Ahimsa, (non harm-doing) is the first of the yamas, or the ethical rules of yogic practice. Ahimsa is the foundation upon which the rest of the yamas and niyamas are positioned, as well as being the underlying “goal” of practice in general. To do no harm is practically impossible as every action creates affect or karma. So living with purity of intention, compassion and acting in way that benefits and uplifts other beings and our world is considered a good antidote to doing harm by default of living.

Compassion literally means to suffer with. However, there is a line between suffering with, suffering for, and being a doormat. When does empathy become enabling? Where do suffering and self-absorption meet? How do we tend to our needs, the needs of others and the needs of the world at large without being consumed by the tragedy of so much need and so much suffering? All questions that I am pondering and perhaps you are too. I don’t claim to have any answers at all, except that I think the answer lies in the question. If we can we all consistently practice asking ourselves, “What is compassion?” and how we can act with absolute compassion towards ourselves and all beings, then I think we’ll find our way into some working answers in the quite near future.

Do No Harm website is a nice offering to helping us all out with reminders to Do No Harm. I’m rocking one their wristbands and it’s bringing that essential second of contemplation into most moments of my day.

The Do No Harm Message:

We seem to be living in a world that is getting less hospitable every day. Look closely at any endeavor our species has engaged in and it appears we are unaware of the harm we do, we ignore the harm we do, we intentionally do harm for our own gain, or sadly in some cases we do harm for our own pleasure and enjoyment.

Has no one taught us to do no harm?

If we haven’t been taught to do no harm, we see no harm in doing harm. We cause harm and shrug it off. We cause harm and laugh about it. We cause harm and brag about it.

Sadder still, our children bear witness to our actions and never learn to do no harm themselves. Above all else we must teach our children, by example and instruction, this basic moral principle of life.

We must begin to make better choices and treat each other, the other creatures who share this planet with us, and this planet we call home with greater respect and compassion.

We believe that the first and most basic moral law is, “Do no harm.” Because we can feel pain and suffering, we can imagine the pain and suffering of others, and we can act accordingly to minimize the harm we cause.

What does “do no harm” mean? Ultimately it means to give thoughtful consideration to our actions. “Do no harm” simply means to consider how our actions may affect the world we all share, to be compassionate in our dealings with all creatures, and not to thoughtlessly despoil our planet.

Doctors are asked to “first do no harm,” why not lawyers, businessmen, religious leaders and politicians? Why not us? Why not now?

It sounds like a simple idea because it is a simple idea, but it may be effective over the long run. Will “do no harm” solve all the problems in our world? Perhaps not, but this is an effort to decrease the suffering in the world and to increase the kindness.

We hope that “do no harm” becomes that little voice that guides our actions.

And we hope you will join us and spread the message “Do no harm.”

Show everyone you care and use “Do no harm” to sign-off in your correspondence in place of “Best Wishes”, “Yours” or “Regards.”

If you have a web site, be proud of your support and add the words “Do No Harm” to the top of your home page where everyone will see it.

Be bold and creative in thinking of ways to expose as many as possible to the “Do No Harm” message, but please, do no harm in doing so.

It is not necessary to mention the source of the message. This is certainly a case where the message is far more important than the messengers. All we ask is that you practice do no harm and take every opportunity to share the words “do no harm” with others.

If you wish to include this essay or link to the “Do No Harm” web page, please do; or if you wish to change the wording or write your own, that’s equally OK with us. If we are to change our world for the better, we simply must share the “Do No Harm” message with family and friends, with neighbors and our community.

I love coffee so much. I love how it smells and how it tastes and all the different ways to prepare it… Sad for me that drinking it gives me horrible stomach aches, so I avoid it (mostly), while enjoying the smell wherever and whenever I can. At the end of this post you’ll find a recipe for a coffee grind exfoliator which is not only a great coffee smell fix  but it will also leave your skin feeling smooth, your bathtub looking nasty, and just might give you a minuscule dose of caffeine through your skin cells.

But first… All about coffee, what do you want first? The bad news or the good news? Like life, both will come at the same time.

The Coffee News:
Eighty percent of American adults drink an annual rate of 28 gallons per capita. Coffee ingestion on average is about a third of that of tap water in North America and Europe. Worldwide, 6.7 million metric tons of coffee were produced annually in 1998–2000, and the forecast is a rise to seven million metric tons annually by the end of 2010.

Brazil is the largest coffee exporting nation, but Vietnam tripled its exports between 1995 and 1999, and became a major producer of robusta beans. Indonesia is the third-largest exporter and the largest producer of washed arabica coffee. Coffee cultivation requires warm climates and is one of the largest sources of economic income for the continents of Africa and South America and for many countries in warmer parts of the globe. Coffee production and exportation (like most industrial exports) carry a slew of social and political concerns. Most standard (not part of the fair-trade agreement) coffee plantations employ unfair, unsafe and exploitative labor practices.

After petroleum, coffee is the world’s most important legally traded commodity, standing above coal, meat, wheat and sugar.

Commercial cultivation of coffee beans can lead to devastating environmental problems such as deforestation, pesticide pollution, habitat destruction, and soil and water degradation. According to New Scientist, in industrial coffee farming practices, 140 liters of water are required to yield the amount of coffee beans required to produce one cup of the beverage. Traditional shade-grown cultivation methods using sustainable agriculture can produce similar yields without the water use or environmental impact while providing important habitats for wildlife. Fair-trade, shade-grown, organic and sustainable are all things that you should look for when purchasing coffee.

“Coffee is a warming, bitter-tasting, stimulant with diuretic and purgative properties. Its caffeine, acid, and oils produce different effects. Caffeine stimulates the entire nervous system, stresses the adrenal glands, increases the pulse and blood pressure, raises blood sugar levels, suppresses the appetite, and gives a sense of high energy. Its acids corrode the villi of the small intestine and decreases nutrient absorption; heavy coffee drinkers often suffer from vitamin B shortages and have calcium and other mineral deficiencies. The oils in coffee can increase blood cholesterol.

Stressed adrenals translates in Oriental medicine as depleted kidney energy, reduced sexual vitality, and in the case of pregnancy, increased birth defects. As with any stimulant, coffee aggravates liver function (its acids break down stored fats in the liver) and therefore disturbs sleep and contributes to irritability and anxiety. Coffee, in moderation, reduces Kapha.”
(From The Whole Foods Encyclopedia)

“Coffee consumption has been shown to have minimal or no impact, positive or negative, on cancer development; however, researchers involved in an ongoing 22-year study by the Harvard School of Public Health state that “the overall balance of risks and benefits [of coffee consumption] are on the side of benefits.” Other studies suggest coffee consumption reduces the risk of being affected by Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, diabetes mellitus type 2, cirrhosis of the liver, and gout. A longitudinal study in 2009 showed that those who consumed a moderate amount of coffee or tea (3–5 cups per day) at midlife were less likely to develop dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in late-life compared with those who drank little coffee or avoided it altogether.

Scientific studies have examined the relationship between coffee consumption and an array of medical conditions. Findings have been contradictory as to whether coffee has any specific health benefits, and results are similarly conflicting regarding the potentially harmful effects of coffee consumption. Variations in findings, however, can be at least partially resolved by considering the method of preparation. Coffee prepared using paper filters removes oily components called diterpenes that are present in unfiltered coffee. Two types of diterpenes are present in coffee: kahweol and cafestol, both of which have been associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease via elevation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels in blood. Metal filters, on the other hand, do not remove the oily components of coffee.”
(Health Effects of Coffee: Wikipedia)

Ok… And now for the recipe.

Ground Coffee and Olive Oil Exfoliator

1/2 cup ground organic coffee
1/8 cup either raw cane sugar or rock salt
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice and the zest of one lemon (optional)

Mix together.
Use in the shower or bath as an exfoliator for the body.

Caffeine has been shown in some studies to reduce cellulite and stagnation of the skin. Olive oil is a natural, safe and effective moisturizer, rock salt and sugar are both good, gentle exfoliators. Enjoy.

Excerpt from their site:

That sounds good to me. Check out their site for podcast archives, great links, a bibliography and even a movie. Grow your own!

“Slow Food was founded in 1989 to promote the pleasures of the table and regional food cultures and to protect them from the homogenization of industrial food production. With gastronomy bound inextricably to agriculture, the environment and the health of communities, Slow Food has naturally broadened its focus over the years to actively support producers who demonstrate a small-scale, sustainable and local food production model.

In 1999, Slow Food launched the Presidia project which has since involved thousands of small producers across the world, strengthening local economies and saving cheeses, breads, vegetable varieties and breeds from extinction. The worldwide Terra Madre network was launched in 2004 to give a voice and visibility to these farmers, breeders, fishers and artisan producers, and to bring them together with cooks, academics, youth and consumers to discuss how to improve the food system and strengthen local economies. Today the Terra Made network is made up of more than 2,000 food communities.

Slow Food has chosen to celebrate its first 20 years with Terra Madre Day in recognition of these communities’ remarkable achievements and their crucial role. Terra Madre Day will be celebrated by food communities and Slow Food’s network of more than 100,000 members across 150 countries, grouped in 1,300 convivia – local chapters – who are working to defend their local culinary culture. The convivia have always formed the backbone of Slow Food, spreading the philosophy far and wide by organizing events and activities.

Slow Food develops countless activities, projects and events all around the world, at the local, national and international levels. Most of these actions revolve around four key themes: food biodiversity, food and taste education, connecting producers and co-producers (shortening the food supply chain)and developing networks.”

Perhaps it’s the woes of the western world that are consuming my objective attention now. The escalating global crises that is not just about economy, nor just about climate, or war, or health-care, homelessness,  famine, flood, drought, tsunami, the list goes on and does not seem to stop. Despite my attempts to live in balance, to practice meditation and mindfulness, to be objective and calm and remember “perspective”… Despite all this, I’m feeling quite stressed out by the state of things these days. How about you?

Over here in the “civilized world” we’re grasping blindly at short-term solutions and despairing out loud about what to do. Is there any way to go back, to reverse, to make things better? It’s amazing to me to remember that a good portion of the world is not as out of balance as we are here with all of our advancements. Living here in urban North America, surrounded by the accoutrements of modern necessity I forget most of the time that not everyone lives like this. The stress that I feel over urban situations and the industrialized job markets are not stresses that everyone on earth is feeling (though they have their own and most are intricately intertwined.)

Desperation and feelings of cluelessness aside, it’s amazing to consider that there are still tribal people here on Earth. Living close to the land, living in harmony. Many of these people’s lands, homes and livelihoods are at risk due to the imbalances of modernity and industrialized society. These people have been living for ages without creating destruction of their lands, desecration of their animals, women or children.

In fact, if modern governments and corporations were to leave them alone and their land wasn’t subjected to the environmental degradation that is caused by said governments and industry, chances are these people would go on living simply, healthfully and happily for ages to come. What can we learn from them?

*All pictures are from Survival International

For those of you out there who are currently involved or who are interested in becoming involved with worthwhile charitable foundations, please take a look at the World Food Programme.

The WFP aids in emergencies to bring food to victims of war, civil conflict and natural disasters as well as in the aftermath of emergencies to assist communities as they rebuild.

WFP is part of the United Nations system and is voluntarily funded.

Since 1962, WFP has pursued a vision of the world in which every person has access at all times to food to maintain an active and healthy life. WFP works in conjunction with sister UN agencies in Rome, The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Fund for Agriculture and Development (IFAD), as well as other government, UN and NGO partners.

In 2009 WFP plans to reach more than 100 million people with food assistance.

“If people don’t have enough to eat only one out of three things happens: They either revolt, they migrate, or they die.”

Josette Sheeran
WFP’s Executive Director on the need for more funding for food assistance

Wow, I’m slow on the uptake for this one. This site started in 2004 and I just now found it, just now! But wow am I glad that I did! Guerrilla Gardeners are the superheros I’ve been waiting for, and a total superhero kind of club that I can join (for once). The author of this site is in the UK, but the movement is spreading at the speed of light (that’s how quickly plants grow… did ya know?). The site offers all kinds of tips and ideas for inspired urban (or suburban) growing projects. For those who prefer fly-by-plantings you might consider crafting a seed bomb arsenal, and for those who harbor secret (or not so secret) 007 gadget-envy,  check out the GG secret gardener his and hers attaché cases featured now on the blog. They even have their own TV show! Sheesh, get your costume already. Let’s get planting!!!!!!

If you’re not already saturated with commercial food industry stats, or still bleary-eyed from Food Inc. or if you still haven’t read The Omnivore’s Dilemma here’s a great, informative and to-the-point article from Time Magazine:

The High Price Of Cheap Food

The Waterpod is a project conceived and founded by artist, photographer Mary Mattingly. The 3,000-square-foot commercial barge turned intentional community has been floating around New York City (currently docked at Staten Island) since June. The Waterpod was envisioned as a self-sustaining living space that might be recreated in the future to address issues of land and resource scarcity. Its systems run on solar power, it has deck-top gardens to grow its own veggies, houses hens for eggs, collects rainwater to recycle and has a dry-composting toilet.

The pod was originally intended as more of an artist’s residence, or a residence for people to stay in while making art… Turns out that self-sufficiency is a lot of work, “There’s a never-ending list of things to do: It’s a ship. It’s a farm. It’s an art residence. It’s an installation,” says Mattingly who along with Alison Ward is one of the only two permanent residents of the Waterpod, (both gave up their apartments in June to move in) but there is a constantly rotating crew of artists, gardeners, handy-people, explorers and activists who come and go for briefer stays.

The Waterpod quotes a passage from Ulysses as its manifesto, an epic has surely begun.