For most of us in the developed world eating comes naturally. A lot of us even eat more than we need to, I know I do. I tend to just eat anything whenever I feel like it even if I’m not hungry. I just like chewing and tasting, what can I say? If food is placed in front of me,… Read more »
Throughout the quarter we have been doing contemplative exercises centered around understanding deeper our connection to these issues as well as how they fit into the global puzzle. It is easy to learn about different political and activist issues; however, it is often difficult to connect them to everyday life. By having these contemplative exercise, as well as learning about… Read more »
In my opinion, contemplative practices should be necessary in today’s academia, especially in political science classes. With this being my first political science class taken, these practices help me to digest the material by being present and feeling “in the moment”, for example, with the raisin. With the raisin sitting in my mouth while Professor Litfin read “A Raisin In… Read more »
To conclude the lecture on “why we eat what we eat”, the class collectively took a single raisin and joined it in its journey from the vine. It’s amazing to know that we are all able to enjoy what was once a grape at such a cheap cost (although I do not like raisins), but I wonder why raisins and… Read more »
Hunger is an issue that unites the world from highly developed to vastly underdeveloped countries. The universal need for food integrated with poverty problems and environmental barriers calls for worldwide communication. The struggle lies within the techniques that powerful countries are using in food production that leave an impact on not only their own citizens, but the citizens of the… Read more »
Given humanity’s innate ties to food, as a cultural centerpiece, a custom or family tradition, and as the energy that sustains us, it has been helpful to me to explore an emotional approach to understanding the material covered in this course as a means of supplementing my logical and analytic understanding. Several of the contemplative practices we have conducted throughout… Read more »
When you think of products you purchase at stores you do not really think about where the actual ingredients come from but instead you just think it comes from just a factory. But the ingredients that are used to make these refined goods come from all around the world. Professor Liftin had us participate in a contemplative practice where we… Read more »
Building self-awareness through reflective and contemplative practices has allowed me to develop a better understanding of myself and the world around me. In studying world food politics, contemplative practices help me connect the information I learn in lecture to my personal experience. These practices solidify key concepts and personalize the issues we’re learning about. When our class studied hunger, for… Read more »
I never had a class that taught by means of contemplative practice. I did not think they would help put anything into perspective. Sitting in a classroom with 100 other students for a brief period of time never seemed like it would be effective in building a relationship with the food I eat on a daily basis. However, I have… Read more »
Why are we as human beings obsessed with the idea of making the most out of the present? There are numerous idioms about “living in the moment” and “making the most out of your time” that convey warm sentiments, but as a society we’ve taken them too literally. In fact, we’re “living in the moment” so much that there might… Read more »