyle and physique that they lacked or aspired to have themselves. A fuller body wasn’t just about looks to these men psychologically, when it came to arousal, but it was associated with comfort, pleasure, sensuality and satisfaction. Some also were said to equate fuller bodies with more sexual expression because the women ate more, which was reflected in their body builds, and were seen as able to enjoy life on a large scale by not restricting and withholding as most women do because they have an obsession with being thin.

That’s quite intriguing. There’s a lot to think about when looking at men (or women) who consider themselves FAs or Fat Admirers in a culture that highly resists and scoffs at such preferential or at least inclusive attraction. What’s in this rebellion or difference of mind, amid the majority ideals, regardless of whether it is more nature or nurture?

The article was an interesting read; I wish I could find that article online somewhere. I read it a few years ago. It made me ponder more on this theory of the etiology of body ideals and standards in a given society or culture.

I’ll be writing an article on ideas for establishing a healthy mind and lifestyle in the near future. I have a list of articles that I am working on.

Freeganism

I was reading an entry on a LiveJournal community and it was about a voluntary and green-inspired lifestyle called Freeganism. Oprah Winfrey featured a show on this lifestyle with Lisa Ling. I didn’t get to see it but I am curious about the show and will try to find it online if I can.

Freeganists are people who consider themselves to be anti-consumerists. They look for alternative ways to gather necessary resources such as clothing, food and even housing. However, the main focus is on find different ways to gather food without contributing to wastefulness and excessive consumption. They go to various food service businesses and markets to take leftovers (called dumpster driving) that are unspoiled and past their expiration date. They get these items free and the lifestyle is for making a socio-political statement.

I think this is a great message and idea; however there are some things that have to be considered. I’d like to see most of the food go to people who really need it…people who don’t have options to live or experiment with other lifestyles in order to make political statements. Poor people, who are truly in need of food, only care only about survival, so looking for leftover food; begging or trying to eat free is not a romanticized experience.

I also think that, although this lifestyle has the right intention, this is not going to catch on to the public at large. Again, the best way to send out a message here and contribute to less waste is to, put in place, a large organization that caters to distributing and packaging leftover food from food service businesses to those in need. I’ve always wondered if something like this was in place because when I’d hear of how much food was left over by so many grocery stores and restaurants, I thought, “Why are they throwing all of that useful food away rather than giving it to people who are poor or homeless??”

I remember reading that there were some legalities in place to prevent restaurants from doing this because they are required to throw food away after reaching their expiration dates and so forth. If an organization can come into place and set up various local chapters around the U.S., it can be responsible for working with government health inspection and food regulation orgs. in order to insure that the food given out through food service companies is edible, healthy, nutritious and safe to eat. Food service companies would just sign up through the organization and agree to sign forms, follow regulation requirements and so forth in order to start participating and helping to lower food waste nationally.

I haven’t seen anything like this in place on a large scale and I think it would be a wonderful idea (there is Food Not Bombs and a few other smaller orgs., but they aren’t national I don’t think). Individuals can participate in this type of organization as well. The organization can sponsor food drives which collect canned foods and other packaged food materials from households…as long as the food meets health regulations and requirements set up by the organization.