One of the first times that I was hit with an overwhelming emotion and connection to my career was stepping foot onto a banana plantation in the Philippines on a hot, humid, sunny day. I looked around me and saw banana bunches destined for places all over the world, listened to the challenges that this grower faced in producing their crop, and offered ideas when my expertise was needed. We then went to lunch and tried all sorts of Philippino delicacies, ones that, to be honest, I will still need to work up an appetite for. I continued my way around that country with my work group, learning all about Philippino agriculture for the next 9 days, and in doing so, interacted with a variety of different foods, cultural customs, and some of the friendliest people you will ever meet on earth. There is a large terrorist presence in certain parts of the Philippines, sad history, and levels of poverty that were shocking, yet, the welcome we received, the stories that we shared, the food that was so lovingly prepared brought us together. We are the same. We are in this together.
You will find hate, depression, exasperation, lies, and many more negative sentiments and actions wherever you go. You will also find love, empowerment, motivation to change for the good, compassion, and hope in these same places. Hate just breeds more hate. Focused and thought-out strategies to promote well-being, love, and good are needed for moving us forward.
It is my wish, that with enough connection, communication, focus on the good (while still aware and acknowledging the bad), that I can help to create one of the many media to share my experiences and reflect on how these encounters connect to other aspects of all of our lives.
So, starting with bananas, and babbling quite a bit, I am treating this as more of a work space, where I can explore some of my thoughts that form around what I see and feel.
Maybe someone will be enlightened from some of my babble? Maybe I will discover something new about myself and the world we live in? Maybe this just becomes a journal for my future generations to look back on and know something about their relative?
Whatever comes out of this bananababble, I hope that it inspires thinking and actions that will help better the people and planet upon which we live. I am just tired of doing nothing.
AgScienceMom 