Category: Social

Why I refuse to support Facebook and you should, too

5/15/2016

by Willow

I'm not really a big fan of social media websites; never have been. Probably one reason is because I don't have the time [or, more accurately, don't want to take the time] to deal with them. I only want to be on the computer so much. Doing this website is a stretch for me, in a way, because I already spend a lot of time on my computer for my work. [And, one reason why there aren't more regular blog posts.]

Thus, I've never gotten involved with, or even had the desire to register with, Twitter, FB, Pinterest, or whatever other media sites are out there. Just not my thing.

However, recently, I was interested in learning about the Big Island Fruit Festival schedule and activities that are going on from May 14 to May 28. And, I found out to my dismay, that they are using FB for all of their connections, scheduling, etc. I also recently found out that the Big Island Fruitlucks group [their name!] is going to switch from MeetUp to FB. How disappointing.

There are MANY reasons why I refuse to support FB, besides the fact that I don't want to take the time to deal with social media in general. There have been many news articles reporting their cooperation with various governmental agencies in releasing private citizen information, the recent news exposure on their censorship activities of 'conservative' groups/posts, and that they decided to remove any gun-related groups or posts on FB. Those are just some of their activities that I've become aware of; there are a great deal more. I'm sure that most of you are not into censorship. Most of us are aware of the quote by "Anonymous" [although the attribution has since been give to Pastor Niemoller] regarding the Nazi actions; I found a great revised version on this website that relates to internet security [or insecurity, as it truly now is]: "First They Came for the Jews". [Now please don't get all riled up about me comparing internet security and privacy concerns with the Nazis and the Holocaust as that is not what I'm doing; as I was thinking about what FB does and the ethical issues concerned with their activities, especially turning over private citizen information to the government, those things reminded me of that quote. Then, I saw that others were connecting those dots, as well. The moral tale is similar; the wholesale and unspeakable things that Nazis did to Jews, and many other groups, is not.]

You don't have to take my word for criticisms of FBs actions and activities; here are just two of MANY websites available to review some of their egregious actions:

Facebook Wall of Shame
Facebook Detox

There are options to FB if one is so inclined to be on a social media site like that. I found out about one that is supported by Tim Berners-Lee, and founded by civil libertarians. As folks who are part of what some consider to be a cult [raw foodists, or even vegans!], I believe we ought to also carefully consider the backers of the internet sites that we choose to support, even if it is only by signing up. By registering for a site, we are giving our tacit approval of things they do. And, of course, while we can't know everything about who is behind an internet site, we can and do know some things by the history of FB and their actions; thus, we can take action. We get all upset about whether or not our foods are organic or truly raw, we 'ought' to get upset, and then take action, about how our private information is being given away.

If I were going to be active on a social media website, I would probably choose MeWe. While I don't like the name [it just doesn't have a good ring to it!], I do very much appreciate the founders' values, privacy bill of rights, and other information they have posted on their website. I encourage you to check it out, as well, and let's create a 'fast' from FB! Millions are choosing to delete their accounts from FB - you can, too!

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Violence

4/21/2016

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Violence (or How to Make the World a More Peaceful Place)
by Allan

Most people, if asked, would say they are into nonviolence but would say something needs to be done about whole list of things they would like the government to do. Are they aware that all the things they want the government to do costs money and they have to get that money somewhere? Maybe some do, but not many. So this is a contradiction because government uses force to get the money (in the form of taxes) to do things that only some people think need to be done. With this basic belief that taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society when in reality a civilized society would not take money (taxes) from us by force. So violence creates more violence.

The American Empire, with the military industrial complex, thinks it’s just fine to use Violence (yes kill people) anywhere in the world. What to do about this horrible situation? Peace starts at home with each individual. Pay as little tax dollars as legally possible. Visit the Thrive Movement website to learn about some other ideas.

How do we change this?  First we need to understand what’s happening and set a course to a Non-violent Future. A Voluntary Civil Society only needs two laws, I believe. Do all you have agreed to do, which is the foundation of contract law. And do not encroach on other people or their property, which is the basis of tort law and some criminal law.

I know, I know, it’s too idealistic. But evolution starts in small nooks and crannies all over the world.   We can start with ourselves. I think we are all Ignorant in one way or another. I have boiled down what I think is going on in the world gone mad: ignorance, fear, violence and lack of freedom.

How about a Vegan Corporation and non-profit? Maybe even a church with businesses and values used to create a better world for the share holders and everyone else involved, of course, with the illusion of security. I say “illusion” because there is no true security, but we can have what feels like security in the now. Some of what we need are vegan idealists with accounting, lawyering skills and a whole bunch of good ideas because maybe one out ten businesses will be successful businesses.

Remember: as Buckminster Fuller said: You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.

Peace, Love and Monkey Business.

A.J.

I LOVE LIVE FOOD BECAUSE LIVE FOOD LOVES ME BACK .

Just imagine a future better than the present. You begin to love every minute of it. You become part of the solution and see that your life and energies are worthwhile and making a difference. How fortunate we all are to be living in these times.

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What If?

9/21/2015

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by Allan

Could it be that Ignorance and Violence are the top Problems in the World?

Violence seems to create more Violence.   People are always fighting this or that. Be it the War on Drugs, the War on poverty, or the War on Cancer.   We seem to just get more of whatever we are fighting.

I like what Buckminster Fuller said:  You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model Obsolete.

What if Left, Right, Liberal, Conservative, Progressive just divides us?

What if it were about good Ideas and bad Ideas. What if we could vote on the Ideas?   What if we apply values to Ideas and discover if an Idea was better or worse?   Does the Idea create more violence or less?     Less Ignorance or more?    More Freedom or less?

How long before we move on to the Psycho-Social Frontier?

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Preaching?

7/29/2015

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by Allan

I was hanging out with some neighbors and one said to me: "okay, stop the preaching." The last time I had heard this was a couple years before when my brother had visited me. He had told me that he wanted to visit and drink some smoothies and loose some weight. So I took him at his word. As soon as he got here he was already sick because he hadn’t eaten all day. He told me that the same thing happened when his doctor had him not eat so he could do some tests. I won't getting into the icky details, but after a couple days he was really feeling bad . I did my best to tell him what was going on and to help him out. This to him was "Preaching," telling him what he didn’t want to hear. I realized that I just didn’t get clear enough with him beforehand. So again I was hearing the preaching idea when at least one neighbor wasn’t wanting to hear what I was saying. Basic disagreement or something else? Who knows, don’t go there. Don’t dig into it and find out. I’m okay with agree to disagree . Then at least you know. Where are the folks that want to Socialize with Purpose? Where are the people who want Honesty, who are open minded and Willing to explore our and humanities ignorance about so many things. To leave behind the Idea that it’s not good to talk about politics and religion, and go onto the Psycho-Social Frontier where you can talk about anything and do it in a way that allows us to learn about ourselves. Knowing that if we get plugged in or upset that it’s an opportunity for growth. Knowing there’s no blame and that it’s going on inside us and we can learn from it by not taking it personally. So what if we can all teach what we wanted to learn at AnimAJourney in the not too distant future? A.J............

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Solstice Gathering

1/1/2015

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We spent the winter Solstice at a sister community called Kanekiki, which is located in Puna. Along with about 14 other kookie, fun-loving raw foodists, we enjoyed a beautiful weekend preparing some lovely raw food dishes, as well as sharing two meals together. A great time was had by all! Below is a picture of most of us in the outdoor kitchen, showing some of the yummy dishes that we enjoyed. We also imbibed on a rare tropical fruit picked fresh from the trees just an hour before the meal of durian - amazing!

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Compassionate Holidays

11/26/2014

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gorgeous salad, and most items from our garden!

As we move into the hollyday season, I encourage folks to check out this website called Compassionate Holidays, which was established by FARM: Farm Animal Rights group. If you haven't yet experienced a vegetarian or vegan Thanksgiving, now is a great time to do so! There are all sorts of substitutes out there for the traditional Thanksgiving treats that most of us enjoy or have fond memories of! I know in years past I have made "Tofurkey" from scratch - a 'turkey' made out of tofu and seasonings and it was GREAT! I've also made stuffing, vegetables, pies, vegan eggless nog, and more! I have experimented with all kinds of vegan goodies during the holiday season and many are just soooo delicious! If you check out the Compassionate Holiday website, there are many suggestions and recipes for making vegetarian and vegan substitutes for your favorite holiday dishes! If you attend in a holiday event that isn't vegetarian or vegan, bring a vegan dish to share and bring a card that has the ingredients on it. Many folks are shocked to taste these often very delicious vegan substitutes for the traditional animal-based dishes. Better yet, go to a veggie hollyday gathering! There is bound to be at least one not too far from you this year! On the Compassionate Holidays website, you can scroll down to "Attend an Event", click on the link and put in your zip code to find a veggie gathering near you for this hollyday season!

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The Science of Living Happily Ever After

11/2/2014

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Having difficulties maintaining a relationship? Wondering why your relationships donʻt last long? Wondering what to do about finding and keeping your soul mate?

I have wondered about these kinds of things over the years, and have read a variety of relationship books and have tried different things. Of course, there is no magic formula, as much as weʻd like one! But, there are some things that we could do to possibly enhance the possibility that when we do meet someone, we can learn early on whether the person is a good match for a solid, long-lasting relationship. Dr. Tashiro, a psychologist, has written an interesting book entitled The Science of Living Happily Ever After, and discusses some research on the subject, and provides some suggestions, based on research, of determining if someone is a good match for you. Here are some of his ideas:

1. Friends and in-laws matter: get their opinions, and really listen to them, of your new love/partner. How many times have you watched a movie where two people get together, and it is obvious to you from the beginning that one person is a creep and the other is just going to get hurt? According to research, outsiders are pretty good at determining which relationships will last, and which will not!

2. Have a good understanding of your attachment style, and compare those to your new love. If they do not seem to be a good match, then strongly re-consider the relationship. For example, if your love is in the category of being a securely attached individual [in other words, had a good relationship with primary caregivers], then it is much more likely they will be able to stick with a relationship than those who are in the ʻavoidantʻ or ʻinsecureʻ category of attachment. Also, if you grew up as a securely attached child, then you will more likely attract a securely attached partner [roughly 50% of the time].

3. You and your love/partner can take a "Big Five" personality trait questionnaire [you can find one on Dr. Tashiroʻs website] to see where you both rate on openness, extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism. AND/OR you and a group of friends can get together with your new love interest and you can have your friends rate your love interest on these traits [that seems to provide a fairly accurate picture of these traits, according to research]. With these results, you can compare your personality traits with your dateʻs and assess whether you are likely to be a good match. One area to compare is neuroticism as it appears to be the most important personality predictor of future relationship satisfaction and stability. One of the best ways to find out if your love interest is high on the neuroticism scale is to pay close attention to what they do in stressful situations; if they freak out when you would not, this person is probably not likely to be a good match for you. And, as Dr. Tashiro points out, wishful thinking that this personʻs stress reactions will change will not do you any favors! These types of traits tend to last a lifetime.

Tashiro, Ty 2014. The Science of Living Happily Ever After: What Really Matters in the Quest for Enduring Love.

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Optimism and denial

9/2/2014

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by Willow Aureala

Iʻve been reading Counterclockwise by Ellen Langer. Her main topic is the concept of mindfulness. For whatever reason, that word ʻmindfulnessʻ bugs me; I think because it sounds ʻnew age-yʻ or something and some new age concepts just bug me. However, I do agree with many things she writes about, and I appreciate the research studies she has included in her book to support some of her statements [of course, most people donʻt discuss any contrary research studies in their books, so that needs to be taken into consideration].

Anyway, one thing she wrote about is the correlation between optimism and recovery from coronary artery bypass surgery, and other studies about attitudes affecting recovery. She wrote "This improvement is not a function of a patientʻs tendency to deny that he was ill. Those who hold optimistic beliefs actually pay greater attention to their recovery, and in so doing they aid the recovery process and help anticipate complications. This optimism is highly correlated with mindfulness (and also may be causally related)" (p. 64). Mindfulness means to be aware, to focus slightly more attention on something that one may do otherwise. So, if someone is paying greater attention to their recovery, what might they be doing differently than those who donʻt? I would suggest that attention also means that a person could have more of a will or drive to recover, and perhaps those who donʻt place as much attention on their recovery are less inclined to get better, for whatever reasons. These could be familial, environmental [yucky surroundings], not really having much to look forward to when one has recovered, or other things. Langer doesnʻt really address these things. Does optimism follow from personality and/or environmental factors, or the reverse - do environmental factors and personality lead to more optimism, and thus, better recovery?

I donʻt think it is a one-to-one relationship; there are likely to be other variables involved than simply being optimistic means more will recover from something. I think mindfulness, or attention, is very important to oneʻs health and well-being, but to attribute optimism and attention as directly or as primary contributors to recovery from surgery seems inaccurate. How much ʻmindfulnessʻ is necessary to show better recovery? How much optimism? Where is the line on the continuum for those concepts? Certainly, our psychology is very important in our lives; mind & body, after all, do impact each other. But, other variables are important, as well.

Langer also discussed that when someone is told that they have cancer and are given a low prognosis for recovery [you have X months to live], then many people accept that and this can lead to a doctor-fulfilling prophecy [she calls it a self-fulfilling prophecy, but I wonder; doctors words influence many people]. She wrote "When we learn the correlational finding - say, that cancer kills - and mindlessly accept as necessarily true, then a diagnosis of cancer may unwittingly lead us to see ourselves as victims of self-fulfilling prophecies" (p. 65).

Certainly, unwittingly believing what anyone says could have a negative impact on us. A curious question comes out of this ʻcancer is a killerʻ issue, too: why do so many people ask the doctor "How long do I have?" Langer also discussed how many doctors are asked this question, and yet, they really are reporting statistics, and there are always outliers on statistics. Perhaps some people have a ʻdeath wishʻ and thatʻs why they ask the question "How long do I have?" That would be an interesting study to me: to learn more about why people ask that question.

So, yes, mindfullness, or attention, is very important. There is an old saying, you get what you focus on. But, I think, too, that there are other variables or factors that Langer doesnʻt address in her story about cancer or recovery from surgery. If someone is of older age, and all they have to look forward to is returning to a nursing home where they have little to say about their world [Langer also discussed control for nursing home residents and how much that can impact their lives and longevity], then there probably is a good reason why they may not recover well... They may be focusing on what they donʻt have to look forward to, and thus, are not that interested in ʻrecoveryʻ.

Our brains and minds are so fascinating, and researchers are attempting to tease out the different components of what makes us tick [or not]. I appreciate many of Langerʻs observations and the value that mindfulness has in our lives, but itʻs not always mindfulness that is relevant in a given situation.

Reference:

Langer, Ellen 2009. Counterclockwise: Mindful health and the power of possibility.

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Diets and identity

7/22/2014

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by Willow Aureala

I have been reading a book entitled Diet Cults by Matt Fitzgerald that I have found very interesting and thought-provoking, and highly recommend it. One of the things he wrote about had to do with group identity and diets. One reason we might choose a diet or a health plan that seems to 'resonate' with us more than another may have to do with the psychological and social factors that compel us to belong to a group, and perhaps you are friends with someone who follows a particular diet or plan and that gets the ball rolling to start following that particular diet. Some diets have larger followings and more opportunities for social connectedness than others, and this, too, could be a compelling factor. Basically, Matt Fitzgerald writes, most diets can work well for most people for most of the time, but some may be more successful [excluding other factors] due to the group identity of the people who are part of that diet's or plan's following.

This reminds me of when I first chose to become a vegetarian. At the time, I made the decision on my own and I knew of no vegetarian groups or activities [this was in 1981 and in Texas; if you know anything about Texas, you know that beef is a pretty big industry there]. However, I was committed to being a vegetarian due to ethical reasons, not health reasons, and my compassion for animals and my desire to contribute as little as possible to their pain and suffering (to the extent I was aware of it at any given time) was a huge motivator for me.. Eventually, I was able to find a group of people who were also interested in the vegetarian diet and started hanging out with them more often, and that led to being an animal rights activist, which has a large contingent of vegetarians and vegans. I became a vegan in 1989 when I learned about the connection between veal and the dairy industry [without calves, there would be no veal]. I was heavily involved in these types of groups for at least 18 years [or more] and they definitely were my 'tribe' or group and, as such, heavily informed my identity. I was also involved in the civil and women's rights movements, and was a bit dismayed at times by these groups' lack of awareness [in my humble opinion] of the link between human and animal oppression, and so at times felt much less part of those groups [a less strong identity with them] than with the animal rights and vegetarian groups. I find this all quite interesting.

At this point in my life, I live in paradise [Hawaii], but unfortunately, there are very few regular, active groups to which I feel I could fit in or belong that have as the core something along the lines of vegetarianism, veganism and/or raw foodism. There have been a few people who have created social networks of raw fooders with gatherings, but those fizzled out. Every now and then, I'll see an advertisement for a raw food certification class or something similar, but this is a temporary event, and not an on-going social network or group type of thing. So, even though it is very easy to be a raw fooder in Hawaii due to the weather and availability of a wide variety of fresh produce, it is harder in that group identity and belonging is more difficult to create [I'm guessing that this is due to the small population, as well as how spread out people are on the island]. I do miss belonging to a social group with which I feel a belonging and a social identity and where I can make friends and participate in regular, on-going activities around a subject that is integral to my life: an ethically-based, raw food vegan diet.

I can see why many people might start a diet or new plan, but don't receive enough social reinforcement, for example, for it to continue. Or, they find the restrictions too much to deal with, especially if they don't have the social support. Much research has gone into trying to tease out how much dieting and losing weight have to do with differing factors, such as the diet plan [what is allowed and what is not], the psychology of the individuals involved, genes, social support [one thing that Weight Watchers is based one], or others. And, likely these different factors will have different importance at different times for different people. Also, for some, an online support group may work out just great, while for others, it will not be 'enough' support or reinforcement. So, when considering your own diet plan or thinking about getting into raw foods or veganism, how important is social support to you, where will you get it, how often, and will it be enough for you?

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Why I refuse to support Facebook and you should, too

Violence

What If?

Preaching?

Solstice Gathering

Compassionate Holidays

The Science of Living Happily Ever After

Optimism and denial

Diets and identity

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