In times of uncertainty, it’s important to remember we do have control. There are always small actions we can take to enact change, even when so much around us feels overwhelming. Right now, many of us who are committed to transforming our food systems (for the better) are feeling the effects of the chaos, but the truth is: We can still take action even when we may feel a little stuck in the mud.
For years, whenever I heard the term “locus of control,” I visualized a lotus flower. The words sound so similar (locus vs lotus, c’mon!) that over time, I actually started combining the two words to unlock a way to think through disorder and anxiety. Now when I focus on my “lotus of my control,” I direct my feelings of uncertainty and center on the beauty, the joy symbolized by the lotus and my ability to nurture something tender and important, something hearty, rhizomatically rooted, and perennial. Just as Thick Nhat Hahn said, "No mud, no lotus,” the lotus has helped give me a gentle reminder that our struggles can help us blossom, grow, regenerate, and sustain.
When we’re faced with uncertainty, it’s natural to feel grief, anger, a sense of being lost, even heart-thumping anxiety. My take: Don’t rationalize away suffering just yet. In those moments of fight, flight, freeze, or fawn, thinking of what lies within our "lotus of control" offers a sense of direction. We can thank our brain for trying to keep us safe from unknown harm, while also reminding our brain and body we have power—and we can grow power. Progress mostly happens in small ways over time. Even amid the noise and challenges we are witnessing around us, we still have the power to focus on the small actions that are within our reach—get through the mud, and through that journey, bloom progress. Here’s what I’m focusing on:
1. Recovering Food: Small Acts of Compassion
For us at Food Recovery Network, taking small actions means remembering that no meal is too small to recover. Every meal recovered is a step towards reducing food waste, addressing hunger, and helping maintain the value of that precious food.
If you’re hosting an event, consider providing to-go boxes for guests or have a leftovers-themed party (aka invite your friends to bring their surplus food for a shared evening of connection). Bonus points for bringing a person you’d like to get to know a little better. Moreover, when organizing your own event, whether it's a catered lunch at the office or a baby shower, make a plan for what to do with the surplus food when the event wraps up. Involve your association or company in ending food waste. Simply asking the question, “What is our plan for leftovers?” is a wonderfully important and small step.
Each thoughtful act of kindness can ripple through our communities, fostering a sense of solidarity and compassion. It’s a beginning; it’s a commitment to nurturing something for all of us.
2. Commit to a Living Wage: Advocate for Fair Compensation
It's critical to provide fair wages to people for their labor. One of the first steps to ensuring people everywhere are food secure is to commit to paying everyone a living wage. If you set this as an intention, so much more positivity will follow. If you or your leadership keeps saying, "We can't afford it," or “It’s not in the budget this year,” then you simply won't take the initiative to make any changes. We cannot be justified in underpaying people because it’s not in the budget to do so. It may not happen overnight, but we must organize our businesses to pay people at minimum a living wage.
I hope that everyone reading this is paying their staff or coworkers a living wage. But, if you're not, it's time to take action. It’s crucial to provide basic benefits when we can, like a retirement plan and health insurance. These are fundamental components of treating people with dignity and respect. And the sooner you or your leadership commits to altering your operations to ensure a living wage, the sooner you’ll make it happen.
3. Introduce Yourself Now To Your Elected Officials
Participating in democracy is one of the most impactful ways to effect change. When the current administration suddenly froze government grants, there was such an outcry that the freeze was lifted (not without serious consequences that are still being waded through). Said another way, people participated in their democracy and change was affected. Often, we may feel like our voices don’t matter, but building relationships with our elected officials can create channels for dialogue and advocacy.
Start by introducing yourself to your representatives. Attend town hall meetings, participate in community forums, or even reach out to legislators through email or their official social media accounts. Express your concerns, share your experiences, and advocate for issues that matter to you, such as food justice or living wages. When elected officials know who you are and what you care about, they are more likely to listen and consider your concerns when making decisions that affect the community.
4. Be Kind to Yourself
Finally, this is an emotional time. For many of us reading this, our whole careers are about taking action. Let’s be gracious with ourselves. Maybe part of getting through this time of uncertainty is scheduling some time for reflection—taking some time to educate yourself in a way that helps you prepare for future activation.
Pick up some poetry from Joy Harjo.
Read Black Earth Wisdom: Soulful Conversations with Black Environmentalists by Leah Penniman or Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry by Mildred D. Taylor.
By embracing the scope of what we can control and breaking down our efforts into manageable pieces, we can make substantial contributions to our communities. Recovering food, advocating for a living wage, and engaging with our elected officials may seem large and unscalable at first. But, when we keep simplifying the action into a smaller component, and a group of individuals takes those small actions collectively, we can spark significant change.
We have the power to change our world—it is in our lotus of control—one small action at a time.
Originally appeared in the Feb 10th edition of The Food Policy Debrief, by Food Systems Collaborative