The graphic travelogue ‘French Milk’ by Lucy Knisley is mostly about her good times during her six week vacation in Paris. However, the ‘scene’ that caught my attention most was that of her feeling ‘miserable about feeling miserable’, lying down radiating ‘waves of self-loathing (instead of sending waves of loving-kindness to herself)’. She had finished reading ‘Hannibal Rising’ shortly after receiving it and was sort of mourning the loss of it all. Plus she was feeling awful lately. Despite visiting a museum, she didn’t have much fun, probably because she felt lousy.
I think some of us find ourselves caught in such moments at times, that seem almost impossible to get out of then… till we become distracted, unmindful of the needlessness of deliberately wallowing in our own misery, which leads us to snap out of it somewhat. I call this the syndrome of attachment to the First Noble Truth that life is pervasive with dissatisfactions… while forgetting to advance towards the other three truths – to identify the causes of our misery (Second Noble Truth), to know the ideal state we want to work towards (Third Noble Truth), and to take the path that leads there (Fourth Noble Truth). We often over dwell on our little miseries too, while forgetting others’ much greater misery, that we might even take advantage of… as we shall see below. After sending enough loving-kindness to oneself, it should radiate to others too, not just in thought but in choice and action too.
The book is called so because the author loves the milk there. But hey, do see www.milksucks.com on er… why milk sucks. She loves foie gras too, though she also drew about the cruelty involved in producing this goose liver. Guess she couldn’t stand the temptation. As quoted from the book – ‘Chicago banned the selling of foie gras last year. It’s made by force-feeding a goose or duck [via funnels stuck down their throats] so that their livers become fatty and engorged. Yes, it’s cruel, but in terms of slaughterhouse rituals, it’s comparatively better than some – the geese live free-range until their last couple of weeks, when they are fed to immobility. I’d rather go like that than to be raised in a tiny box in most American poultry places… until my death. There is so much foie gras in Paris.’ I say, as long as there is any form of thankless animal exploitation, it’s cruel. Why support any form of cruelty at all? Do see www.banfoiegras.org for more on the madness behind foie gras.
Why settle for the less of two or more evils,
when you can renounce them all,
and embrace goodness instead?– Stonepeace
Related Article:
How to Rise from the ‘Bottomless’ Pit of Pain
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thedailyenlightenment-realisation/message/302
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