Prop 37: The Right to Know opponents and fear of letting go

As I was on my yoga mat this morning in a pigeon pose, my instructor mentioned something that strike with me. “Let go”, she said, “as we all know that resistance makes the journey more difficult”. So true, I thought to myself. On and off the mat, we encounter many situations where we need to decide whether we hold on or let go.

Then I got home and went on the computer to read my emails and received another one about Prop 37 aka the Right to Know campaign. I pretty much don’t get caught too much into politics because I don’t have the right to vote in the US. This does not mean I should not be interested and I admit that I could care a bit more. However, this one proposition, I am watching closely.  I believe in our right to have the truth about what is in our food. The campaign for the Right to Know is extremely important. We are expected   to take responsibility for our health and I do anything I can to be healthy. Our family eats organic most of the time even though it is more expensive and I am grateful we can afford it. I understand, however, that this might be difficult for some families on a tight budget.

With mandatory labeling on Genetically Engineered Food (GMO), everyone, without discrimination, can decide if they want GMO on their plates. That is huge to me. Conventional farmers receive subsidiaries to be profitable while organic farmers have more procedures to follow to prove they are doing what is right for humans and the planet. This is one of the reasons why organic food cost more. This is nonsense but let’s not go there today.

Let’s go back for a minute about the title of this blog. When I read how much money the No on Prop 37 camp is injecting- nearly a million dollars per day! -  to get their message out and how far they are ready to go to mislead the population about GMO labeling and the consequences, well, I can’t help but believe that their actions are based on fear. They are trying to then pass on this fear to their audience so they vote NO. Fear like food price increase. We are talking here about adding a phrase on a label that says something like “Contains GMO”. What is the catch?  I think they are more worried with their own pocket than ours, to be quite honest. Big corporations spend so much on marketing already that this will not affect them this much anyhow.

Maybe it is not the labeling part they are scared of, but rather:

• The consumers’ reactions to their branding and its integrity or lack thereof.
• That they hid for so long what they were doing.
• That it will cost them more to market their product in the US or at least California, to start with.
• That they might also need to reformulate their product to meet consumers demand and it will affect their bottom lines.

The funny truth is that some of these companies are already labeling GMO to meet other countries regulations.
On our end, it means the freedom to act upon our values without breaking the bank. It means boycotting companies that have been playing cheap with our health for so long. It means taking charge of our health without being told lies.

If there is nothing wrong with GMO why those companies are fighting so hard against Prop 37? Fear of not being in control anymore. This is scary. When you feel like you need to crush your competitors, hide dirty secrets behind people‘s back, it means that we do not have clear conscience. That is the same for us as human being.

I strongly believe that great businesses are not necessarily the one who makes more money but rather those who have a sense of ethics and integrity. If these companies had their customer’s needs and wants in mind, they would let the campaign follow its course naturally, listen to the results and change their offering based on what the customer requests. For so long, United States companies could go with a lot of things because with this big of a population even a bad product can make its way for a while and make some people rich. The recession has its good. Now companies have to sharpen their offerings to stay in business and it is not just about pushing and convincing that customer should (old marketing) buy but rather offering what they ask for. It’s as simple as that!

So what can we do about it?

• Vote! Yes, that is. ;-)
• Spread the word about the real facts.
• Be a great example in your personal life to live the truth, not hide behind lies because of your fear. Live your truth every day even when this is hard.
• Learn to let go and believe that life has greater plan for you and knows well what needs to happen and why.

If we trust that our path is the one we need to grow and blossom, if we feel in harmony and united with all there is on this planet, we sense neither competition nor threats.  This applies to businesses as well, big or small. What are your take on this subject? How can you relate about fear and letting go in your own life?