Re: [pf] Risks, imposed or chosen

by prichter1

17 December 2000 18:33 UTC

Vicki,

Welcome back. It's good to see you posting on this list again.

I agree with you and Betsy, I don't have too much else to add, except I 
served a church in Oak Ridge TN, where many of the congregants were part of 
the Manhattan Project.  During that time that they were developing the 
A-bomb, they fully believed that what they were doing was for the noble ends 
of a just peace, of saving untold lives.  In the years following Hiroshima 
and Nagasaki, when public opinion began weighing in on the evil of the bomb, 
these folks were terribly hurt and felt betrayed.

These are good people who did something that they believed in -- and those 
actions had unintended consequences that made a huge impact on human history 
and evolution. They are still struggling with this in their final years on 
earth. I was honored to be their minister and help them struggle with all of 
this. It's a heavy load, if you can imagine. And, of course, some are in more 
denial than others.

My point is, evil is not just an intentional act -- it can also result from 
unintentional consequences of our acts, however well intentioned. Our 
definitions of evil certainly differ.  However, the scorn that many 
scientists and their corporate sponsors heap upon those of us without special 
scientific training and expertise is inappropriate and, IMHO, indicative of 
the possibility that they have something to hide.  I don't see these actions 
as being particularly well intentioned for the common good. For corporate 
profits, yes, but not for the common good.

I have long been a risk taker. I find more and more that I'm erring on the 
side of caution in many arenas, and that I wish to enter the general 
marketplace for food and other necessities less and less. My trust has 
dwindled to practically nothing. I am lucky that I live in an Amish area 
where I can get some things that are grown without factory farming, the 
addition of hormones, antibiotics, and other such stuff. No way do I eat 
dairy food fthat is not certified free of the bgh (?) hormone. I don't eat 
store bought eggs or meat or processed food. I am becoming more and more of a 
food purist.  That is my chosen path. I am looking to grow some of my own 
food this next spring and continue to get produce from CSA's, farmers 
markets, and other local sources where I feel I can more reasonably find food 
that is unadulterated. 

Does this mean that my food is absolutely pure? No. But these are my choices 
because my lack of trust in the food industry (and the science that backs 
them up) is very low.  For others on this list, YMMV.

Blessings, Priscilla