Passport Photos and Microbes
Today my mission was to get my passport photos done, I can apply for my new passport online, which is great and alot more convenient. I only had to get the photos taken, which can be taken at home and corrected online.
The main requirement is a white background. Easy enough at first thought, but guess what I don't really have any white background to stand in front of. The walls in my truck are covered in brown paper which we stained in orange and reds and some we left brown. So no white in here.
The outside is wooden so still no white, Ok so how about the garden caravan,(which holds the garden tools ) no that's a bit too dirty. So I look for a white bed sheet, but no don't do white bed sheets, not with kids and all the outdoor living. Trying to keep anything white is too much hard work.
'How about using toilet paper' my partner suggests, 'ha, ha' I say but in reality that's the only white we have , well except for a few plates and the cauliflower in the fridge.
So now it looks like I might have to go to my neighbours place to see if he has white walls I can stand in front of in order to get my photos done probably.
Well all this searching for white, started me thinking about this obsession that some people have with cleanliness, imagining white sterile environments that some people create in their own homes.
I remember as a child going with my parents to visit some friends of theirs at their home and feeling really uncomfortable, afraid to sit down on their chairs which were spotless, the place smelled really strongly of chemical cleaning products. My nostrils were bombarded. I couldn't wait to leave.
These sterile environments are not natural for humans, we have started to lock ourselves away, scared of what is out there, of possible bugs that may bring about illness. We are scared of the soil that grows our food. We have invented products to keep our homes and ourselves clean, yet these products are poisoning our natural environment.
Microbes are such an essential part of our lives,from the moment we are born. As babies we pick up microbes from the birth canal which help to boost our immune system. We seem to have forgotten that the more we challenge our immune system the better it becomes. By living in sterile environments we are not providing those challenges that our immune systems need. Instead we are living in a time where so much money is invested in the production of sterile products that are killing these much needed microbes.
When we end up killing all the good bugs what are we left with?
Do we really want to find out?
As humans we are meant to live in an environment that is full of many different types of microbes and bacteria.
Microbes help us digest our food and fight infection and in some studies it has been suggested that they influence our moods as well.
In one study it was found that
the urban gut harbors up to 40 percent less microbial diversity than that of indigenous people living in a remote rainforest.
"As cultures around the world become more 'Western,' they lose bacteria species in their guts... At the same time, they start having higher incidences of chronic illnesses connected to the immune system, such as allergies, Crohn's disease, autoimmune disorders, and multiple sclerosis"
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/05/06/modern-life-depletes-gut-microbes.aspx
These sterile environments are not protecting us, they are weakening us and the products used to keep them sterile are destroying the environment that keeps us alive. We need to educate ourselves and our children and find ways to enhance our relationship with the natural world. This is where we need to turn in order to heal ourselves both physically and mentally.
We are meant to be outside, we are meant to get our hands dirty.
So go outside, get some dirt/soil on your hands and reconnect with our life line
Imagine source 1st image:infocrunk.com
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Yes! I can't stand the chemical smell!! My husband used to complain that he couldn't tell if the clothes were clean if they didn't smell like chemicals, but I can't stand the feel or smell of funky laundry detergent or any other cleaning product for that matter. Vinegar and citrus oil is as strong as I ever want. And lord almighty don't even get me started about bleach. Nasty, dangerous, nasty, nasty stuff.
yeah, keep them away, we have such amazing natural ways to clean that does not hurt ourselves and the environment. xx
It's all about them essential oils, baby.
Heno bacterias invisibles. just thinking about that scares me. excellent post
thank you @elmundodealicia for your lovely comment.
Certainly had no problem with microbes in my life!
that’s exactly how it should be x
Thank God somebody else feels the same way about sterile environments as I do. I agree we should keep our homes clean but sterilizing everything is just not right because that's how we keep the good bacteria away from our bodies and do not let it make the antibodies it needs to create for its survival. Also, when everything is too spic and span, I just feel uncomfortable eating and drinking easily and just cannot even chew food the way I want to. I let my child make a mess when he is eating and then tell him to clean up afterwards so he can be free and then learn to be responsible too.
I don't think I need to tell you how great this post is, but I'll go ahead and say it anyways ;) Loved it!
thank you @sharoonyasir, you said it, we are in fact weakening our bodies by all this cleanliness. Thank you as always for dropping by and supporting me x
Cool post @trucklife-family,
I used to wonder why my younger ones are not as resistant to some disease as I am, I suspected it is because as a Child, I had more Liberty to play outside and in the soil which is not so today; my younger ones are bathed with disinfectant, use very clean tools and avoid dirts as much as possible that caging themselves against every microbe.
Recently, I watched a documentary that says children given birth to naturally encounter some vaginal bacteria which cesarean children do not, the doctor went ahead to analyze the importance of such bacteria on the long run.
Thanks @damzxyno , I expect you are right with regards to your younger ones. We need to be helping our immune system to grow and that happens when it actually has some work to do.
Yeah babies born naturally do have better immunity, there is a practice now where they are actually swapping women's birth canal and then using those same swaps to put on the babies so they don't miss out on the microbes received when born naturally.
Especially for growing kids....getting muddy dirty is fantastic..... besides the fact that that means they are actually playing outside in nature.
exactly @van-ruben, kids should be dirty and besides it's the best natural sun protector.
I completely agree with what you've said about the microbes and our obsession with cleanliness. It's just not natural, and we really are killing off the good bugs at the same time. We (society) should stop falling for the marketing & advertising hype - they aren't there to be factually informative, they are there to sell product.
Research, research, research. Let's empower ourselves! :)
Well said @ravenruis, the media do play a big part in how we fall into this trap, education is our best tool. that and talking about it here on Steemit x
Thank goodness, I say, to us not being subjected on Steemit day-in and out to all those adverts! :D
Where there's muck there's brass ~
big business this destroying the world and it's inhabitants eh!
I weep.
:(
xox
Yeah that's why it's so important to take no part in it, if we each take a stand and life by example thats a good start in bringing about change. Thanks @ldacey-laforge.
Good post, and I very much agree that we - and especially children - need to give our immune system a workout early and often, or we end up extremely vulnerable to disease.
I hear you, being outside, getting dirty is what is good for us. Our immune systems are amazing and we really just need to let tit be, not bombard it with chemicals. Thanks @didic for your support.
in crust we trust!
always! cheers @blacksheepblog