57th Lesson
Genetically modified food and pesticides. Our land is poisoned and contaminated, and all because of modernisation, economy and efficiency. But at what cost? Poisoning Gaia (aka: 'Mother Earth')?
Traditional farming was simple, and it was untainted. Although it could be afflicted by disease, there were some methods to counteract this. With animal farming, there wasn't much you could do to stop a
disease seriously harming or killing your livestock. But with agriculture, we employed a system of 'crop rotation'. This meant never growing the same crop in the same field each year. Then there is something
called 'nitrogen fixing' and 'fallowing'. Both of these systems are beneficial to the land and help improve crop yields. But then along came 'factory' and 'prairie-style' farming. Large areas of land were
turned into vast areas to grow crops. But this in turn meant having to use chemicals (such as pesticides, herbicides and fungicides) to protect them. If one part of a large area was infected, so the remainder
of the crop was also in danger.
Crop rotation helped in the fight against disease. Land that was left fallow had a chance to recover and restore it's natural balance of nutrients. Nitrogen fixing had a similar effect. But we have lost
this as small agricultural farms are no longer financially viable. And with chemically-saturated crops being cheaper to produce, it became more difficult to survive.
The effect upon humans and their consumption of chemically-treated crops is a contentious issue. The establishment will always reassure you that their products are safe to eat. But is that the truth?
I was once informed the best way to poison someone is slowly but surely. That leaves little or no evidence to prosecute the assailant. Modern commercial farming could also be accused of doing the same thing,
slowly poisoning our bodies. This time not with intent to harm or kill us, but merely for the love of money and big profits.
My advice to anyone who does want a healthy lifestyle and diet is this: grow your own food when you can. If you cannot get everything you desire, then organic produce is far more common in supermarkets
than it was when I was younger. In fact, and as a child, it was unheard of and considered a 'cranky' and faddish practice. Also do not think you can grow enough of the basic foods for yourself or your family.
I once had two 6ft x 3ft deep beds which produced far more than I could eat. Root vegetables, brassicas (eg. cabbages, cauliflowers), soft fruits, etc. In fact, you could grow most of your own food this way.
So why pay inflated prices in the shops? Just spend a little time planting in a nutrient rich soil, and then sit back. Nature will do the rest. And the feeling of picking your food from your own garden is
very rewarding and 'soul-warming'.
The other obscenity in the farming industry, both animal and agricultural, is genetically modified food. It is not needed. Commercially we can grow as much as we need without indulging in this
'Frankenstein' method of food production. But it is something that again makes big profits for those who manufacture the chemicals to spray or inject onto these types of produce. Some genetically modified
crops won't even grow without these specialised chemicals being applied. They go hand-in-hand. As for animals, what exactly is injected into them before they reach the consumer?
Finally, there are products that kill weeds (glyphosates). These are possibly the most evil of all. They are potentially carcinogenic and should never have seen the light of day, and certainly not been
commercially available. OK, some weeds are persistent and a nuisance, but this is where you need to do your homework. Are there natrual solutions to this challenge? You should never go for the quick and easy
solution as this will cause more harm to the environment than the benefits you think you will be getting.
In closing I say this: the food we grow has survived for millennia without the use of chemicals. It will always be there. The only reason for large scale production, as I have stated, is money, and
politics. Politics? Politicians will always want to boast about the cost of your shopping basket, and how they can make it affordable. But the environmental cost is never factored in. This is where we lose.
58th Lesson
Do you need your church (or your temple, or mosque)? Religion can be more dangerous than beneficial - especially when faith becomes belief.
Places of worship can be very comforting at times. Even when you are not a regular attendee. or even do not indulge in worship at all. But when you are down and out, feeling in need of some help, then
you may just wonder into your chosen place of worship and seek some solace. Perhaps you will even pray to the God you have consistently denied and never have spoken too. Perhaps you do go and worship
regularly, but also go to listen to the lessons being preached. Maybe some of these lessons resonate with you and help you. Whatever your reason, nobody will deny the fact that sometimes you do need that
helping hand.
But these is not the issues I wish to focus upon. Firstly, what is 'religion'? This practice calls for (at least) faith in a divine entity. But it is the belief in such that can cause divisions in our
society. This is because belief is a form of prejudice. Belief in something means non-belief in anything that challenges your viewpoint. The worst kinds of belief can also lead to extremism as well as
prejudice.
In lessons 11 and 32, I mention the principle of considering everything, but believing nothing. The universe is an incredible creation, and many believe that it must have been created by something they
often call 'God'. But what is God?
In Christianity, 'He' is the creator of everything that exist in our universe, and that includes the creation of man and woman. So, in effect, we are seen as God's children
and nothing else. However, nobody can prove God exists, and it is just a primitive concept - albeit it has stood the test of time. Primitive man (and woman) has sought answers to their existence. Why do I
exist, they wonder? Surely there must be a creator who made my furthest ancestors, and that we have evolved from them.
Science varies on these thoughts. While some deny the existence of a God, and they think that human evolution came about in a much different way, some also accept that something 'divine' must have created
the universe and all that exists within it. Nobody can explain the universe, so whatever the theories, or beliefs, it matters not.
Question: does 'God' need man more than man needs God? Did we create God to justify our actions, or did God create us to justify 'his' (or it's) existence? Can there be one without the other?
What does matter is the use of religion in the form of extreme behaviour. 'Holy Wars' are a result of the clash between two (or more) faiths when one feels threatened by the other. In the Islamic world,
they see a constant struggle against the Devil and feverously defend that thought. In other religions, the acceptance of a malign deity is also there, but acceptance of this fact is far more passive in it's
reaction to the presence of the Devil in our world.
Conflict between Islamic and Zionist faiths is the most dangerous of all. In one part of the Middle East is locked in a constant struggle to impose it's ideology and not cede a single inch of disputed
land. This is the situation in and around the State of Israel. Opposing forces always wary of each other actions, it is a 'spiritual fault line' which often erupts and causes untold levels of harm.
We must therefore question faith and belief where it manifests itself in such a violent way. Is it right to be so submissive to something that can cause you to be like this?
I personally consider myself to be spiritual. I have no religious loyalties, no fixed beliefs, I just accept that I exist and try to follow a path that is based upon recognising the difference between
right and wrong. Having said this, I do not discount religious scriptures in their entirety. In fact, whatever your preferred reading material, valuable lessons can be learned from their existence. Never
routinely discount centuries of wisdom, just interpret them the correct way.
"Heretic", some may say of me. I do not care. My 'church' is within me. It is in all of us, in whichever way, shape or form you wish to recognise it. But it is there. Nobody can take that away from me,
or you, and it goes with us into the next life. That's all we need to know.
"Goodnight, thank you, and may your God go with you." - Former talented and very popular Irish comedian, Dave Allen.
Ditto!