We Are One: Why A Healthy Diet Is About More Than Getting Our Body Healthy
As humans, we tend to get very reductionist. We are incessantly looking for 'cause' and 'effect', when in fact we are a part of a symbiotic relationship with nature. We are nature, and this relationship is cyclical... it's give and take. Take food for example: we often think of food simply as a means of nourishment to us. Some people even narrow it down to calories or macro/ micronutrients... but let's take a step back and examine the symbiotic relationship between food (nature) and humans (also nature).
Symbiosis is the interaction between living organisms, and indeed-- the food choices we make aren't only about caloric requirements, or fulfilling nutritional deficiencies. Everytime we take a bite of food, we are deciding what kind of world we want to live in. With each living ingredient we buy, we are making a choice about how we want our environment to manifest itself. The way our food is grown impacts the very vibration of the planet we not only live on, but are a part of. The way it is harvested, packaged, transported, and processed. The way it is prepared, served, and eaten. The food we eat isn't a one-directional 'cause and effect' (ie. this meal is going to help me live): it is a union between two living things, living together in the macrocosm of Planet Earth, within the framework of something even bigger: the entire cosmos.
It's easy to divorce yourself from the fact you are a part of a bigger picture. Our ego's like to individualise ourselves, thinking we are sovereign entities roaming a planet that we have conquered. But the reality is we rely on her, because we are a part of her. Just like your own microbiome is home to about 100 trillion bacterial cells (there are 10 times more bacteria cells in your body than there are human cells), we are a part of the microbiome of the planet. Imagine one of your gut's bacteria stood up and announced "I AM THE RULER OF THIS BODY"... it's absurd. And no different than one human standing up on the planet with the belief that s/he is anything other than a part of the puzzle. All parts work together to make the thing, and although we have names and faces and hobbies-- we too are a part of the thing. One cell of the microbiome. One piece of the puzzle. One drop in the ocean.
Animal, plant, fungi, protist, and monera-- we give labels to these kingdoms so that we can rationalise them with our human brains, but they are all a part of the ethereal wonder of living, breathing, beings. Whether you're a human, a lion, a cherry tree, a reishi mushroom, or a single-celled protozoa, you make up a part of the living, cosmic, whole.
This is why food choice matters. Not because you yourself want to get healthy, but because with each bite of food you're informing the whole system. When we choose organic, regenerative agriculture-- we vote to nurture the system. When we eat real, whole, unprocessed organic foods-- we nourish not only our minds but also the earth, our home.
When you take advantage of another being, you're robbing from your own pocket. And on the flip side: when you give to another, you're actually giving to yourself. When you speak kindly to another, it's like looking in a mirror. When you choose to nourish your body, it's raising not only yours-- but the vibration of the whole planet. Every decision you make is directly fuelling the entirety of the cosmic system.
Cultivate kindness, and generosity. Choose food grown through regenerative agriculture. Support people and companies who understand that we are fundamentally one. Because in the end: we thrive as one.
