What does your mind do while you brush and floss?
I had a random Flosser Thought: How can I save money by reusing the flossers. Would they make it through the dish washer? Would they melt? Would they fall down and get caught in the gears? Would they emit toxic gasses?
We used to have a word for people who thought this way. We used to call them cheap, Scottish or Jewish. Now we call them recyclers. We used to mock them but now they are politically correct. Maybe we need a government program to set up recycling centers for flossers. I am sure that putting them in the trash endangers some living creature. We could have a redemption charge like we do on aluminum cans. This would help unemployment. This would be an elitists dream. They want to get into your church, now they can get into your mouth.
The three R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle) are nothing new. They were a way of life in frontier America. Nothing was wasted. Careful stewardship or resources was necessary to survive, to keep from starving. Much of the undeveloped world lives that way today. The current flock of Gaia worshipers would love to have us go back and live at that level. They want no plastic but refuse to acknowledge that paper and wood require the death of trees. They are trying to outlaw cheap plastic grocery bags and refuse to admit that the reusable kind are loaded with dirt and disease. They want everything organic but hide the reality that much of the world would starve to death and large populations would be reduced to peasant labor if we went organic.
The current plethora of disposable items drives me crazy. We used cloth diapers. I still use cloth handkerchiefs. We buy old oak furniture instead of modern press board. But disposable items tend to generate a higher quality of life and a stronger economy. They provide more jobs and make conveniences that were only available to the rich within the reach of common people. We could go back, but do we really want to?
Think about it when you vote for someone who wants to save the earth by limiting your life. Maybe I need to quit flossing.
homo unius libri
As for the first part: be careful or you might end up on TV! lol
ReplyDeleteAs for some of the rest. returning to organic agriculture actually WOULDN'T cause production to go down that much if it was done correctly, even corporate farms could profit by it if they could only look beyond the next bank deposit. Currently, they say HALF of the food produced goes to waste, mostly due to greed, but also logistics.
I think we need to be a bit more thoughtful on the waste involved in our throw-away society, but you're right to say that there are also certain advantages.
I completely agree with your next to last statement. I'm not sure I'd agree with the last one, though. ;-)
I have seen posts by the Lazy Farmer and Philip in South Africa showing was to cultivate and plant without turning the soil over. I assume those are some of the things you are talking about. I don't know enough about farming to get on a soap box but I do know enough to know you are right about the place of politics in so called "food shortages."
DeleteAs for the last it might be a good idea for a country song, "Would you love me if I didn't floss?"
Grace and peace