7b Fears - Hungry

Ch.7b. Fears – Hungry.

This is the 2^nd section of the chapter on our Fears, and this is about the fear of being hungry.

HUNGRY.  (7B)

Introduction.

Most people understand the fear of being hungry and unable to find food. We are all familiar with hunger and don't like having to put up with it for long; it's very uncomfortable; no 'ease'. We just want to eat and if we are really hungry, we'll eat just about anything; we will consume.

Therefore we look for what feeds us, as in, fixes the problem of our discomfort/un-ease. Once we have been fed we can experience ease; the discomfort has gone.

I am including anything we ingest, take in or consume in this discussion; not just food.

Eating/Ingesting and Being Sustained.  (7B1)

Our bodies are designed to eat; hunger is a natural mechanism to remind us to refuel. And because it is our body, it is unconscious to us.

Why do we need to eat? Well, of course we need fuel for our activities; and the general idea of the activities of an adult person is to be able to provide ourselves with what is needed and wanted and to continue to be able to face life and happy to do so.

We are here to Explore and Express and we want to be able to do so and hopefully continue with that.

But we need more than to simply eat/consume. We want to be fed, filled, satisfied and sustained.

We can feel fed if we have eaten enough to feel filled or satisfied; our tummies are full, and we move to the process of digesting, which is about how we make what we've consumed/ingested/'taken in' become part of us. During this time we can rest, until we get hungry again. Thus, the cycle goes, consume, satisfaction, rest, and when they wear off it's back to consume.

But we also want/need to be sustained, so what is the difference between 'fed' and sustained?

We could think of 'fed' as the answer to our hunger in the now, and 'sustained' as more about our health in the longer term. Hence being sustained properly by what we eat is very important. As we are properly sustained so we are able to keep on keeping on, which is a kind of strength. We can think of sustain as Keep, as in 'Till and Keep' (God's instruction to Adam ie, humans), and the strength as Fortitude.  So, we need Fortitude for Explore and Express.

Phake Phoods.  (7B2)

The subtle modern problems with food.

But now we have a big difference between eating and being sustained. Our food is not what it used to be.

We now have foods that are all the way from being able to sustain us to foods that do not, and it's very hard to tell the difference. All of it looks like food, but there is great variation in its ability to sustain us. So, we have to become a great deal more conscious/aware of what we ingest. If we stay unconscious about what is in our food, we are at risk of ingesting food that cannot sustain us, so we're not going to be able to stay alive to explore and express without our bodies running into dis-ease. In general, the more processed the food, the less likely it is able to sustain us in the long term. We may not be able to tell with our mind or senses, but our body can after a while, when it does not feel sustained. The biggest problem here is that it can take a lot of time to 'run down' and that can vary with every individual. It's even more difficult to tell in the short term.

We like processed foods and eat a lot of them. It's easy, cheap, convenient, and they taste good to many. They are high in sugar, salt and fats, which trigger interesting responses in our bodies. We must be built to want them, so, clearly they are an essential part of the diet, but it is very easy to overdo it in modern times, with fats in particular presenting many problems, partly because the molecules can change their shape so easily (which they are actually meant to do). Sugar is a very big problem too.

The more processed a food is the more it is a sort of 'shell' or a ghost of food, as we put less time and interest into producing this food; lots of machines and lots of processing and additives. But, it's not just the processing; even our primary commercially farmed foods are different.

I am using 'shell' as a way of describing an outer appearance or structure of food, but what is within it is lacking in 'substance'/sustenance and so cannot sustain us; it's a 'phake phood'.  This is a primary change since at least WWII, and we are not noticing that our primary sources of food are produced in ways we don't want to know about (hence the staggering freedom of GMO companies to do as they wish; also CAFOs) treated we know not how, with we know not what, and won't be told if we do ask, to produce something that looks and smells like food, with chemicals for taste, and some sugar to help it all go down. Nor are we asking what chemicals are in the soil or air that will affect this food, or are discharged into the environment as our food is produced this way.

Hence, we have the words/terms/labels for food (and our eating of it) developed over eons of connection with what have been generally local foods, but what we are eating has changed markedly over the last 60+ years, while our words/labels for it have not. In essence, we think we can do what we like to food in the name of making money, and it won't make any difference to us. Are we blind, bonkers or arrogant, or all three?

We eat this commercial stuff we call 'food', which may or may not leave us feeling fed or satisfied, but it is most unlikely to sustain us. We're just not going to last as long without compromised health or energy. Our 'experts' quibble about levels of 'nutrition' required by humans, and companies can claim nutritional benefit in their food. But if such 'nutrition' is nowadays only about, say, 30% (a much lower figure) of the natural equivalent, it is still argued that it is 'nutritious'. But what about the other 70%? When/how is this to be 'made up' to 100% if ever? And we need to do this daily.

Our marvelous medicine, technology and 'market forces' world truly sees no problem with this, but our governments are looking at increasingly huge budgets for medical and hospital services, and increasing problems with chronic to severe illnesses, not to mention mental disorders and more disabilities ie, it is governments (us/we) that are picking up the tab for how the commercial world makes money out of us, as in, this is costing us both ways. How many lifetimes will it take to make the connection? How many lifetimes have we got?

We Can't Rely on our Senses; We Can't Tell Anymore.  (7B2a)

There is now a big difference between what we think, believe or are told is OK and what your body finds is OK for it. 

We have lost our ability to correctly identify with our senses, (ie using our body), the foods/things that sustain us long-term. And then we have to rely on others/authority to tell us what's OK and what is not. But these others have 'a living' to make themselves, and that is dependent upon their toeing the line of the commercial message of 'Consume' relayed by the media. You will not get unbiased information from them.

This is where you will have to think for yourself, by asking, 'Does what I am consuming sustain me in the longer term?' And then you will have to watch and wait and see how your body responds, which rather depends upon your taking notice of your body in the first place. By this I mean that you are basically on your own if you are finding that you are having trouble/unease in your body. You are the one that gets to track what is happening, and we have no training in this one. This is how we become a great deal more conscious about the whole process of producing and preparing the food we eat, if we want to be sustained.

The Energy of Food.  (7B3)

We simply do not understand that the energy of the way the food is processed/made is in the food and is consumed by us as we eat said food.

As we put as little Time or Interest as possible in our food for the sake of money, so we ingest that energy. Our food is a sort of Ghost of food, and it may help us turn into ghosts. See below.

As we treat animals as commodities using confined animal feeding operations (CAFO) type production, we ingest that energy. CAFO means cattle and sheep et al, standing around in one location grinding the soil/gravel to the mud and mire of their excretions, eating grain rather than grass, and fed antibiotics to counter the potential infections of being packed together eating substances that are incorrect for their health, so that they can do nothing but get fat quickly and be killed. What do they think of the smell and the flies? Cattle and sheep are built for grass; grain is a bit like candy for them; hence all the nice marbling from grain-fed cattle that we like (our muscles do this too under the same circumstances).  Then again, what 'grains' are being fed, and where do they come from? (Corn and soy are likely to be GMO).  We ingest that energy. At least chickens normally eat grain.

How many people do we know of who sit around in an impoverished environment (certainly not the natural world) eating/drinking just anything, and getting fatter by the minute, so much so that they basically can't move? This cannot occur in nature for animals, so how come it's OK for us?

When we eat food that has had the Time and Interest (read Care and respect) put into it, it is infinitely more satisfying and sustaining and we have contributed to our own independence and ability to cope with life as well.

If there is no 'soul' in the way that food is produced, it cannot 'feed' our soul.

Tracking the Relationship Between what you Eat and Your Body.  (7B4)

The problems with phake phood and its production mean that you will have to ask and learn about what is actually in your food.  If you want continued health, you will need to ask what's in your food/drink, where it or its components have come from, (if you can find out, which is another issue), and what has happened to it before it gets to you. That is what becoming conscious means. There is currently little in the media about this except the more dramatic, or the medical world telling you you're kidding yourself and jumping on the hypochondria wagon.

There is a very strong relationship between what you ingest and its effect on your body, but the way society/the media sees it, it doesn't matter. Well, it may matter to you. There is a huge variation in sensitivity here. But if you are a sensitive, you will probably need to educate yourself in the face of a great deal of pooh-poohing, and will probably have to take control of what you ingest.

Our First Lessons about Eating.  (7B5)

We unconsciously assume the problem 'in here' can be fixed by 'out there', so we learn to fix internal problems by looking externally.

This is a primary assumption that comes from very early in life. As a baby, we learn unconsciously that hunger (which is an internal state) is 'fixed/cured' by looking 'out there' (the external world) for the remedy (in this case, food).

Naturally, we extrapolate this to, any internal state that makes me uncomfortable/unhappy/un-easy can be fixed by looking out there for the remedy, if we can find it. But, this extrapolation is not necessarily correct.

Firstly, some of the causes of internal un-ease can be internal. This can include our own internal thinking, but it can also include a multitude of physical problems within the body itself. We now have any number of chemicals/poisons in the environment, working either separately or together (synergisms), acting within the body in ways we do not know. Add to this myriad possible and common lacks of vitamins and/or minerals, and sorting out actual causes for problems begins to get very difficult indeed. Looking for an external reason for our discomfort may not be correct, and we may end up blaming the wrong thing.

We are so used to this business of only looking 'out there' that we run the risk of a. failing to correctly identify causes from 'in here' as well as b. incorrectly blaming supposed causes from 'out there' and get cross with that.

Thus, Society's assumption has been, ‘what we need to 'feed' and 'fix' us comes from 'out there'' and it is physical.

This is fair enough for food; it's an assumption that has worked reasonably well up to now. In general, our food did used to sustain us, (if we could get it, or it wasn't compromised etc. but for the vast majority of peoples in the world, there was a connection between eating food and being sustained by that).

But it is also true that some of our un-ease is caused by the way we look at things, our social 'world view', which is actually severely limited, and that (way of looking at things) is an internal point of view for each of us.

Human beings actually have a great need and wish to feel 'fed', satisfied and sustained in the other domains as well….  (PEMS internally and externally)  (7B6)

E - Relationships also feed us, as well as draining us - what sort of relationships do you have?

M - Careful thinking about information can also feed us or drain us - what sort of information/data do you have in your life?

S - The truth, ethics and integrity are also satisfying and sustaining; what sort of truth or ethics do you have in your life? We do not understand how little our world view or religions are able to sustain or satisfy us.

The relationships we have with others affect us deeply inside (so much so that this is one of the things we try to diminish); ditto, how we are able to think and express our thinking affects us personally as well as out there, and the same is true for the principles that sustain our ideas about why we are here. Society has very limited understanding of the importance of these 'feedings'; these things we take into ourselves and make part of us.

Hunger from other domains is translated into the physical only. (7B6a)

But our society only acknowledges the physical and mental, and it is also true that any internal 'hunger' we may have in whatever domain is translated by our bodies as 'I need food', or 'I need to consume something, and all I know about is 'out there''. The body feels un-ease, and it is always difficult to sort out internally what the cause may be or from which domain. It's very easy to mix them up; lots of people eat for comfort. It is automatic to consider the 'fix' as coming from 'out there', but it might be from one or more of the disregarded domains which we are taught to ignore, so, how will you find that in the 'normal' world? Hence, we think all 'hunger' problems are 'fixed' by consuming.

Consuming.   (7B7)

So, whenever we feel 'empty/hungry' we consume.

The less we feel 'fed' or satisfied, the more we consume, and consume is what we do - in spades.

Considering our staggering level of consumption, (for those able to do so) it is plain that our 'normal' world view is neither satisfying nor sustaining for us.

The problems with consuming.

Cost. (7B7a)

We have to PAY for it because it is usually produced by another, and so we need something to pay with. We usually do this by working for it and therefore we are dependent on how much money we can make so that we can consume. We fear any inability to provide for ourselves the things that we want, and we consider the things that we should be wanting or that will bring us satisfaction are physical things 'out there'.

Dependence on Others.  (7B7b)

Someone else has produced this food and these commodities. This makes us dependent on the producer and dependent on those who pay us so that we can pay for our food etc. 

We consume, and we expect to consume, therefore we are dependent on our ability to consume, and admire others who can do it 'better' than we can. Eg 7 or more cars for 1 person is deemed a great success. How many cars does one person need?

The more we consume the more dependent we are on these others, and all dependent people will at some time or another, be treated as puppets, by definition. ('Dependent' is about 'hanging around'; puppets definitely 'hang around'.) Puppets are always at risk of others' wishes, ie, 'fate'. Therefore our status/estimation of ourselves is dependent on others or 'fortune'/fate and hence we are always at risk of whatever. This leads to fear. Dependence is a recipe for 'victim'. Independence brings more choice, but generally takes more effort as well.

Hence we think we need to have the money/power/control for our happiness and satisfaction and become more fearful of being 'hungry'. So, money and power have to come first, before we can be 'fed' and ease our discomfort.

This makes wanting to be 'fed' (and hence consuming), a very powerful drive indeed, especially since it is largely unconscious. Our dependence has made us look for more control. So, notice that independence brings more control.

We think consumption or the ability to do so is a measure of our status in life. Those who DIY must be poor. We are sold consumption as a method of expressing our individuality and creativity.  We have all this choice.

The Media is the 'salesperson' for our consumption. It is the sales face of those in power who are telling us that consuming xyz will bring us happiness. But it leaves us grasping for money/power to be able to pay/force others to provide that xyz to us so that we can consume it. Our level of greed is a great measure of our 'hunger'.

As we rely on others we lose the capacity to do it ourselves or use our own resources. 

Time. (7B7c)

We don't have time.

The pursuit of money takes time, so there's no time to grow, prepare or care about food, or the other things that sustain us PEMS. Look at how much time we spend earning so that we can consume. Then, if we have the money, look at how much time we spend consuming, and being entertained; our pastimes, or how we pass the time. Our entertainment is a consuming and a distraction from life.

We don't have the time to develop our own skills, or find new internal resources, or look for alternatives, or even think about this amazing rat-race we've got ourselves onto.

We don't have time for our children - parents may hope so - the children may not agree.

We Consume. (7B8)

The amount we consume is in direct proportion to how 'hungry' and un-'fed' we feel.

We consume clothing, housing, furniture, cars, entertainment, news, media, words, words, words, noise, sweets, status symbols, pass-times. Mountains of stuff, and we end up 'stuffed' ie tired; it may energise us initially, but then it takes it away.

Notice that all of this stuff is made by others, not us. As we consume said stuff, so we consume others' creativity/output and their take on life and its 'norms' which are actually pretty limited. So, we are not thinking for ourselves or experiencing anything for ourselves.

Waste. (7B8a)

And look at how much we waste.

No matter how much we consume, we aren't happy. We look for more and more…

We are taught that consuming all of this stuff 'out there' is the way to happiness, fun, fulfillment etc, etc., but it simply is not - we just don't feel fed or sustained or we wouldn't go on consuming. It is the path to being bored and 'fed up'; is this all there is? 'Life sucks and then you die'. Notice, 'fed up' instead of 'fed' or 'full'.

We've finished with or used up what we have bought and we throw it away; it has not sustained us in the long term.

So we look for the next thing and the next… and we throw away or discard what we can't use any more. (It no longer satisfies us). So we generate waste; mountains of it, and it is now such a problem and so ignored. We don't know what to do with it, so we just dump it. Probably half the 'stuff' in every shopping centre will be in the tip after 2 years; that's a lot of stuff.

We will become known as the 'waste generation' in all senses of the phrase and this waste poisons us and life; we will die of it.

Sweet. (7B8b)

We want it sweet. We are addicted to sweet/sugar and cannot face life without it.

Our consumption of sugar is gargantuan, (and so are we). I include alcohol in with sugar because the body considers alcohol as a form of sugar.

If politicians and those in power dress up what they say in 'sweet'/noble/caring words, we'll swallow anything.

We can eat sweets and feel fed, but they have not sustained us. Ditto for the vast quantities of processed food provided by companies out there with nothing but our wishes and best welfare at heart (sarc.). We consume more food because we feel 'empty', but end up on the roller-coaster of consume <==> empty ad nauseam, to our not so general well-being. As we fail to be sustained we end up generally unable to express our potential; we are not as well as we would wish, or not as happy, no ease, etc.

Lack of Sweetness is related to our ability to Flower ie, express our inner self. See Desires below.

And as with the rest of this discussion, it is not just about food; it is about what we consume.

No Rest.  (7B8c)

And we can't rest; we're never satisfied; there is never enough.

Here is another problem with our consumption; we need to feel satisfied to be able to rest. How much 'rest' do we get?

We all need food and rest to be able to grow, not just children. As we continue to be hungry, so we find no rest. If we can't find any rest we cannot grow. We're simply driven to look for 'food' and eating just anything, until hungry again.

What are We Actually Wanting?  (7B9)

We may fear hunger, but we are actually looking for the feelings of fed, satisfied and sustained not only in the physical, but also in the emotional, mental and spiritual domains (PEMS).

We take it for granted that we should be able to obtain what we need to sustain us, but we do not consider what actually leaves us feeling fed and satisfied, as in, not needing more for a while, as in, not feeling driven to look for the next thing that will satisfy us, because the last thing has 'worn off'. We also need to work out what sustains us.

In this satisfaction, we get a break; some peace and some rest, as a child is fed and satisfied and able to relax and play or rest and sleep.

Thus we need to ascertain what actually nurtures and sustains us, and what is peace and rest for us? Because there does not seem to be vast amounts of it around.

If we are sustained by what we have inside us, we do not need to consume as much. This is where all our 'market forces' economics fall over. And the even greater irony is that if we are actually satisfied and sustained internally, we can rest and we can grow in independence and fortitude. As we are unsatisfied, we consume, we waste, we remain dependent and cross about that, we can never rest, our economic system may grow, and we may grow fatter and do, but there seems no end to it. Well, there is, and we're trying to find it and are well on the way. We are killing Life and wasting our own. 

You are looking for what sustains you in all domains PEMS; what gives you fortitude and the heart to continue on in life with what you want to do.

So, what do we really want? Well, satisfaction is the answer, but it's not an 'end' answer, it's a 'beginning' question.

What is it that does satisfy you, sustain you and give you fortitude so that you can find your own direction in life and Explore and Express, which is what we are here for?

These Answers are Internal.  (7B9b)

The essential part is that you ask and answer these questions for yourself, because the satisfaction that you are looking for is internal. Nobody else really knows your answers for you, and your thinking that they do will trip you up. For many people society's 'normal answers' are not satisfying at all, hence that is no help. These people will have to look for their own.

Remember, there is a short-term aspect and a long-term aspect to what sustains you, so it can take time before you can sort out which is what, as in, allow the time to do this. You're not stupid just because you don't know the answer(s) straight away, but you are not doing yourself a service if you don't look for it/them over time.

In the emotional world our intimate relationships 'feed' and 'sustain' us. What intimate relationships do you have?

Think of relationships that seem to 'feed' you in the short term because they are so 'sweet' at the time, and naturally you want more of that, but eventually you can feel run down by this type of relationship and very dissatisfied, and that is your warning that something is wrong. Then you get to think about what does sustain you. Desserts can be very nice, but much better for you in small amounts after the meat and potatoes which are far more sustaining. It may be useful to you to be more interested in the 'meat and potatoes' type relationship (whatever that means to you) and useful for them as well.

How do you sustain yourself 'spiritually'? What 'feeds' you? This UUS is a sort of 'meat and potatoes' kind of 'food' that I find sustaining because it helps me face life and enjoy it. But, what is yours for you? 'Life sucks and then you die' is not sustaining.

What kind of mental concepts sustain you? Is there any truth to them? Do they help you explore life or express your InSelf?

And strangely enough you have to give yourself the Time and Interest (= Care/attention) to think for yourself, for the answers for you; your 'right living'. One of the signs that you are on the right track is that you will have more peace and quiet internally and can feel more satisfied with life. Thus and so, Sustain is actually an internal answer ie, it's 'coming from within'. It is personal to you, and others must find their own answers, whatever they may be.

Giving Sustain to 'the Other'. (7B10)

And, of course, the next step is to be able to give what you are wanting…

·         How do you 'feed' 'the other'?

·         What do you give them that feeds, satisfies and sustains them, so that they can rest and also 'grow'?

Because, as you do so, you feed your inner self; you are providing your own satisfaction and 'full-fill-ment'.

These questions are for you to work out how to sustain yourself, and as you give them the time to ponder and answer, so you will find out what sustains 'the other'. The more you are able to do that, the more sustained you will feel. Sustain is the 'S' part of TISP (= Love in Action). Well, fancy that! This is another piece of Love.

T and I are still to come, and these are needed to address the fear that I label 'Ghost', which is the next fear.