Mindfulness and Wastefulness
Spending time at a resort and witnessing how much gets wasted at breakfast, lunch and dinner leaves me saddened, and wondering.
Surely there must be some awareness of how much you can consume before piling a “plate” or heading back for more.
The topic I wish to explore is over-consumption and mindfulness. Leaving that last bite, when you’ve had “enough” is one thing, but leaving an entire meal or a drink untouched is next level wasteful.
Seeing staff toss untouched food and drink left me wondering:
are we so far removed from where our food comes from, that we take it completely for granted?
Have we forgotten that an animal sacrificed its life to fuel our bodies?
That our food is processed and takes a large variety of resources to produce - everything wasted takes its toll on our environment.
Are we driven by gluttony and consuming?
Do we want all the options on our metaphorical plate, just so we can have it, even if we don’t need it, and are unlikely to consume it.
Are we oblivious to poverty?
Don’t get me wrong. I love a feast, enjoying a meal with family and friends. It’s how my family celebrates. Fond memories are made around food and good company. But it also pains me to toss expired food into the trash can, due to poor planning.
How do we teach a concept of more mindfulness and less wastefulness?
How can we become more self-aware and body aware about how much we really need. What is “enough”?
Our over consumption extends beyond food, to lifestyle and possessions too. When is it really “enough”? Over consumption, gives us momentary satisfaction but consequently leads to disease and dis-ease. Is over-indulgence in any aspect of our life worth the sacrifices we make, in order to acquire more?
I don’t have the answers, aside from wondering and unburdening myself of the questions. And leaving this post open to opinions…
