So there I was this morning looking into my bowl of oatmeal thanking everyone who made it possible to allow me to have this bowl of oatmeal. Then it dawned on me and I started thinking about how interconnected it is, you know oatmeal is sticky and messy right. Well when I you looked at all the factors that are outside my control with regards to my ability to eat this bowl of oatmeal a new understanding about how everything is interconnected started to form.
For example I thank the farmer who was growing the oats, well then I have to thank the man who assembled his tractor, because without him the farmer would not be able to grow and harvest those oats. I also thank the manufacturer who turns the raw product into something I can eat, well then you have to think about that company’s insurance man, without whom they could not run their business. I thank the man who maintains the machine that creates the cardboard box my oats came in, well then you have to think about the guy who creates the different colored inks that are printed onto the cardboard tub. I thank the truck driver who transported my oats to the grocery store warehouse, well then I have to thank his family because without their support he would not be able to spend that time on the road delivering my oats. Well than I thank the kid who is stocking the shelves in Publix where I buy my oats and well then I have to think about whether he is educating himself to make sure he is going to be a productive member of society or not.
So from that brief description of all the people involved in my being able to eat my breakfast, you can take it as far as you want for each example. So that is only for the oatmeal, don’t get me started on the machine that smashes oranges for my juice or about Juan Valdez and his coffee bean picking ass (I am talking about his burro) because if he slips and falls (you know he does not have health insurance) while he is roaming the hills of Columbia picking the beans that bring us the nectar of the gods my entire world would start collapsing in on me.
So you can imagine my amazement at all of that and then I started thinking about the way the world is today and I realized when a person thinks they understand the complexities of the current economic situation or what might or might not fix it, they are living a foolish dream, no one is smart enough to “do the math” on all the interconnected pieces. If my oatmeal showed me such a complex web of interdependency, the global economic problems are too big to fit into anyone’s head. I hope and pray whatever is done at local, state and federal levels works but if it does it will be sheer dumb luck (I am polictically agnostic) because the odds are better for me to get hit by lightening 12 times this morning or winning the Florida lottery.
Not that I hate all that technology has allowed our society to do (I am in that field) but you have to wonder if we should be more concerned with how little we are actually in control of our own lives, when compared to when we grew a garden and raised a hog for 4h (thanks Karen he was tasty)
To Quote Dennis Miller, “That’s just my opinion I could be wrong”
So what did you see in your oatmeal this morning
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
OK - here goes.... every night I walk the dogs around the pool and think about how cold I would be if I fell into the very cold pool. Then my mind wonders as to how much would someone have to offer me to jump in voluntarily and swim across, then my mind wonders as to what amount would I accept, and then from there it goes to how I would spend the money and them it goes to who I would help out with all that money. I mention my late night thoughts to the kids and one immediately says, shit I'd jump in the pool for $50 bucks. Knowing that $50 would help little or none - in my world.... it still brought happiness to know that $50 is still worth something to someone.
ReplyDelete