Introduction and Summary

Once you read a book, you can never reread that book in the same mindset as what you read the book in the first place. You will be changed, in a way, by the first reading of that book, so that the second time you read the book, your mind would not be the same. Life is in constant flux or change. A poem you read, or a song you heard, changed your perspective on life in such a way that you can never go back to who or what you were. (This is not always life-changing, sometimes it is just a small difference.)

In my post yesterday, I tried to show what differences can be understood under the concept of change. We can change something's form, or we can change something in essence, or we can change something's form and essence. I will try to show this now with fermented peppers and how it will help us to cope with life's demands of constant change. I think it is important to know how to change, and how to cope with that change. We can get into a "comfort zone", where consistency makes us feel secure.

Fermented Peppers: The Argument

"The Paradox of Choice" is a concept that Barry Schwartz coined in his book and Ted talk. Standing in front of the condiment shelf you can get lost with all the brands. This can, according to Schwartz, lead to you not making a choice at all. Confronted with so many choices, the freedom to choose anything, you may be so overwhelmed that you can abstain from making a choice. The beauty of life is that it also gives you a myriad of choices. On the southern tip of Africa, I stand in front of a condiment shelf, trying to choose a type and brand of hot sauce for my pizza. I am bombarded with nice looking logos, clever packaging and million dollar marketing schemes. The funny thing is that I could not make a choice. I walked to the fresh food counter and bought some fresh peppers. (This was a week ago.)

The process is simple: cut the stems away; cut the peppers into smaller pieces; throw it into a container with some salt, water and garlic; after a week of fermentation (today) blend it until only a sauce is left, and you have your own hot sauce.

Simmer it over a low heat until the consistency you want it. Strain it for the last time, bottle it, and use it like you want to.

I was paralyzed by the choices that were presented to me. (If I followed Sartre's existential philosophy, I would have acted in bad faith by opting out of choosing anything. Would making my own hot sauce be classified as living authentically? I wonder if Sartre would have opted for hot sauce on pizza?) I chose not to choose, I changed my view, and acted in a new and unfamiliar way. I broke free from conformity.

What is the argument then?, you may ask. The argument can go as follow: we are bombarded by choice today. But with these choices, we are always walking in new territory. There is never a time when we are on familiar ground. This can lead to a stressful life. If you can never settle down with something comfortably, how can you ever get a moment of peace? If all the hot sauce companies are constantly changing and trying to be "better" than their competitors, how will the customer ever feel comfortable in settling down with a brand? (This must be read as a metaphor.) This will lead, in a way, to the paradox of choice: there are so many different hot sauces that I will at the end not make the choice. But, and this is but with a capital B, this should not be a bad thing. In a time where change is our only constant, we need to be comfortable with it. But how, and why does it matter?

How to be Comfortable with Change

Change is not always bad. We just need to change our mindset about change. (I am reminded of my granddad who hates change. He cannot stand, or understand, why and how society is changing. He misses the "old days" where change was not necessarily always present.) Change promotes and encourages growth and potential. We can make something new, do something that has already been done, just in a different way. But we need to have tools to do this without getting discouraged. What tools?

The ability to make food is a tool, in my opinion. You take something in a form, change the form, and present it as something different. You take peppers and transform it into hot sauce. How can you apply this to your own life? How can we use the paradox of choice (and change) in our advantage? I will try to answer this with one sentence:

"to see opportunities in our constantly changing world and to promote (self) growth."

Our world is constantly changing, but this promotes new space for development and opportunities to change (again). We can utilise this need for change (and immediacy) by creating new space for growth.

(In the next couple of posts I will try to further these ideas. They are currently undergoing some change.)