Beware of Societal Artificial Preservatives
The idea behind using an additive is to enhance or improve a
process or substance. However, the additive itself could be destructive. When
we think of additives, our first thought is artificial preservatives used in
food. I have noticed a surprising similarity between food and ethics, which led
me to the idea that our culture is heading toward an unknown territory of
societal dysfunction.
In the early part of the 20th century U.S. industry
was conjuring up ways to mass produce methods to preserve food.
In prior centuries, popular ways of preservation were sun dried,
or canned in jars, or salted the heck out of.
Thanks to refrigeration, food decay was delayed.
However, by the middle of the 20th century, the
food industry got the bright idea to preserve foods with additional chemicals,
which would add to shelf life in the store and at your home.
Supporters considered this development a success; it allowed
perishables sitting in the store or at your home to be left alone for extended
periods of time without having them waste away. Consumers and retailers alike would
lose less food, thus profiting in the end.
Everyone should have been happy, but this was not to be the
case. Many of the chemical additives, such as nitrates, sulfides, and so on,
were actually harming us. Allergies, respiratory illnesses, or other negative
reactions began to appear throughout the following decades. Currently, there
are so many chemicals in American’s food no one really knows to what affect
these additives have on our body.
In recent decades, people have steered away from rolling the
dice of food preservatives and have moved toward a simpler life style. Organic
and natural foods are the mantra of today. Many people swear by the change, and
the food industry has taken notice. Presently, it is not uncommon to see what
used to be a tiny section in the stores now remodeled with large swaths of
floor space for natural products. And cooking shows are very popular. People
are replacing their rush toward the fast food restaurants with the old
fashioned way of cooking at home.
In prior centuries, birth control was a form of discipline,
religious virtues were passed down through family systems, and poverty was
averted by providence and hard work. By the middle of the 20th
century, ethical industrialists were figuring ways to mass produce the freedom from
societal prisons; a few examples being unwanted pregnancies, stagnant religious
views, and negative health conditions.
Thanks to educators, the medical community, and policy
makers, ethical additives enhanced the lives of people throughout the U.S.
Supporters considered this development a success; it freed American women from
the prison of reproductive consequences with birth control, opened up a
citizen’s religious tunnel vision with counseling, and tackled the downtrodden
citizen with social welfare.
These additives should have brought happiness to the
American household, but again this was not the case. Many of the societal additives
began to show side effects in society.
Birth control, the first example, spawned some problems in
the following decades. On one end of the scale were minor inconveniences such
as mood changes and breast tenderness, at the other end was serious medical
conditions, including the risk of cancer. Birth control also allowed mothers to
stave off unwanted children. Thus, children were no longer a reason to develop
a committed relationship and get married. By 2010, 48% of unwed women between
15 and 44 were cohabiting with a partner.
Religion, the second example, is not as it was. Persons
(known as the Nones - those who are atheist or agnostic) are the fastest
growing non-religious group in America. As societal pressure to conform to
religion lessens, so too is the need to regulate births. Thus, the stigma
for having a baby out of wedlock is no longer relevant. In 2013, nearly 50% of
births are by unwed women.
The last example highlights the poor, who are still poor.
Here too, even with the artificial preservatives (providing funds to enhance
the lives of the poor) in half a century hardly has made a dent in the lives of
the poor. Between 2008 and 2010, the number of able-bodied adults on food
stamps increased from 2 million to 4 million. Providing funds to lift the poor
out of poverty in the last several years have not only shown little improvement
for the poor, but they have become poorer (see footnote).
These are three examples of how societal artificial
preservatives can have serious side effects. And no one really knows to what
extent these and other policies will affect our society in the future. But I contend that these additives are hurting
us…that ultimately our lives will become empty and without purpose.
Ultimately, people will have to decide whether or not to
roll the dice of moral additives, or to return to the “old fashion” ideas of
morality. It is my contention that we must realize that loose sex is like a
loose cannon; being free from pledges has no honor like a long term commitment;
and that the short term gain of throwing money to the needy doesn’t come close
to the endless satisfaction of helping a person get a new job and career. In
essence, old fashion isn’t a definition
for old useless ideas; it’s a proven notion for good sense.
Fact links:
Food stamps http://blog.heritage.org/2013/08/15/you-wont-believe-this-surfer-living-the-food-stamps-dream/
Living together http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/04/04/more-people-than-ever-living-together-before-marriage
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