One with no doubt
“Have you read ‘the Last Lecture’? It’s so moving,” asked one of my friends recently. I explained that yes, I had read it about 10 years ago when it was first presented, before the author died, and incidentally, long before cancer became a part of my life. “You should really read it! It’s so full of wisdom for someone in your situation.” In my situation? You mean as a cancer patient? Or do you mean terminal? Or something else?
I often feel overwhelmed. There are cascades of information that just pour over me, most of it useless or irrelevant, but still flooding over me until I feel like I’m drowning. I’m asked if I’ve tried some combination of herbs/powders/crystals/greens that is circulating on the internet. If I’ve tried some miracle drug that was mentioned in an article. If I’ve eaten/avoided meat/sugar/lemons/maple syrup/honey/cinnamon/pepper/kale... Why haven’t I switched to fully organic, vegan, coconut oil-filled foods? Why haven’t I got my marijuana supply yet? Why haven’t I tried naturopathy/homeopathy/witchcraft? I keep saying that I rely on my medical team for advice and guidance, but then I’m told all the horror stories of doctors who made mistakes and that I should do my own research. I found, a long time ago, that researching my symptoms online is a guarantee of depression, so I don’t.
Like many others, I try to reduce my waste and be aware of my purchases. So I try to avoid buying items that are non-recyclable, and I try to reuse and repair as much as I can. But then I read the list of items that can not go into the recycle bins, and I’m discouraged. It’s further discouraging when I go through the steps to follow before putting an item into the bin. Then let’s look at the other paradoxes inherent in this. The most used items (at least, IMO) which are food containers are not recyclable. Pizza boxes can’t be recycled because of the grease. Coffee cups — nope. Cling wrap? Nope. But food is wrapped in it; recipes suggest using it to wrap doughs or leftovers and it encases meat at the supermarket. Toothbrushes, including bamboo brushes, go into the regular trash. There are lectures on conserving water, but before adding empty bottles to the recycling, they need to be washed — and not in the dishwasher, because it won’t get them clean. Oh, and the guilt-tripping on use of electricity, fossil fuels (without a viable alternative) and on and on...
Then there are all of the many, many issues related to social conditions. I cannot keep pace with all of the things that I’m supposed to react to, or the businesses that I should avoid, or the people/groups/ideas that I should reject and why. I’m inundated with requests for conflicting petitions and opposing viewpoints, so sometimes I tune out. Can I support this initiative, or does it violate some societal moire? Am I still permitted to have an opinion that doesn’t match the media perspective? Should I be ashamed of my beliefs or traditions? For the record, I reassess my beliefs regularly, and sometimes I change my mind on them. But I’m still faced with activists on all sides of an issue, trying to coerce my support for their views.
So I’m often drowning in the many waves of conflicting views that rush at me daily. I try, really, to find ways of finding an anchor so that there are parts of my world that are stable, but it’s getting harder and harder to do. I don’t know how people stay sane when this onslaught continues, especially when there are things that matter. I don’t want to be a major polluter, but there is no real option to live without waste. There is no way to avoid plastic, and there are things that end up in landfill that really shouldn’t. I care about my health and diet, but I cannot afford (and I’m unwilling to adjust my budget) to accommodate “healthy”, “organic” foods — I mean, the difference between potatoes at $1.99/10lbs and $4.99/2lbs is not negotiable for me. Similarly, milk at $3.99 vs. $11.99; or a dozen eggs at $1.99 vs. $7.99 — that’s several meals in a week’s grocery bill. I care about social justice, but I’m not about to start a protest march just because someone wants to be called by a non-binary pronoun.
Does anyone have comments on navigating this very convoluted set of conditions? How do you balance consumption against waste? Or manage budgets with dietary restrictions (not related to illness or allergies)? Or choose which of the many boycotted companies to support because they provide a service that you enjoy/is difficult to find?
I often feel overwhelmed. There are cascades of information that just pour over me, most of it useless or irrelevant, but still flooding over me until I feel like I’m drowning. I’m asked if I’ve tried some combination of herbs/powders/crystals/greens that is circulating on the internet. If I’ve tried some miracle drug that was mentioned in an article. If I’ve eaten/avoided meat/sugar/lemons/maple syrup/honey/cinnamon/pepper/kale... Why haven’t I switched to fully organic, vegan, coconut oil-filled foods? Why haven’t I got my marijuana supply yet? Why haven’t I tried naturopathy/homeopathy/witchcraft? I keep saying that I rely on my medical team for advice and guidance, but then I’m told all the horror stories of doctors who made mistakes and that I should do my own research. I found, a long time ago, that researching my symptoms online is a guarantee of depression, so I don’t.
Like many others, I try to reduce my waste and be aware of my purchases. So I try to avoid buying items that are non-recyclable, and I try to reuse and repair as much as I can. But then I read the list of items that can not go into the recycle bins, and I’m discouraged. It’s further discouraging when I go through the steps to follow before putting an item into the bin. Then let’s look at the other paradoxes inherent in this. The most used items (at least, IMO) which are food containers are not recyclable. Pizza boxes can’t be recycled because of the grease. Coffee cups — nope. Cling wrap? Nope. But food is wrapped in it; recipes suggest using it to wrap doughs or leftovers and it encases meat at the supermarket. Toothbrushes, including bamboo brushes, go into the regular trash. There are lectures on conserving water, but before adding empty bottles to the recycling, they need to be washed — and not in the dishwasher, because it won’t get them clean. Oh, and the guilt-tripping on use of electricity, fossil fuels (without a viable alternative) and on and on...
Then there are all of the many, many issues related to social conditions. I cannot keep pace with all of the things that I’m supposed to react to, or the businesses that I should avoid, or the people/groups/ideas that I should reject and why. I’m inundated with requests for conflicting petitions and opposing viewpoints, so sometimes I tune out. Can I support this initiative, or does it violate some societal moire? Am I still permitted to have an opinion that doesn’t match the media perspective? Should I be ashamed of my beliefs or traditions? For the record, I reassess my beliefs regularly, and sometimes I change my mind on them. But I’m still faced with activists on all sides of an issue, trying to coerce my support for their views.
So I’m often drowning in the many waves of conflicting views that rush at me daily. I try, really, to find ways of finding an anchor so that there are parts of my world that are stable, but it’s getting harder and harder to do. I don’t know how people stay sane when this onslaught continues, especially when there are things that matter. I don’t want to be a major polluter, but there is no real option to live without waste. There is no way to avoid plastic, and there are things that end up in landfill that really shouldn’t. I care about my health and diet, but I cannot afford (and I’m unwilling to adjust my budget) to accommodate “healthy”, “organic” foods — I mean, the difference between potatoes at $1.99/10lbs and $4.99/2lbs is not negotiable for me. Similarly, milk at $3.99 vs. $11.99; or a dozen eggs at $1.99 vs. $7.99 — that’s several meals in a week’s grocery bill. I care about social justice, but I’m not about to start a protest march just because someone wants to be called by a non-binary pronoun.
Does anyone have comments on navigating this very convoluted set of conditions? How do you balance consumption against waste? Or manage budgets with dietary restrictions (not related to illness or allergies)? Or choose which of the many boycotted companies to support because they provide a service that you enjoy/is difficult to find?
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