Becoming a Whole Foods patron

In this Nov. 18, 2009 photo, Whole Foods CEO John Mackey is photographed in one of his stores on New York's Upper West Side. (AP/Daylife)

In this Nov. 18, 2009 photo, Whole Foods CEO John Mackey juggles apples as as he's photographed in one of his stores on New York's Upper West Side. (AP/Daylife)

The psalms for today's liturgy (the fifth Sunday of Lent, in the OF) was one of the more militant ones. How is the prayer to be understood? Is there a literal sense to unjust men? Or do we understand such enemies (and the fighting of them) only on a spiritual level? Should we restore a more literal understanding to these psalms, recognizing that there are unjust men who are our enemies, and that praying for their conversion and salvation is compatible with combating their evil? We who live in liberal societies are inclined to shirk from our duty to confront evil and fight it in the name of being "nice" or from a mistaken notion of charity.

Someone brought a friend (bf?) to Mass today -- another interracial couple?

After Mass at STA I gave in and went to In and Out. That was a mistake, but I did not want to wait until later in the afternoon to sate my hunger. While at In and Out I was engaged in people-watching. The patrons of the one on El Camino in Sunnyvale mostly have a different demographic background from those who go to the one in Milpitas, but I don't know if Sarge would enjoy eating at the Sunnyvale one at night, when the teenagers come out, any more than he enjoyed his visit to the Milpitas restaurant.

At In and Out we have members of a dying civilization enjoying themselves on typical American fare: hamburgers, fries, and soda. I count myself among the sheeple, even if I'm a bit more aware about peak oil and the other difficulties of our current political economy. How many of my fellow patrons could I depend upon in a crisis? How many can I trust? I don't know you, so how can I trust you? The default attitude is a lack of trust for strangers. They must prove themselves worthy of trust. In a society where people do not really know each other, friendliness and empathy will only go so far during a crisis that becomes drawn-out. One character has been tested and revealed, people will react and there will be consequences. Ethnic differences only compound this lack of trust because we for the most part stick to our own kind, and so we do not know if people of different ethnicities will consider us to be one of their own. Will they have the same loyalties and affinities as we do? If it is natural to be tribal and to prefer one's people over another, fragmentation will ensue in a diverse society that hits a crisis.

Cheap energy facilities anonymity and an exaggerated and erroneous notion of individual self-sufficiency (as well as the corresponding ignorance of our actual dependence upon others for the necessities of life). We are out of practice with respect to living with others who are not members of our family, and even then, how many of us treat our family members rather poorly?

It is obvious that here in the "civilized" part of California that many are lacking the virtue of gratitude; they don't say, "Thank you," for the small day-to-day courtesies that are shown to them (like holding a door open for them). (This isn't merely a problem limited to certain minorities.) At times I may think that those who are ungrateful were just not raised properly, and it's not their fault. But today I was thinking, how difficult is it to even recognize that one has received a favor to which one is not entitled? So many have an entitlement complex. St. Thomas writes, concerning ingratitude:

It has, however, various degrees corresponding in their order to the things required for gratitude. The first of these is to recognize the favor received, the second to express one's appreciation and thanks, and the third to repay the favor at a suitable place and time according to one's means. And since what is last in the order of generation is first in the order of destruction, it follows that the first degree of ingratitude is when a man fails to repay a favor, the second when he declines to notice or indicate that he has received a favor, while the third and supreme degree is when a man fails to recognize the reception of a favor, whether by forgetting it or in any other way. Moreover, since opposite affirmation includes negation, it follows that it belongs to the first degree of ingratitude to return evil for good, to the second to find fault with a favor received, and to the third to esteem kindness as though it were unkindness.

Those who do not learn to be grateful during desperate times will soon see what the natural consequence of their moral obtuseness is.

Today was the day I was going to check out the prices at the local Whole Foods, or as some have called it "Whole Paycheck." It was my next destination after In and Out. I was hesitant to purchase items there today, even though I had planned to visit the store today for the sake of checking out the prices. Why was it intimidating? I had been to the new store before (the old one had been located just across the street) to pick up some items for KK and my nephew. But it was different this time, since I was shopping for myself. Was I going to commit to a new lifestyle, going organic and hopefully local in the future? It seems like an easy choice, for the health-conscious consumer. But Whole Foods is also associated with other things, as one could see through those who work there and the other patrons. In the end frugality won out as I decided that I should not waste the trip to the store.

Organic Romaine lettuce cost the same as the non-organic lettuce at Safeway or Lucky. I picked up some butter, a dozen eggs, plus 2.5 pounds of ground beef. Enough food for about 2 meals for 3 days. Total bill? Around $20. That's not so bad. I'll see if going organic makes a significant difference for my health.

For now I'll be shopping at Whole Foods when I can, until I am able to shop at farmers markets regularly. I have not visited the local farmers market for a long time. I should also check out Costco's selection of organic food too. But I don't have a membership yet. I don't think Whole Foods will be getting rid of its meat department any time soon...



Interviews with John Mackey, CEO and Founder of Whole Foods:
Food Fighter: Does Whole Foods’ C.E.O. know what’s best for you? by Nick Paumgarten
Whole Foods Health Care: Organic-foods magnate John Mackey talks about his controversial health care proposals, why he was investigated by the feds, and “conscious capitalism.”
An interview with Whole Foods CEO John Mackey
The Conscience of a Capitalist
John Mackey's Whole Foods Vision to Reshape Capitalism
Frank Talk From Whole Foods' John Mackey

JOHN MACKEY'S CONSCIOUS CAPITALISM: FULL INTERVIEW VERSION

60 Minutes: John Mackey: Not Your Average Grocer
Grist interview from 2004

His blog.
Passion and Purpose

Some articles that go back 4 to 5 years:
A whole new ballgame in grocery shopping
The Dark Secrets of Whole Foods
Whole Foods tries to shake 'whole paycheck' image with free value tours

From the Weston A. Price Foundation: WHOLE FOODS PROMOTES MILITANT VEGETARIAN AGENDA