In a previous article I talked about the book Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn. I was delighted to discover a sequel to that book called My Ishmael. I’m enjoying it just as much. The thing I love most about these books is that they change your perspective; they give you aha! moments, and it’s fair to say that the first book changed me. Here’s an example of the kind of thinking in My Ishmael. By ‘your culture’, he’s refering to our modern industrialized agrarian culture.
“… I’m going to give you two rules of thumb by which you can identify the people of your culture. Here’s one of them. You’ll know you’re among the people of your culture if the food is all owned, if it’s all under lock and key.”
“Hmm,” I said. “It’s hard to imagine it being any other way.”
“But of course it once was another way. It was once no more owned than the air or the sunshine are owned. I’m sure you must realize that.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“You seem unimpressed, Julie, but putting food under lock and key was one of the great innovations of your culture. No other culture in history has ever put food under lock and key — and putting it there is the cornerstone of your economy.”
“How is that?” I asked. “Why is it the cornerstone?”
“Because, if the food wasn’t under lock and key, Julie, who would work?”