Organic or Not

A few weeks ago a new grocery store opened up down the street. As is par for the course, the parking lot was packed for several days as the locals checked out what this particular store has that makes it unique. Its big selling point is that it has a wide choice of organic food.

Organic food – I just love that new and popular designation of special foods that are supposed to be raised properly and thus be good for us, the consumers. Ever since I first heard the term, my question has always been; what is inorganic food? I thought all food was organic. Sure, my mom had some wax fruit on permanent display on the dining room. We didn’t eat it because we knew it was inorganic fruit. As in, not real fruit.

Oh, sure, I get it that organic food is supposed to be better for the consumer. I will also admit that I doubt that it is. In my short lifetime little that has been promised has been delivered. Some people would say I am a cynic but I believe I am just a realist. After a lifetime of hearing the latest truth being uncovered through the newest and best research and then later having those scientific facts debunked by the some newer and better research which was, in turn, proven to be wrong and then going back to the original premise as correct, I am done with that crap. In my lifetime milk was good for you; bad for you; good for you; now it is again bad for you. Really?

But why the use the term organic for a certain type of food? That is like calling some beef organic beef or some humans organic humans. We are all organic. You know, made out of carbon atoms. The dictionary definition is: “of, relating to, or containing carbon compounds: relating to, being, or dealt with by a branch of chemistry concerned with the carbon compounds of living beings and most other carbon compounds: having the characteristics of an organism : developing in the manner of a living plant or animal.”

It seems the definition for “Organic” is already taken. How about trying something else? Couldn’t those excited about “organic” think of a more appropriate term. According to my research (I Goggled it.) the term organic in meaning a type of farming has been around a while. “In 1939, Lord Northbourne coined the term organic farming in his book Look to the Land (1940), out of his conception of "the farm as organism," to describe a holistic, ecologically balanced approach to farming—in contrast to what he called chemical farming, which relied on "imported fertility" and "cannot be self-sufficient nor an organic whole."

Over the past sixty plus years I have tended many a garden. I have done the “holistic” all natural approach and I have been reduced to using chemicals. And I must be candid with you: when concerned with what effect what I spread on my vegetables has on my body, I am more comfortable with a white powder than I am with cow crap. I have seen the cows. I have scooped the manure – which means I have seen it close up and smelled it in a confined space – and I am less inclined to put the green beans that have been fertilized with cow dung in my mouth than beans that have been dusted with some white powder.

I realize I am not of the genre of people who are attracted to “Organic foods.” I have butchered chickens, cows and pigs so I realize they don’t come from the farm clean and wrapped in clear plastic. I have personally raised corn, beans, lettuce, radishes, potatoes and tomatoes and know how challenging it can be to nurture them and keep the insects and diseases off of them. I also have been around long enough to know that everything that is labeled “organic” is not necessarily really organic. Look for the USDA seal.

Are organic foods better for you? That is still up for discussion. In an article from the Mayo Clinic that is pro organic food the authors write: “Organic food: Is it more nutritious? Probably not, but the answer isn't yet clear. A recent study examined the past 50 years' worth of scientific articles about the nutrient content of organic and conventional foods. The researchers concluded that organically and conventionally produced foodstuffs are not significantly different in their nutrient content.”

The other question is: Is organic farming better for the environment? One would think so but the jury is still out on this, too. One of the differences between those who farm organically and those who don’t is the types of pesticides they use. Both do use pesticides. There is an interesting article on the subject here.

But may I suggest a better label for “organic foods.” Since they are produced with natural fertilizers, how about the label “Poopie foods.” It may not attract as many health conscious middle class Americans, but it sounds a bit more honest.

Copyright © 2014, William T. McConnell, All Rights Reserved

Bill McConnell is Senior Minister at Lindenwood Christian Church in Memphis, Tennessee and is a Church Transformation consultant and a Christian Leadership Coach. He is a frequent speaker at Church Transformation events. His latest book on church transformation is DEVELOPING A SIGNIFICANT CHURCH and is available at Westbow Press. He can be contacted @ bill45053@gmail.com. Connect with him on Facebook @ William T. McConnell or on Twitter @bill45053.

An Astute Observation of the Obvious

One of the most insightful and interesting articles I have read in recent years appeared in the January 2010 edition of the Portland Monthly. In the article, Christopher Hitchens was interviewed by Marilyn Sewell, the recently retired minister of the First Unitarian Church of Portland. Sewell is a former teacher and psychotherapist and the author of numerous books, Sewell, over 17 years, grew Portland’s downtown Unitarian congregation into one of the largest in the United States. She describes herself as a liberal believer.

 

Mr. Hitchens described himself, among other things, as an atheist and has been identified as being a prominent exponent of the "new atheism" movement. He and fellow high profile contemporary atheists Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris and Daniel Dennett have often been referred to as "The Four Horsemen" and the "Unholy Trinity".  Hitchens is a secular humanist and anti-theist, and describes himself as a believer in the philosophical values of the Age of Enlightenment. His main argument is that since the concept of God or a supreme being is a totalitarian belief that destroys individual freedom, free expression and scientific discovery should replace religion as a means of teaching ethics and defining human civilization. Christopher Hitchers’ 2007 book God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything made him arguably the nation’s most notorious atheist.

I will quote just a segment of the interview. The interview, in its entirety, is worth a read or a listen.

Sewell: The religion you cite in your book is generally the fundamentalist faith of various kinds. I’m a liberal Christian, and I don’t take the stories from the scripture literally. I don’t believe in the doctrine of atonement (that Jesus died for our sins, for example). Do you make any distinction between fundamentalist faith and liberal religion?

Hitchens: I would say that if you don’t believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ and Messiah, and that he rose again from the dead and by his sacrifice our sins are forgiven, you’re really not in any meaningful sense a Christian.

Why does it take a non believer to tell us such an obvious truth? Why is it that we, the people who make up this thing we call the church, have such a difficult time defining what it means to be a Christian? I believe the problem is less theological and more sociological. It has more to do with the cultural moral “good” that drives our culture. It is the ultimate good of being open minded, accepting and acceptable that drives our religious and intellectual community to have such a fuzzy understanding of what it means to be a Christian. It is that, much more than our understanding of God, that drives us and, I believe, confuses us.

Mr. Hitchens has made what I would call an astute observation of the obvious. Christianity is founded on the belief that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, lived on this earth, died on a cross to pay the price for our sins and, on the third day, rose from the dead. Not believing in these things means you are not, “in any meaningful sense a Christian.” Instead of getting our shorts in a bunch, or entering into a long winded philosophical discussion, or calling him narrow-minded and stupid (Which he obviously isn’t.) perhaps our response should be “Duh, no kidding.”

Some of the basic beliefs of Buddhism are:

1. Buddha is our only Master.
2. We take refuge in the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha.
3. We do not believe that this world is created and ruled by a God.

Frankly, I don’t believe those things: For whatever reason or reasons. I can’t say those are really good or bad things, I just don’t believe them. Thus, I can tell you, I am not a Buddhist. That was easy.

There are many things about Islam that are problematic for my belief system. These are just a few:

1. On the Last Day, resurrected humans and jinn will be judged by Allah according to their deeds. One's eternal destination depends on balance of good to bad deeds in life.
2. Warriors who die fighting in the cause of God are ushered immediately to God's presence.
3. "Enemies of Islam" are sentenced immediately to Hell upon death.

Since I don’t believe these things I would not even consider considering myself Islamic. Not a liberal Muslim or a conservative Muslim. Just not a Muslim.

I may consider myself to be a moral person; a good person; a nice person; a godly person. But since I reject some of the very basic tenets of different faith systems, I don’t consider myself to be a Buddhist or a Muslim. They don’t seem to mind and I don’t mind.

So, why is it, I wonder, that there are such a large number of people around the world who reject some of the very basic tenets of the Christian faith and yet insist on being labeled and accepted as Christian? Many of these people would be deeply offended by what I have written and would condemn me as being a narrow-minded fundamentalist.

I confess. I don’t get it. I don’t believe what people of other religions believe and I am not offended that they don’t accept me as a Buddhist or Muslim. I don’t think they should. Truth is, if they did accept me as a Muslim or a Buddhist, I would wonder what they were thinking.

My only guess as to why I have come to such conclusions is that I am a Christian who thinks too much like an atheist.

Copyright © 2010, William T. McConnell, All Rights Reserved

Cream to 2%

As often happens, as I gain some age and perspective, I have been taking a look back to process what I have experienced and possibly learned. I do this with some consternation because I have seen older folks do this all my life and they seem to almost always bemoan the good things that have been lost in their lifetimes. It is often a – woe is me, the world is going to hell in a hand basket – discourse. I don’t want to be one of those people.

But I also don’t think it takes one of great intelligence to realize that the shift in our value system over the past 50 years has had a profound impact upon our society. Some of that impact and those changes have been good and healthy. We now talk about some things we need to talk about that used to be taboo. In some ways we are more open and honest and real. And I love that.

But unless one is mired deeply in denial, it is painfully obvious that many of the changes in our values have had a negative effect on our culture. Many of us are in denial because admitting that negative impact would mean we have made some very wrong decisions and put our faith in some pretty poor values. We would rather dance around the issues than admit that we are wrong. My generation, like most generation before and after, believed ourselves to be the smartest people to ever inhabit the earth. All great thinking began with us. Those who came before us may have been well meaning but not too smart.

One doesn’t have to stop, look, listen and think very long before perceiving that something is wrong and the solutions we have applied to the problems we have encountered are not producing great results. In my simple, pragmatic way, I would say that if it isn’t working we should try something else. I would also suggest we take a hard look at our value system and how it has been changed over the years.

I heard a dear friend speak of his concern for the effect his grandfather had on his father and uncles over the years. Even after fifty years, his impact was powerful, dynamic and destructive. One of my friend’s uncles had committed suicide that week. The family was thrown into chaos. The uncle was the type of individual "that would never do such a thing". It caused the speaker to have vague fears about the effect his "weirdness" would have on his children and grandchildren. 

My fears are the opposite. I fear the lack of effect my "weirdness" will have on my children. I see myself as a transmitter of values from my father to my children. Family values are not easily communicated today. There is so much competition from other sources. School, television, movies, professional athletes, pop "feel-good" psychology and other influences give the family plenty of competition. And, to further complicate the matter, I have not been a good conductor. When I needed to be high quality copper, it seems I have been cheap iron. My father's values are not being transmitted well. As they say, much has been lost in the translation.

My father's value system was both beautiful and functional. His values were like thick cream skimmed off the top of life; rich, full, and useful. One could almost sink one's teeth into them. His values were strong, bold and solid. They worked. They were passed down through the proceeding generations and developed over the years through hard work, thought, application, reconsideration and reapplication. He received them as a precious gift from his father and he gave them to me. Not just for safekeeping, but to help me get them most out of life and to help me add the most to life. Values were to empower me to live, instead of a life of success, a life of significance. 

Several years ago my older brother and I compared notes and recollections and recognized these as some of the values we received from our father:

                        m Work hard and don't expect something for nothing.

                        m Make work fun.

                        m Listen to people. Really listen.

                        m Keep practicing until excellence is natural.

                        m Be generous in helping others.

                        m Be a giver not a taker.

                        m Set high goals and strive to attain them.

                        m Put God first, family second, and work third.

                        m Be dependable, a man of your word.

                        m Be prompt. Being late is rude.

                        m To have good friends you must be a good friend.

                        m Be fun to be around.

                        m Make sacrifices for your family and friends.

                        m Keep learning and thinking.

                        m Dare to dream big dreams. Have a vision.

                        m Stand up for what you believe to be right.

                        m Pray and trust God.

 

He gave me this magnificent chilled glass of thick rich cream. As he handed it to me, I could see the cream slosh up the sides of the tumbler, dripping with rivulets of condensation, and coating the glass with its translucent richness. He urged me to drink deeply of its cool sweetness knowing that the more of it I drank the more I would have to give to my children when it came time to pass the cup. Values, like love, are unusual in that the more you use them, the more you have to share.

But catastrophe struck before it came time to share its rich goodness with my progeny. I was there the entire time, but I am still not sure exactly what happened. I guess it happened so slowly and over such an extended period of time that the catastrophe failed to fully register in my consciousness. All I know for sure is that when I handed the glass to my children, the cream no longer stuck to the sides. When I looked closer I realized that the content of the glass was no longer rich, thick cream. It looked more like the 2% milk I now have on my cereal in the mornings. Much more watery than either whole milk or cream; 2% milk shows itself for the "weak sister" it is most clearly when it is used as a creamer in coffee. If you want to see something really nasty, put 2% milk in coffee.

The catastrophic change was unnoticed because it was not one grand accident where I (And my generation) tripped and spilled the values in a big mess on the floor. Instead, in out astounding egotism of thinking all great thinking began with us, we splashed a little out here, dribbled a bit there, choked on a mouthful here and poured a tad down the drain there. In my attempt to keep the glass full, I added a touch of water here and there to keep up the appearance of holding a full glass. After all, who was going to notice a little water?

Well, it ends up that I am the one who notices. I have noticed that our lack of solid values has had a powerfulliy negative effect on my world. Our culture in in chaos but we refuse to believe the chaos has anything to do with a faulty value system. We blame it on a lack of education, inequity of money distribution, political processes, classism, sexism, and corporate greed. The truth is all of these things are off kilter because our values are screwed up. We will not fix these social issues until we address our values.

But then, my children don't notice because they have never seen or experienced the real thing – the cream. The cultural assault on values crashing down on them from other sources makes for values more akin to sewage than cream. And I certainly didn’t help much: didn’t add much to the mix. Even so, though my values seem pretty thin and weak compared to those of my father, my watered down value system is quite distinct from the alternatives available to my children and grandchildren.

It is my prayer they can filter through the muck and somehow rediscover the rich, healthy, foundational values my father passed on to me.

Copyright © 2013, William T. McConnell, All Rights Reserved