Conscious Choice: Try a Little Tenderness

January 2008 | From the Editor

Try a Little Tenderness

I want to thank you for your story about the car you “bumped” and the kind gentleman who owned it. I was eating dinner at Whole Foods and read the article. Afterwards, with a good feeling in my heart, I walked out into the parking lot and a woman suddenly backed out of her parking spot quite speedily. I saw her coming, but could see by her head position that she could not see me. Realizing that I was not yet ready to enter the next life, I jumped out of the way. As I did, she saw me out of her periphery and screeched on the brakes. I saw her mouth the words, “Oh my God” and then she threw her hand over her mouth. I was totally unharmed and just smiled, waved, and mouthed the words “I’m OK.”

My capability to respond or “be” that way was due to reading your
article, so thanks for that.

Late in his life Aldous Huxley remarked, “It is a bit embarrassing to have been concerned with the human problem all one’s life and find at the end that one has no more to offer by way of advice than ‘Try to be a little kinder.’”
Cheers,
—Neil,via emai

A Rachel Carson Revival for Our Body Burdens

I appreciated reading Stacy Malkan’s article in the November issue informing the public about the dangers of toxic chemicals — no matter how benign we’re told they are — in personal care products (“Beauty News We Can All Use” 11/07). My wife first alerted me to the article, as she knows I’m always interested in important topics related to health or environmental awareness.

The information described in the article in terms of the proliferation of chemical exposures and their potential links to chronic diseases left me numbified. I mean haven’t we humans learned anything? Does the name Rachel Carson ring a bell to anybody? Given that “we can’t just shop our way out of this problem,” the more pressing predicament then becomes how does a person rid the body of synthetic industrial chemicals once they’ve invaded our bodies? As suggested, “biomonitoring” is a possible first step, but how does one find out more about that or any other ways to eliminate potentially harmful chemicals once they’re in our body?

It’s really mind-blowing to me in this day and age that this can be permitted. As if worrying about chemicals in our air, water and food isn’t bad enough, now it’s personal care products. It’s no wonder why the cancer rates are so high. I may be wrong about this, but in the last few years I’ve noticed cancer rates appearing at younger and younger ages.
Gee, I wonder why. Wake up America!
—Richard, Long Beach

Not a Fan of the Vibe

I have to say after reading the letters to the editor from the October issue, I agree with those opposing the cigarette ads. While you have addressed that, while browsing the November issue, I noticed the paid advertisement for the smitten kitten sinfluut rechargeable vibe. I think consumers who want products like this can seek them out. I really didn’t appreciate the visual and found it disturbing. I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving this publication around a home with children for that reason.
— A. Cox, via emai

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