thinking, thinking, and wondering

The political climate in Wisconsin has me thinking, thinking, and wondering about how things have gotten so far out of control. Our country is in a state of constant "crisis" and "epidemic". All this continuous stress can not be healthy for us. Throughout the day, my thoughts are preoccupied with social and health issues that effect our small community here in the northwoods. And then my thoughts dwell on the much more serious problems that the rest of the world is facing. Where to start? All of these problems, combined with mounting guilt, creates a feeling of hopelessness.

Is it lack of compassion or empathy that drives the incivility within our society? Could it be complacency, lack of control, or the overwhelming idea of trying to fix it all?  Or are we just too busy consuming everything in site, like deranged pacmen?

I think it all comes down to food. In the US, we have a constant, twenty-four hour, supply of cheap food. The price we pay for this cheap food is our physical, mental, societal, and environmental health. Over worked and under payed people sacrifice their health by feeding themselves, and their families, cheap, convenient, processed food. We have all heard enough about the "obesity epidemic," so much so, that that people are completely tuning the message out.

The truth is, people who are tired and strapped for cash, but still are able to eat have no reason to revolt against the current food system. Even the way we approach these health issues is completely backwards. Instead of bariatric surgery, diet pills, over exercise, and trying to find someone to blame, we need to be providing resources and education.

Imagine if all we ever ate was grown locally; if people needed to participate in growing, harvesting, and preparing food, from farm to fork. What would that look like?

Would there be a gym in every town or more gas stations than farm stands? Would our reliance on doctors and hospitals for health diminish? Would there be trash cans on every lawn, overflowing with waste?

Food for thought...