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  Ishmael

    First, I am grateful that we are talking about overpopulation.  It is the one topic that is so often lacking in the "environmental issues" dialogue.
    After having just re-read Daniel Quinn's "Ishmael," I was saddened to find such a 'Taker' attitude reflected in this comment by biodifversivist.  Hopefully you are familiar with the work, but if not, I highly suggest a read.  By 'Taker,' I am referring to the line of thought that views the progression of civilization in a linear fashion, without pausing to consider that it is perhaps we who have strayed from the path.  My point is, we all bear the responsibility to examine our knee-jerk instincts to resolving global problems.  I don't see anything fundamentally wrong with urbanization in some areas, but it should not be promoted simply because it works well sometimes.
     I am currently serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Macedonia, which is worlds away from Africa, but from my year here, I have definitely come to appreciate that we can no longer slap a one-size-fits-all bandage (such as urbanization) on the problem and expect the gaping wound to heal.  Every culture has its own, well, culture, and we must respect and trust the integrity of each.  As Westerners, specifically Americans, we dictate greatly the form that globalization takes in this world, and suggesting that subsistence farmers would be better suited scraping by in an overly industrialized, polluted concrete mecca of urbanization is not only impractical, it's inhumane.  As Ishmael shows, diversity is inherent in our survival.  And by the way, if all the farmers flock to the cities, who produces the food?On Eating our vegetables posted 3 years, 3 months ago 9 Responses