Are We There Yet?
July 19, 2017
It's been 8 weeks we began our bike tour-- a little over half way into our three month journey --and we just now made it out of Minnesota. We've WWOOF'd at two farms for almost two weeks each, so that has taken up the majority of our time.
Part of my mission on this trip was to learn more about my partner and see how well we mesh when it comes to making relatively important decisions on things. I can't say that it hasn't been very difficult, but I think we are making progress on our communication and patience. Our latest project: finding an environmentally conscious and ethical company that sells rectangle backpacking sleeping bags at an affordable price. Being a mindful consumer takes a lot of time and effort to do company research. How are we supposed to verify the ethical claims the company makes? How can we be sure that the statistics and regulations a company provides are recent, accurate, and enforced? Additionally, how are we supposed to know that the quality is good enough to be used not only for a long time, but for multiple purposes? I want my sleeping bag purchase to double as a comforter so that the minimalist part of me is satisfied.
"Personal Lives, National Affairs" was an English course I took in college; we read fictional books based around true events that showed us just how complicated the play between psychology and sociology is. I want to make a positive global impact but it starts with the local and personal relationships within myself and between the people closest to me. Sometimes I feel as though people forget their actions have more than just an effect on local economy and relationships. The question becomes, "How many eggs must be cracked to make a healthy, sustainable omelette?" Alternatively, how does one comfortably make compromises and still "do the right thing"? When chaos engulfs our personal lives, it blinds us to seeing the bigger picture, the rippling effect. A busy parent with frantic children might not think twice about the wasteful packaging their food comes in, a stressed out student might impulsively buy unnecessary things to give them a temporary dopamine boost, and a business owner might rationalize immoral behavior in order to avoid losing their investment... all these things affect people outside of their bubble, and may cause a chain reaction of compromises, but all are ethically ambiguous and beg the question I'm so fixated on lately: When is it okay to bend your ethics to suit your desired behavior? Will we ever get to a place in society where we find answers to these centuries-old philosophical uncertainties? Are we there yet??
I have a feeling I will never know where this line is, because we all draw our own. I wish things were more clear cut, black and white. Figuring out life is really challenging. A past version of Kristin might see who I am today and feel relief upon realizing how much I've grown in a decade. A future version might look back and want to give myself a hug and say, "It will all work out one way or another." For now, I'm stuck wondering.... Are we in Colorado yet? My legs might be gaining muscle, but these hills are really wearing on my joints. Such is life, huh?
Part of my mission on this trip was to learn more about my partner and see how well we mesh when it comes to making relatively important decisions on things. I can't say that it hasn't been very difficult, but I think we are making progress on our communication and patience. Our latest project: finding an environmentally conscious and ethical company that sells rectangle backpacking sleeping bags at an affordable price. Being a mindful consumer takes a lot of time and effort to do company research. How are we supposed to verify the ethical claims the company makes? How can we be sure that the statistics and regulations a company provides are recent, accurate, and enforced? Additionally, how are we supposed to know that the quality is good enough to be used not only for a long time, but for multiple purposes? I want my sleeping bag purchase to double as a comforter so that the minimalist part of me is satisfied.
"Personal Lives, National Affairs" was an English course I took in college; we read fictional books based around true events that showed us just how complicated the play between psychology and sociology is. I want to make a positive global impact but it starts with the local and personal relationships within myself and between the people closest to me. Sometimes I feel as though people forget their actions have more than just an effect on local economy and relationships. The question becomes, "How many eggs must be cracked to make a healthy, sustainable omelette?" Alternatively, how does one comfortably make compromises and still "do the right thing"? When chaos engulfs our personal lives, it blinds us to seeing the bigger picture, the rippling effect. A busy parent with frantic children might not think twice about the wasteful packaging their food comes in, a stressed out student might impulsively buy unnecessary things to give them a temporary dopamine boost, and a business owner might rationalize immoral behavior in order to avoid losing their investment... all these things affect people outside of their bubble, and may cause a chain reaction of compromises, but all are ethically ambiguous and beg the question I'm so fixated on lately: When is it okay to bend your ethics to suit your desired behavior? Will we ever get to a place in society where we find answers to these centuries-old philosophical uncertainties? Are we there yet??
I have a feeling I will never know where this line is, because we all draw our own. I wish things were more clear cut, black and white. Figuring out life is really challenging. A past version of Kristin might see who I am today and feel relief upon realizing how much I've grown in a decade. A future version might look back and want to give myself a hug and say, "It will all work out one way or another." For now, I'm stuck wondering.... Are we in Colorado yet? My legs might be gaining muscle, but these hills are really wearing on my joints. Such is life, huh?
-----------------------------------------------------------
(Unrelated) WarmShowers hosts are awesome. Meet Acacia: a crucial cog in advancing the biking community in Mankato, MN and she even taught us some local history about Native Americans! So glad we met!
(Unrelated) WarmShowers hosts are awesome. Meet Acacia: a crucial cog in advancing the biking community in Mankato, MN and she even taught us some local history about Native Americans! So glad we met!
Posted by Kristin Hawkinson. Posted In : Comfort Zones
