Coca Cola in Kerala

[Guest guest]

This is a bit off topic, but I thought it related to a question

someone had at the Rhode Island retreat in 2004 regarding Hershey's

kisses and Coca Cola products. I thought some would find this article

of some interest.

 

A COCA-COLA STORY

Once upon a time (in 2001, to be specific), the Coca-Cola corporation

built a bottling plant in a small and remote Indian village in the

state of Kerala. In exchange for sucking vast amounts of water out of

the local land, the mighty corporation promised to bring the people

great wealth. But within a few short months, the village people began

to notice their wells were running dry, so they complained to the

corporation. Coca-Cola calmed the concerns of the people and attempted

to win back their favor by giving them vast amounts of free

fertilizer, saying it would grow bountiful crops beyond their wildest

dreams. After several years of use, we arrive at the present day when

the village people have suddenly discovered the fertilizer is actually

the bottling plant's waste sludge and is laden with cadmium, a highly

toxic, cancer-causing heavy metal. The village soil and water are now

too heavily contaminated to safely occupy human life, so the plant was

shut down last week. Moral of the story: Don't drink

Coke..........drink Pepsi! Just kidding, Pepsi is actually in the

process of being thrown out of India for similar crimes, as well.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/BTC/cocacola082405.cfm

[Guest guest]

Ammachi, "dharmabum253" <dharmabum253>

wrote:

> This is a bit off topic, but I thought it related to a question

> someone had at the Rhode Island retreat in 2004 regarding Hershey's

> kisses and Coca Cola products. I thought some would find this

article

> of some interest.

>

> A COCA-COLA STORY

> Once upon a time (in 2001, to be specific), the Coca-Cola

corporation

> built a bottling plant in a small and remote Indian village in the

> state of Kerala. In exchange for sucking vast amounts of water out

of

> the local land, the mighty corporation promised to bring the people

> great wealth. But within a few short months, the village people

began

> to notice their wells were running dry, so they complained to the

> corporation. Coca-Cola calmed the concerns of the people and

attempted

> to win back their favor by giving them vast amounts of free

> fertilizer, saying it would grow bountiful crops beyond their

wildest

> dreams. After several years of use, we arrive at the present day

when

> the village people have suddenly discovered the fertilizer is

actually

> the bottling plant's waste sludge and is laden with cadmium, a

highly

> toxic, cancer-causing heavy metal. The village soil and water are

now

> too heavily contaminated to safely occupy human life, so the plant

was

> shut down last week. Moral of the story: Don't drink

> Coke..........drink Pepsi! Just kidding, Pepsi is actually in the

> process of being thrown out of India for similar crimes, as well.

> http://www.organicconsumers.org/BTC/cocacola082405.cfm

 

 

 

I think what Amma was saying was that politics and the lifestlye of

continous anger at "those bad others ............" fill in the

blank..corporations or whatever was not her path. Thats just blame

placing and anger, but actually doing constructive things to

help...that is good Seva.

 

So if it is your dharma to work towards making consumers more aware

of organic, or being a watch dog for companies that may be

overstepping the bounds of propriety..that's good. In other words

being helpful and balanced.

 

But if you have a perpetual grist mill with exaggerated anger towards

the "bad guys" and a political agenda of attacking those whom you

have made your target, that may just be more delusion. That game has

no end. There is always more bad guys to feed into your "righteous"

anger.