Though the little bar of chocolate rests coolly against my palm, it still seems to cry out to me. This is, at least, what I have convinced myself as I imagine popping it in my mouth and grabbing more. But I think that the candy- no, rather, its background- deserves a little more dignity.

Mindful eating is a growing trend in the worlds of weight loss and meditation. The practice involves becoming fully aware of and appreciating, the existence, background, and impact of what we are consuming in a moment.

According to theory, it’s supposed to help us to eat healthy portions and become more in touch with ourselves by enabling us to listen to our bodies and gain a sense of respect for the natural world. There is, however, a more important dimension which I’d like to amplify: It is a wonderfully useful tool in our quest to create a greater society. Allow me to guide you through the process.

I start by becoming acquainted with the piece of chocolate, observing without judgment the way it feels in my hand, the light it reflects, the dents in its curves and edges, the size in relation to my palm, the scent, and, after taking a small bite and holding it in the mouth, the sensation of chewing, the taste as it melts on my tongue, and the aftertaste.

This first step promotes a sense of wonder. At this point, I come to realize what a miracle this piece of chocolate is for me to both possess and consume.

Before eating any more, I consider each and every step this chocolate took to reach my hand.

Someone delivered the chocolates to the store, where someone must have ordered and taken inventory. Someone packaged the treats and another designed the packaging and another designed the factory. Someone set up the recipe for chocolate and another invented it. Someone transported each ingredient, like the cocoa bean, to the factory another picked those cocoa beans, and another capitalized off of it. And this, of course, only lists a few of the many steps worth considering.

Here, I begin to realize how fundamentally connected I am to countless others around the world, each of us dependent upon the others. Our livelihoods, pleasures, experiences all rest of a massive web of action throughout the world. We cannot exist as true individualists.

Finally, still watching the chocolate as I think, I evaluate my moral obligations in response to my chocolate’s journey. Surely my interrelated existence with so many others means that the implications of their labor should concern me. I should, for example, probably ensure that each worker is being paid a living wage. I should also ponder the conditions that led certain people to work in lower-paid jobs along the chocolate’s path and which led me to being able to afford to eat chocolate for fun. This examination of implications and actions can continue indefinitely.

Finally, mindful eating is about more than my own simple awareness. Rather, it has practical consequences. We are forced to examine our privilege and our systems and consider ways to create change in a way that is based in the miracle of our web of human relationships as well as the miracle of the food being shared.

With all of this new awareness and drive toward action, it is now time to eat some more of that chocolate: A beautiful chocolate with an exciting backstory and an immense dignity.