Life Is Like a Box of (Tainted) Chocolates

I can’t help but to be concerned…


“Aly Diabate, who is from Mali, was eleven years old when he was lured in Mali by a slave trader to go work on an Ivorian farm. The locater told him that not only would he receive a bicycle, but he could also help his parents with the $150 he would earn. However life on the cocoa farm of "Le Gros" (or "Big Man") was nothing like Aly had imagined. He and the other workers had to work from six in the morning to about 6:30 at night on the cocoa fields. Since Aly was only about four feet tall, the bags of cocoa beans were taller than him. To be able to carry and transport the bags, other people would have to place the bags onto his head for him. Because the bags were so heavy, he had trouble carrying them and always fell down. The farmer would beat him until he stood back up and lifted the bag again. Aly was beaten the most because the farmer accused him of never working hard enough. The little boy still has the scars left from the bike chains and cocoa tree branches that Le Gros used. He and the other slaves were not fed well either. They had to subsist on a few burnt bananas.”… (-http://www1.american.edu/ted/chocolate-slave.htm)


I don’t know about you, but I have felt pretty disgusted with the ‘news’ being portrayed and broadcast in our country. The above paragraph is real. Human trafficking takes place under our noses each and every day while thousands upon thousands of children are abducted and/or tricked into slavery and others are actually sold to laborers by their own parents for extra money… many of these children are as young as 4 and 5 years old.


Working from dusk until dawn, these children perform brutal labor under horrific conditions that lead to thousands of deaths a year. Just as well, they are beaten, rarely fed and are locked up each night like wild animals to prevent escape. Not to mention medical help is nearly nonexistent. What is the purpose for all this, you ask? One word…. Chocolate.


As I watched the news the other day (which I have resorted to rarely doing), all I saw and continue to be broadcast for the world to see are issues such as Michael Jackson, Michael Vick, Brett Favre and this supposed hermaphroditic Olympian (which, yes… I admit IS interesting). My point, however, is that even by watching the news, I feel as if I am being jaded by the actual ‘real’ issues plaguing the world. Sure, hearing about the death of Michael Jackson and the return of Brett Favre both in one year is attention-grabbing… but only for a moment. It seems the media has made American’s so incredibly naïve to what is REALLY going on the world that most people don’t even have a clue about these concentration-camp-like environments that people and people’s children right at this moment are living and fighting to survive in. Look at your children, or any child you love dearly, and imagine them at 5 years old harvesting cocoa beans so more developed countries can pay a pretty penny to indulge in products they worked themselves to death to produce for us. Imagine these children we love being fed next to nothing and having to survive often-times off corn paste for their only meals.


Cote d'Ivoire is a country that is historically known for their dependence on being economically stable through their reliance on exports. Particularly the cocoa bean. Because cocoa is an unstable commodity due to ever-changing market prices, local farmers are constantly on the look-out for ways to cut labor fees… even at the cost of a life. Presently, Cote d'Ivoire leads the world in cocoa bean exports by 43%, and the U.S. alone spends over $13 BILLION dollars per year on chocolate and is the leading importer of cocoa beans in the WORLD. Try that on for size next time you take a bit of that Hershey bar!


Although we are alone but one person, there are little things that each of us can do that will collectively help such a horrific cause. Think of that $13 billion dollars we spend per year on chocolate; if each of us chose not to purchase chocolate from those companies who are supporting Cote d’lvoire by receiving exports from them. Think if each of us chose to only to buy our chocolate bars and confections from companies who support only traffik-free chocolate. It would ultimately force bigger companies Cadbury's, Ben and Jerry's, Hershey’s, Godiva, Kraft, Nestle, See's, Toblerone, Guittard…. And the list goes on!) to rethink their options in regards to purchasing, and it would force local farmers in Cote d’lvoire to rethink their harsh and inhumane policies as their profits decline.


It is estimated that only a measly 1% of chocolate exported in the world is Fair Trade (child-labor free). I find that absolutely astonishing and repulsive that the United States of America who in no way, shape or form ‘supports’ slavery would be a chief importer of such commodities. Imagine if this 1% (with the help of all of us) could rise to 10%, or 20%, or 50%! By, instead, supporting companies such as Dunkin Donuts, Fred Meyer, H E B, Wild Oats, Whole Foods, Starbucks, Safeway (includes Tom Thumb), Target, and Trader Joe's (who all use Fair Trade chocolate), we can make a hefty contribution in helping to put an end to child-labor in the chocolate industry. It wouldn’t take hardly any effort on our behalf, and each of these places can be of easy convenience to most of us. It’s the little things in life that sometimes make the biggest impact. Sure, single-handedly we aren’t quite as capable as we could be united, but if we all did our part to create a unity, there is far more hope than if we just sit back and let this happen. Look for the logo of the third party certifier, Trans-Fair Company, on chocolate products to assure that no child labor was involved in production. Organic chocolate, as well, is considered Fair Trade as it isn’t produced or manufactured in areas prevailing in child labor.


Although I have brought up a very important cause that deserves our attention, this is by no means the only or biggest issue plaguing the world today. All around us and no where near us are issues that are putting the lives of large populations at risk and are, in turn, putting the future of the world in jeopardy. While we sit here complaining of our ‘long’ day of work while our children are safe, sound, unharmed and fed in their cozy beds, thousands upon thousands of other children and families are being plagued with malnourishment, slavery, abuse and torture, no work or being worked to death, and no roof over their heads. There are yet others who are suffering from disease, illness, and/or injury with no help or no cure. Others, still, are fighting overseas for our freedom, separated from family, friends, children and relatives. Not to mention issues affecting us globally such as global warming, the war on oil, the economy, wars between countries, energy conservation, healthcare, etc. Open your eyes to your surroundings and look outside the box that has been neatly packaged for your viewing pleasure. There are so many things we can do on our own to help in little ways with these issues and as I mentioned above, it doesn’t take much effort to support even just one of these concerns.


Pick a cause you believe in and stand by it. Do small things that don’t make time to make a difference. Turn off the electricity when you aren’t using it. Don’t litter. Recycle. Walk locally for a cause you believe in. Give blood. Donate clothes or a little money to a cause. Ride your bike or commute more often. Don’t smoke. Exercise. Educate someone else on something you are passionate about. Buy organic food. Don’t eat Cadbury Cream Eggs….


The list goes on! But my point is that the world is going to spin regardless of what we do to it. It will keep turning and time will keep ticking away, counting down to eternity. But HOW well and efficiently Earth’s counterparts act is in our hands. The more we let time slip away without taking action, the more we will have to worry about in the future. Instead of investing your time into worrying how Michael Jackson ‘really’ died, pay attention to the issues below the surface that are plaguing so many thousands and millions of people. Be proactive and take a few minutes of your time to be grateful for the life you are living and help support those who aren’t as fortunate. Life doesn’t have to be a selfish endeavor and I can guarantee you that the time invested into making small contributions will come around full circle. Without being said, being selfless in the act of giving is always self-gratifying. There is truly nothing more humbling and awe-inspiring than giving without expectations. Try it for yourself and see if you don’t feel just a little bit better about your day and yourSELF. We are all capable of doing great things. Or… let me rephrase that: We are all capable of doing greatER things. And we should live up to that potential not only by taking care of ourselves, but by taking care of the world and those around us.


With that being said, our main prerogative in forming Connect To Fitness is to give those of you the opportunity to be helped, to help others, and to give back to the community. We wanted to form a network where healthcare providers, professionals and those aspiring to be either/or have an outlet where they are able to band together in helping to make the industry and the world more efficient TOGETHER. There is a ton we can do on our own, but with the help of others and with each other, we can accomplish even more by being better, faster and stronger in our endeavors. Take advantage of this amazing opportunity that is right at your disposal.


Open your eyes and let in the light the next time you watch the watered-down news played over and over again and each time you long to pick up that Hershey Bar. Don’t shield yourself and open your heart and mind to looking beneath the surface. Many people need our help and what we do here and now dictates the future of you, me, them… and the world.


Until next time, Faithful Reader…


“No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it.” -H.E. Luccock


“If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people together to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.” -Antoine de Saint-Exupery


“Cooperation is the thorough conviction that nobody can get there unless everybody gets there.” -Virginia Burden


“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” –Winston Churchill


“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then just feed one.” –Mother Theresa