One thing about American life as a whole that, as I learn more and more, truly surprises me is the lack of concern or knowledge about our food. Nourishment is such a basic human need that has been necessary since ancient times, but it seems like our society no longer respects its importance. Yes, there are plenty of food services and availability is great in the United States, due to our diverse growing and production capabilities. Still, the apathy of the average American about where and how their Thanksgiving dinner gets to the table is unfortunate. As long as we are fed, and fed to our heart’s desires, it is of no consequence the impact or the environmental costs of the food we eat. Almost anyone can go to McDonald’s and pick up a hamburger for a dirt cheap price without even considering where the cow was grown, how it was handled, or what the degradation of the land is causing for the environment. Concern runs thin in our society, because there is disconnect between us and our food.
The Native Americans had a different outlook and way of life; animals were sacred and food production was sustainable. Even with their slash and burn techniques of agriculture and their methods of driving buffalo off cliffs in order to eat them, they knew how to give genuine interest to their environment. They would use every part of the animals they killed and give ceremonial recognition and praise to the gods for their kills and harvests. With agriculture, growing would take place in one area over a period of time and then they would move on to another area to let the land grow back again naturally. It wasn’t until the colonists came that the Native Americans put their sustainability on standstill because they were pressured to obtain weapons in exchange for agriculture and animals. The buffalo nearly became extinct because the attitudes of the Natives changed under exploitation and competition from the Europeans.
One could argue that, because the fact that their population was drastically lower than ours today, comparisons cannot be reasonable made. Or one could argue that technology has made life increasingly better and also is necessary to feed our large population in the United States. The missing link from these arguments is the notion that mass production of cheap, easily accessible food is the correct way of life. Everyone, including me, would love to pay as little as possible to obtain our fill in resources, but external costs of production and costs that will come back to devastate us in the future are not accounted for. Maybe the population is supposed to grow exponentially, but I am a big believer in natural selection as nature intended. Technology is the main enterprise that prevents nature from running its regular and sustainable course. The truth of society is that we don’t want lack of resources to limit us or cause people to die from lack of food. While it would be a bit unreasonable for us to imagine a world in which people are starving, while others are over-indulging, in order for our population to fully realize its carrying capacity, it is the raw truth of being a product of nature.
As a Vegan, I do realize the impact that mass, unsustainable food production has on our society. I am especially sensitive to the exploitation of the beautiful resources that God gave us in nature, such as the slaughtering and maltreatment of cattle and other animals that are grown solely for their benefits to us. These animals are mistreated and our societal ways are most certainly corrupt. For example, even the new ‘’green’’ innovations being advertised in recent decades with the so-called free-range chicken or grass-fed beef found in some whole foods stores, there is no way to truly prove that the animals weren’t mistreated and there is certainly no guarantee that the environment was not irreversibly harmed. Fact is, is that today 90% of pollution comes from livestock production; it is in the news, but few are responding to the desperate cry for help. Americans just don’t want to give up their good lifestyle when it seems like no negativities are set in stone today. Back when everyone lived on a farm and took care of their own animals, there was a real connection between man and his food. There is no way that a farmer back then would overwork or underfeed his livestock; they were his life and his full attention was given to them. Sustainability has, over time, sold its soul to big business. No matter what the real truth or the best way to live on earth is, technology has always been trusted to provide the perfect answer to our problems. But what will happen when we start seeing what our careless lifestyles are actually producing for the world we live in?
''I see a sea anemone
The enemy
See a sea anemone
And that'll be the end of me.
While the vicious fish was caught unawares
In the tenderest of tendrils
Underneath her tender gills
I will become this animal
Perfectly adapted to the music halls
I will become this animal
Anomalous appendages
A non-animal
Hold on just a second
Don't tell me this one you know
I know this one I know this song
I know this one I love this song
Hold on just a second
Don't tell me this one you know
I know this one I know this song
I know this one I love this song
I know this one
Underneath the stalactites
The troglobites lost their sight
Uh oh
The seemingly innocuous plecostomus
Though posthumous
They talk to us
They talk too much
See a sea anemone
The enemy
See a sea anemone
That'll be the end of me
Vicious fish was caught unawares
In the tend'rest tendrils
Underneath her tender gills and
I will become this animal
Perfectly adapted to a music hall
I will become this animal
Anomalous appendages
A non-animal''
-Andrew Bird