1. Can diversification save species?
Apparently species diversification is necessary for life to thrive - otherwise living species would procreate asexually, there would be nothing such as male and female and everything would be a clone. This seems to be very simple and straightforward logic. The way things are set up, you need to cross-pollinate with another member of the species in order to recombine dna and create a new life that is different from its parents.
Troubles from not following this logic, created simply by greed, have cropped up on many occasions but apparently those in the business of mass food production, and mass lumber production, are not interested in learning this lesson. The world's food supply in the hands of so few is kind of a scary thing--large monoculture crops are easily destroyed by disease (what one is prone to, so all of them are).
What we can do is plant our own food. During the Second World War American's grew something like 60% of their own food in backyard Victory Gardens. There are people who are saving a diverse seed supply, and buying and growing these seeds will be a help. Also, the localvore movement is a good idea. The closer you are to your food supply, the better.
It certainly makes the world richer, more beautiful and interesting!
2. Do you vote for the chicken or the egg?
Personally I vote on the sage grouse. If the chicken/egg question is literal, it couldn't be the egg because the new chicken would have no one to mate with and would die off without reproducing its kind. It couldn't be the chicken because where would the chicken have come from? The sky?
So by giving the answer "the sage grouse" what I am saying is that the entire chicken species is just part of a continuum of all animal life which gradually, gradually shifts from one species into the next. Slow motion shapeshifting. With chickens, I suppose humankind captured some of the wild "chickens" (something like a sage grouse) and the brighter and more fussy of the bunch escaped or were kicked out of the coop. The more vacant of the clan stuck around to become our domesticated chickens. That's my guess, anyway.
3. Eating my broccoli...
Funny enough broccoli has been a feature of my meals for the last week. It's not really my favorite though. There are so many different opinions and theories about what is good for you and what is bad for you. I just try to pay attention to how my body feels. I became a vegetarian at about the age of nineteen because my stomach hurt after I ate meat. I became a vegan about six years ago because of the bodily disagreement I have with dairy. I started to eat meat on occasion about a year ago because my iron levels were dangerously low which may have contributed to not being able to carry a pregnancy to term (according to my doctor). Through all these dietary shifts, I know my body well and know that I feel most energetic when I eat a diet full of fresh fruits and vegetables, adequate protein, but no meat. However, I'm no longer so meticulous about what I eat. I've become a little more flexible which has resulted in being a little more relaxed, which was necessary.
Best of all, I like to eat the food I grow myself:
3 comments:
I agree with you that we should all have our own vegetable garden! I would love to eat my own vegetables. Because I don't have a car, I have to walk to my supermarket and it isn't the most environmental supermarket... Some vegetables are so sticky, that I have to wash my hands when I come home. The do have some ecological vegetables, but they are so expensive! I paid, for instance, 4 dollar for 3 tomatoes.. And since I can't work here, that is a lot of money for me. So I wish I could do the same as you, also to be more mindful, aware and more thankful for the things I eat!
I think its awesome that you grow your own food whenever possible. It probably cuts down on your risk of pesticides and increases the benefit of the food.
food, chickens, genetic diversity.. it's looking a lot like the same topic. To get energetically complete foods they need to be adapted to survive. You can only adapt through mutations. Our chickens of today are mutants that we eat. If some disease were to hit our chickens I bet most would die. We'd adapt and maybe move on to duck or goose eggs.
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