“In Balance With Nature”

(Editor's Note:  This was sent to me by Terry Witt, one of my regular readers in January of 2009.  Terry worked for Oregonians for Food & Shelter (OFS) at the time. (RK)

“In Balance With Nature” is a thought-provoking verse written by the late Dr. John Carew, former head of the Horticulture Department at Michigan State University. His original version was first published in 1970. It paints a scary picture of where our society may be headed. (*updated with 2008 statistics)

IN BALANCE WITH NATURE

In the beginning, there was Earth, beautiful and wild.
And then man came to dwell.
At first, he lived in caves like other animals,
Feeding himself on creatures and plants around him.
And this was called IN BALANCE WITH NATURE.
Soon man multiplied.
He grew tired of ceaseless hunting for food.
He built homes and villages. Wild plants and animals were domesticated.
Some men became Farmers so that others might become Industrialists, Artists, or Doctors.
And this was called Society.

Man and Society progressed.
With his God-given ingenuity, man learned to feed, clothe, protect, and
Transport himself more efficiently so he might enjoy Life.
He built cars, houses on top of each other, and nylon.
And life became more enjoyable.

The men called Farmers became efficient.
A single Farmer grew food for 143* Industrialists, Artists and Doctors,
And Writers, Engineers, and Teachers as well.
To protect his crops and animals,
The Farmer produced substances to repel or destroy Insects, Diseases, and Weeds.
These were called Pesticides.

Similar human substances were made by Doctors to protect humans.
These were called Medicine.
The Age of Science had arrived and with it came better diet
and longer, happier lives for most members of Society.

Soon it came to pass, that certain well-fed members of Society
Disapproved of the Farmer using Science.
They spoke harshly of his techniques for feeding, protecting,
and preserving plants and animals.
They deplored his upsetting the “Balance of Nature.”
They longed for the simplistic life referred to by some as the “Good Old Days.”
And this had emotional appeal to the rest of Society.

By this time Farmers had become so efficient,
Society gave them a new title: Unimportant Minority.
Because the well-fed Society could never imagine a shortage of food,
Laws were passed abolishing Pesticides, Fertilizers, and Food Preservatives.
Insects, Diseases, and Weeds flourished.
Crops and animals died.
Food became scarce.

To survive, Industrialists, Artists, and Doctors were forced to grow their own food.
But they were terribly inefficient providers.
Parks, golf courses and wilderness had to be converted to growing food.
Soon people and governments fought wars to gain more agricultural land.
Millions of people were exterminated.
Those who survived, faced plagues and famine.

In the end, only a few remained.
They lived in caves like animals,
Feeding themselves on creatures and plants around them.
And this was called, IN BALANCE WITH NATURE.