Exposed!
There is a theme, as I see it, that links so many of the stories that have been in the news in recent times. It’s one of exposure, revealing, transparency – voluntary and forced. While I feel sad about some of what comes to light (people kept in basements or boxes for years, toxic food etc.) I feel happy about the transparency trend. I think it bodes well for us and for our planet.
In growing numbers, we are paying attention to what we eat, the nature of ingredients and what the negative effects of a poor diet have been. We are taking back the responsibility for knowing how to nourish ourselves and voting with our wallets. Functional medicine (as practiced and promoted by doctors like Mark Hyman) is the movement that reminds us that healthful food prevents disease. Organics are on the rise.
Monsanto and other similar companies are being exposed for their poisonous practices and activists are working on our behalf to change this course. The exposure of Monsanto, GMOs, pink slime in meat etc. is a huge revelation. Many issues are coming to light in large-scale ways and at high levels such as doping in sports (Lance, A-Rod) and whistle-blowing/the leaking of key information (Snowden and Manning).
One thing I am passionate about is switching from harmful personal care products and household cleaning products to brands that are not toxic. The Environmental Working Group writes : “Surveys show that on average, women use 12 products containing 168 ingredients every day, men use 6 products with 85 ingredients and children are exposed to an average of 61 ingredients daily.” Our government does not require that all of these be tested for safety and often continues to allow known toxins (banned in Europe) in our products – even for babies. We are talking about hormone disrupters, cancer-causing toxins, and other nefarious ingredients. See how your products rate on the EWG’s site. Some brands that I like are Keys, W3ll People, Andalou and Acure.
I think that an authentic life force on this planet is the drive behind the transparency trend in all of our interactions. While facing change like this can be difficult it is also possible to make it easier, and even fun. That’s what I teach in my one-day workshop Self-Improv-Ment: A Playful Alternative to Self-improvement. The next one is scheduled for November 9th just north of San Francisco. [This event has already taken place]
When asked about the single most important thing he had learned in his work, Freud said “Secrets make you sick.” Gay and Katie Hendricks say that relationships without transparency are not, in fact, relationships, they are entanglements. My education at the Hendricks Institute has dramatically reduced my entanglements and vastly enriched my relationships. I find peace, ease and fun in transparency and authenticity. As Mark Twain said “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” Nor do you have to hire lobbyists and teams of corporate lawyers…
It’s all improv,
Jody Kaylor
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