I pulled into my driveway with a car full of groceries, and as usual, attempted to carry all of them inside in one trip. My reusable bags were stuffed with fresh produce, milk, eggs, granola bars, cereals, and a box of my favorite dark chocolate brownie mix. As I was lugging it all, I reflected on how very blessed I am. I became conscious of the weight of the bags I was carrying; they were quite heavy. This was enough food for a week, a mostly healthy variety of items. I picked it all out in about a half an hour. When did the process of getting food onto the plate become so convenient?
As I reflected on my heavy sacks filled with sustenance, I felt thankful that I could afford the food and that I could easily pick it up on my way home from work. There was no need for me to hunt, know of local berry bushes, nor offer any labor on my part. I congratulated our ancestors for their achievements in agriculture. But then - thump - I heard something drop on the ground. It was the box of brownie mix. Maybe I shouldn't have tried to be so brawny with my carry. I leaned down to pick it up and my eyes focused on the ingredient list, which contained several items with complex scientific names and "artificial flavor." I also noticed it was manufactured out of state.
I paused and decided that I am grateful for some aspects of human advancements related to the agricultural revolution but perturbed by others implicated in the industrialization of the food chain. Hunting and gathering may have taken up much time and energy, but at least sustenance came directly from the land without being doused in pesticides or genetically modified in a lab. There must have been a point at which we reached a sweet spot, when farms were thriving and folks were fed locally. Maybe our system could revert backwards (or at least learn from the past!), to a time when large corporations did not run the supply chain, items did not travel thousands of miles before reaching mouths, food deserts did not exist, people did not need hazmat suits while walking around crops, and animals were treated with respect. Perhaps we could truly be the good stewards of the Earth that God intended us to be.
Yours in embodying Jesus' way,
Sean Patrick Coady
Associate Director