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Wednesday, June 15, 2011

The New Human Need- Thrive or Survive?

We all need a number of things, as human beings, to survive. But what about the things we need in order to thrive? Thriving is different than surviving.

According to the Microsoft Word Dictionary, Thrive is defined as:

1. Grow well: to grow vigorously and healthily
2. Do well: to be successful and often profitable

I think it's safe to say that we all know what it means to Survive. But, here is the definition (again, from Microsoft Word Dictionary):

1. To remain alive or in existence or able to live or function, especially succeed in staying alive when faced with a life-threatening danger.

Do you want to Thrive or Survive? I truly think we all get the choice. We are faced with decisions at every single moment, of every single day, and we make choices. We choose to do the dishes or not do them. We choose to get up, or to stay sitting. And on and on and on...

We need only to ask ourselves what we want to do: Thrive or Survive? And then, what do those things mean to you? I am still trying to figure out what these things mean to me. I have been living in "Survival Mode", or something that has felt like that, for a long time.

I am not homeless, nor am I without food. I am not without water, although often I let myself go thirsty. I am making choices, and I am only now realizing that the choices I am making are determining whether I am moving forward, or allowing myself to merely sustain my existence.

More to come on this as I delve deeper into my semi-consciousness.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Evolution and Cooking Spray

Just now, as I was literally prying my recently baked granola bars from the glass pan that I cooked them in, the thought bombarded my mind "Why are you still wasting time trying to remove your baking from these dishes, when for your whole life you could have been using cooking spray..You know, like Pam or the other kind."

How many hours in my lifetime will I spend trying to remove baked goods from old pans? How many hours will I spend soaking the dishes, and then scrubbing those dishes? Is it worth my time?

This is not the first time I have considered using cooking sprays. Until now my reasons for not using it have been:

1. The packaging is bad for the environment
2. The oil is probably hydrogenated
3. It's probably made with chemicals and additives
4. It's a waste of money- I could just use margarine or cooking oil

Now, where I am with this decision has changed in these past 20 minutes because now I am considering TIME, whereas before tonight, my major motivation behind senseless prying, soaking, and scrubbing, was the environment, my health, and my pocketbook (what a cliche. Do you really think I carry a pocketbook? Does anyone even carry a pocketbook anymore?)

Yes, I have been thinking about my life lately- how long do I really have here on earth? What if these are my last few months and I am diagnosed with some rare form of cancer? I have never thought of these things before recent. Maybe it's because I am 27 now. One of my teachers told me that a person only begins to think long-term once they get to be 27. It sounds true to me.

So, back to the cooking spray. If this is boring to you, it will get worse. How do Evolution and Cooking Spray interrelate? Please remember that I have only just begun to think this through. Very honestly, it has been 30 minutes since the thought arrived in my consciousness.

HERE IT IS! My BIG idea. If people are unwilling to adopt a technology such as cooking spray, are they denying themselves a connection to evolution as we know it? We are a society whose understanding of life is gigantically dependent upon physical objects. We need food, homes, cutlery, dishes....

I can speak for only myself and the people I am surrounded by, when I say that the old norm of "food, clothing, shelter" as basic human necessities is OLD indeed. We don't just need those basic things to feel satisfied. We need more. Some people will argue that the 'need' is only a fictional need, and that what we truly need is within ourselves. If that is the case, then I simply cannot agree. How is it possible that I am happier with a closet full of beautiful clothes than I am with my basic necessities, if what makes people truly happy is found within? Please refrain from answering that question, because I have heard countless explanations, and none of them fit better than the one I am explaining to you- the one that makes me truly happy.

So back to Cooking Spray. If we do not adopt cooking spray, and we spend countless hours cleaning "baked on grease," we are limiting our ability to evolve. We are becoming less efficient individuals. The people using the cooking spray have more time to self reflect. They have more time to put their energies to better things than cleaning.

Environmental damage due to aerosol is likely, but debatable. Health effects from chemicals are extremely unknown. We're living longer than ever before (as far as we think). Is a $10 can of cooking spray worth my time?

It's an unfortunate stress that a person must face, when making a decision in today's world. Will my decision impact the environment (most will). Will I be hurting my body (have you see the grocery store and our food practices?) Will I be hurting my family by choosing chemicals over natural (possibly, but it's equally as likely that the air we breathe is just as polluted as the foods we eat). Is it worth my money (what money? We pay for everything with pieces of plastic- better yet, pieces of paper and metal that are nearly extinct).

So, let me ask myself again, "are you willing to fall behind in the evolution of our human species just because you're too cheap to buy a can of aerosol cooking spray?"