Are You Free? Do You Have Freedom?
Yes, of course, you’d say.
Think again.
Not just political freedom, which we have enjoyed for 77 years.
Not even financial freedom, which we have experienced for the past 30 years.
But Food Freedom? Freedom to eat whatever you want?
Sure, why not, you’d say.
Think again.
Perhaps we are prisoners of our own misconceptions?
Perhaps, we don’t even realise we are not FREE to choose our Food?
Any Freedom, you’d agree, is about the ability to choose.
And choice is based on two important ingredients:
The ability to discern among choices, and once the choice is made,
The power to execute on your choice
Let me explain these ingredients. Stay with me.
Our ability to discern is based on our awareness & the knowledge to understand/analyse the situation we are in. Many of us are blissfully unaware of our food - where it comes from, how it was grown/processed/cooked to get to the shape and form we see on our dining table. Farm to table, we know almost nothing about our own food. All we care about is taste, colour, packaging and such superficial attributes that don’t matter as much as how safe it is to consume.
So when we don’t have the awareness or the knowledge to think about what we eat, how can we make an informed choice?
About 30 years ago, when I was imploring my son to think about what he ate, about not downing an entire packet of 10 cheese slices in one go (Amul cheese slices were new in the market then, and expensive too!), as opposed to spreading it across multiple meals, he said, “Meshu, you think, I will eat!!”. He was 10 then. Funny as it was then, many of us don’t think about our food well into our adulthood, despite innumerable instances of bad food all around us.
For centuries, the Indian masses were also blissfully unaware of what the Brits were doing to our country, our economy, our people and our culture. So, many of them did not even feel the need for Freedom, to make one’s own choices on who should govern us. It took decades, and multiple generations of social reformers, leaders and thinkers, to educate the masses. Show them what they are going through then and the promise of Swaraj (self-governance).
See the parallel?
But the ability to discern among our choices is sadly not enough.
And that brings us to the next ingredient. The power to make it happen. To execute on our choice. Our informed, educated and nuanced choice. And many of us are stuck here. They know that the food system is broken, what we eat today is leading to disease and death, and yet, they don’t act. Why?
Five reasons:
1. Low Income: Those millions living around the poverty line cannot afford safer food.
2. Being Cavalier: Those who don’t care. There are other priorities in life, and safe food is not one of them.
3. Being Gullible: Those who are drawn by glitz, such as fancy packaging, celebrity endorsements, colour/shape/size of the food, slick advertising, rather than the basic attribute of safety of food.
4. Scepticism: Those who are sceptical. They believe that organic food is just a fad, or worse, a fraud. Or that, nothing can hurt our health.
5. Analysis Paralysis: Those stuck considering the pros and cons, unable to decide, sitting on the fence.
Each of these reasons prevent them from exercising their choice for organic whole foods safe for one’s health and family. To that extent, they do not have Food Freedom. They are shackled to chains of inaction.
Even during our Freedom struggle, there were folks suffering from these very reasons, and that allowed the Brits to continue their exploitative rule over us Indians. Many were barely making a living to fight the battle, some were happy chasing other pursuits including working for the Brits themselves, some were sceptical of Indian leadership and some just sat on the fence.
But there were thousands who sacrificed their lives and livelihoods to contribute to the Independence of the Indian Nation. Their struggle was not limited to just one generation, but many. Many of them did not even live to see a Free India. Even so, they followed their heart, their passion, and did what was right.
To all those freedom fighters, salute!
Similarly, to all those organic consumers, respect!
We here at Bio Basics hope to see an India free from chemicals in food, free from diseases caused by chemicals in food and farming, free from farmer distress, and free from pollution of the environment.
To all those “organic Freedom Fighters” among you, both present and potential, Happy Independence Day!
