The common theme I saw threaded through all three readings was the power of nature. The Earth’s complex processes are things of wonder. McKibbon describes being in awe with the production of honey: that hundreds of bees can work together day in and day out and produce sugary sweet liquid gold. I had the same moment of awe in 8th grade biology class when I first learned how hundreds of cells work perfectly in unison to break down sugars to fuel our bodies. Truly amazing. The colony naturally performs best, as do our bodies’ cells, through collaboration and extensive hard work. Nothing about nature, at least to me, seems fast, easy, or cheap.
In Pollan’s piece, the author William Ralph is quoted as saying, “The whole of nature is a conjunction of the verb to eat in the active and passive.” Food is at the very heart of nature, and in many ways is human’s main connection to all of Earth’s living things. Food production, as with most human endeavors, works best through collaboration with nature, such as through beekeeping. However, this does not mean food production that respects nature is easy. McKibbon writes of his beekeeping friend Kirk, “But he’s still a farmer. And farmers, in my experience, usually have something to complain about.” It is long, hard, often costly work.
On the other hand, when human industry starts contradicting the very logic of nature, as Pollan describes, well then, we as a species start to diverge onto a very dangerous path. Schlosser’s fast food nation, in which the industrial production of food exploits the land and other species, champions human industry. This food is fast, easy, and cheap to eat, which is the very reason it should be questioned. We are fighting nature, and it seems nature is fighting back. The health of human kind is being threatened. Our bodies are breaking down from the chemicals ingested. The upcoming generation is likely to have a shorter life span than previous generation because of the food being fed to kids.
Before writing this post, I was bike riding through Constitution Gardens. At the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, engraved in stone is a quote by MLK: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” Now, I know this quote was not talking about food systems, but since food is the only thing that has been on my mind recently, that is precisely what I was thinking about. The arc of the universe bends towards the logic of nature, which is fairness for all species. I hope/ think we will change our food system, because nature is forcing us too. Change is being made, slow and steady, but still change. People are caring more about what they eat, championing local and organic. Food should not be fast, easy or cheap. Food should be full of nature’s wonder. That would be truly amazing!
Your anecdote about biking past MLK’s wonderful quote is so appropriate in relation to our food systems, Grace. What seems profitable or easy in the long run may finally be unsustainable, whether economically or with relation to consumers’ health. Gary Snyder has a phrase that speaks to such long-term balance, “the Main Flow.” A comforting tautology in this regard might be stated this way: nothing that is not sustainable will ultimately be sustained. We’re coming out of three-quarters of a century dominated by the use of fossil fuels. But we’ve reached a point where their industrial and domestic centrality are beginning to diminish. When you’re my age I’ll bet that renewable sources of energy are absolutely dominant in the marketplace.