Journal Entry #5

I personally don't like the idea of humans having the extent of control that this form of gene alteration would permit. While I can understand the capitalistic motivation, in addition to the need for more food on a planet where overpopulation, relative to the amount of resources available, is becoming a major issue and huge threat to the future survival of the human species, I can't help but be extremely alarmed at the thought of genetically modifying our natural resources, particularly one of our primary necessities: food.

We need food to survive, and while we may inevitably face a shortage, I think perhaps we should first consider limiting our intake before taking this route. I simply do not feel comfortable with the risks, such as the patent issue and the allergy concerns, or my own personal disdain for capitalistic gain taking precedence over any other host of values, time and time again (that's a whole other journal entry, however).

For example, there was an interview with a farmer in another country who chose to use his own seeds, rather than the American version, for the simple reason that his corn tastes better than ours does. While one might view that as bad decision making, from the standpoint of a nation which endorses monetary gain at any cost, I celebrate this man's chosen path, and recognize that sometimes other things, such as good quality and, more importantly, safe food, may hold more value than capital gain. 

Again, it's a question of values. Perhaps we need to question ours, when confronting this issue. We all know that American food consumption is way higher than what is necessary for survival. The food intake level has become more of a luxury than a necessity. Perhaps we need to delve deeper into our societal value system and cultural norms and change our thinking when it comes to how we view food.

Much like energy and water, food is a resource that should be conserved. So instead of taking a 30 minute shower with the lights on in every room in the house, after eating a 12 oz rib eye  and a slice of cake for dessert, we should perhaps take a 5 minute shower with only the bathroom light on, following a meal consisting of simply enough to ensure our survival. I admit, I am as guilty as everyone else when it comes to this.

Karl Marx once wrote of the minimum wage being set at an amount that the proletariat could afford just enough food to survive in order to provide labor again the next day. I think it's safe to say that Americans are consuming more than one loaf of bread per day lately.