THE REFLECTIONS OF AN APPLE
The apple meditation
Todays lesson with the apple meditation reminded me of the first time I had a class about Marxist theory back in Copenhagen, 2 years ago. It was the first time I really stumbled across the word alienation in a context of producing and purchasing commodities. The main thesis is that the unity between producers and production is dissolved since the profit of the commodity goes to the highest degree, in other words, to the owners of capital. Marx therefore argues that workforce has been blurred and alienated. Suddenly this resonated with me not only on a rational level, but more importantly, on an emotional one. When I glanced at the apple and silently thanked alle the people who have had an impact on it’s journey to me, I felt thankful. And connected to my sorroundings.
We no longer get in contact with the farmer who harvested the apple, the truckdriver who transports it across boarders, sometimes we don’t even have to look a cashier in the eye when we go purchase the apple in the supermarket. We become alienated from the interdependence that not only sorrunds us, but that is so paramount for our wellbeing. We see the apple for what it is, but not for which context it places itself in. The supply chain for food is so crucial for us, yet so easy to forget as we acces a cornucopia of food all the time. Imagine how overwhelming it would have been for a person from the stoneage to enter a supermarket for the first time, seemingly detached from the season, climate and weather surrounding it.
In my homecountry Denmark, the greatest harvest season for apples is in the beginning of fall time. It still feels special indulging on your first homeproduced apple in september, yet i purchase imported apples all year around, from – i don’t even know where? It makes me disconnected from the nature and seasonal changes around me, it makes me gain this kind of “can have and want to have it all” attitude towards consumption.
The alienation here is the ultimate consequence of the capitalist approach to overproduction and its focus on surplus value. The human work, the systems, the interconnectedness, and importantly, the nonhuman work behind the product has become so abstract that we have become alienated from the substance of things.
Probably every cliche awakening of the western mindset, but it really is a miracle that I can walk my feet only 50 meters down to the supermarket in Copenhagen and indulge on a nourishing and delicious apple on a cold november day.
I think your point of view is really interesting, like the fact that you talk about all the process before we actually have the apple between our hands and how it is so easy to forget about what did it ended up here, although thanks to all that we can access this apple.
I think your point of view is really interesting, like the fact that you talk about all the process before we actually have the apple between our hands and how it is so easy to forget about what did it ended up here, although thanks to all that we can access this apple.
Your reflection is beautiful and reminds me how much connection and gratitude can be found in everyday life if we take the time to notice it. Becoming aware of the processes behind something as simple as an apple is a powerful reminder of our responsibility and connection to the world around us.