Quality Content Writers Group
The Next Big Thing - The Horse And Wagon?
by Not Here just want my account deleted
Not Here 
just want my account deleted
It has been such a long time since I submitted anything here I must say I'm a little uncertain what to submit!
Time, there is never enough of it. Whatever happened to the days when we actually had time to enjoy our weekends and days off? The social gatherings that used to take place almost weekly now are barely squeezed in during the few statstical holidays so graciously given to us by our governments. In an era where everything seems to be centered around the concept of convenince life is only more complicated than ever!
Take the farmers of today for instance. What was not too long ago enough land for 80 families is now farmed by a couple of brothers and their seasonal crew of somewhere around five or ten and their fleets of specialized equipment(and specialized service parts that cost a fortune and take an eternity to find!). Simpler you say, well I can guarantee you the one or two farmers who manage all of this are way more stressed than they were back in the days when they farmed a mere section of land compared to the 20 they do now. Chances are they didn't forget to farm any of their land in those days either!
What about convinence stores? Is it convinent for people to have to work weekends and all hours of the night(and for a wage likely not fit for a high school student!)? Or for the customers to pump their own gas, check their own fluids and wash their windshields ONLY to end up waiting in line for twenty minutes just to pay for their crummy fuel and fried chicken that sat under a warmer for God knows how long?
Do we really need all this modern convience or would we be better off living in a simpler world surviving off the bare nessecities and working with the basics?
Dec 27th 2007 01:23
just want my account deletedIt has been such a long time since I submitted anything here I must say I'm a little uncertain what to submit!
Time, there is never enough of it. Whatever happened to the days when we actually had time to enjoy our weekends and days off? The social gatherings that used to take place almost weekly now are barely squeezed in during the few statstical holidays so graciously given to us by our governments. In an era where everything seems to be centered around the concept of convenince life is only more complicated than ever!
Take the farmers of today for instance. What was not too long ago enough land for 80 families is now farmed by a couple of brothers and their seasonal crew of somewhere around five or ten and their fleets of specialized equipment(and specialized service parts that cost a fortune and take an eternity to find!). Simpler you say, well I can guarantee you the one or two farmers who manage all of this are way more stressed than they were back in the days when they farmed a mere section of land compared to the 20 they do now. Chances are they didn't forget to farm any of their land in those days either!
What about convinence stores? Is it convinent for people to have to work weekends and all hours of the night(and for a wage likely not fit for a high school student!)? Or for the customers to pump their own gas, check their own fluids and wash their windshields ONLY to end up waiting in line for twenty minutes just to pay for their crummy fuel and fried chicken that sat under a warmer for God knows how long?
Do we really need all this modern convience or would we be better off living in a simpler world surviving off the bare nessecities and working with the basics?
Dec 27th 2007 01:23
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Comments
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Cheryl Baumgartner
   Medical Billing/Coding/InsuranceI don't think most of us could survive "simpler" times. They wouldn't know how to provide for themselves and their families Remember those chickens when got stuck with on the field exercise? Yes it was funny but sad also that only a handful of us knew how to kill and butcher a chicken. Dec 27th 2007 06:30 |
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Joseph Botelho
 Investing One Gram at a TimeHi Garnet, To me it seems all the good farm land has been bought up by developers well at least around where l live. It use to be so simple to get to work now all you have is a mess, traffic, traffic, new streets, new street lites it all seems so much different and the sad part of it all it has no END insight............Yes going back to simple times is not a bad thing at all........l am all for it........ Dec 27th 2007 09:16 |
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Arthur Webster
 Just plain honestyHi, Garnet, Beware social engineers bearing theories. The very least they did to the USA was to create a level of soil errosion that reduced a huge area to nothing but a dust bowl by removing hedges and other wind breaks in order to use big machines. Unfortunately, the population is growing at a rate that requires more and more intensive production of food-stuffs because, basically, there simply is not enough fertile soil to feed the world in the way we, in the west, have grown accustomed. Nothing about modern life is convenient to everybody but it is safe to say that more people benefit from our life style than suffer because of it. 24/7 shops? You must know many shop assistants who would never get a job in one that was only open 12 hours a day. Dec 27th 2007 11:37 |
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Not Here
just want my account deletedHi all, trust me there is a lot not being said here and I am sure we could discuss this topic for a long time. Cheryl your right, most people wouldn't know how to survive(there's not much land to live off in the city either..lol). Joseph I am with you but don't believe it is practical, somehow there has to be a happy medium between yesterday and today. OC, Where do I start? Perhaps if the farmers switched to a small scale type farming it would provide a living for some of them late night clerks. There is No reason the land being farmed by ONE farmer couldn't be enough for as many as Forty families to live off simply by changing the focus to sounder practices such as organic and value-added operations, maybe Eric has some ideas here...lol Another thing, if there is a food shortage, how come they are gearing up here in the region reffered to as "the Bread Basket" for producing ethenal from oil-based seeds? Guess it has something to do with the surplus supply and resulting Low grain prices...oddly enough as they try to survive and combat this change the prices have been on the rise as of late, guess maybe the surplus is dwindling. Dec 27th 2007 15:06 |
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Arthur Webster
Just plain honestyAs you say, garnet, There are many things that could be discussed. One of the things that cannot be changed is the amount of top-soil that simply blew away in central USA once the hedgerows were destroyed. There may still be farmers alive today who stood in their fields and wept as they saw the rich soil that had sustained their ancestors being blown, not only into the next state - but into the sea. The 'dust storms' were so remarkable, they made international headlines - what a great pity the early warnings were totyally ignored. That top soil cannot be replaced. Organic farming is not a viable alternative to the intensive agriculture that has had to be developed - it simply cannot provide the quantity or quality necessary to feed the population. Small scale, intensive farming could, possibly, provide the answer but where are you going to find the farmers? They left the land years ago in search of a sustainable income. Bio-diesel is making huge inroads into the availability of cereals, even here in Europe. There has not really been enough study yet to discover where the fulcrum should be placed on the beam for a happy balance to be struck. The result is that cereals for both people and live stock are becoming much more expensive. The farming industry is the best illustration ever of the road to hell being paved with good intentions. Dec 27th 2007 15:28 |
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Not Here
just want my account deletedHi OC, Well I have to disagree with you and your stance on organic farming...know where your coming from but if it was done on a "small scale intensive" basis you would find a dramitic increase in the quality and production. Where we agree is where you find the people to do it, most of todays youth would not be caught dead on a farm! If you take the area I live for instance, most of these Huge Farmers are pushing 60 years of age or older and be damned if junior didn't leave for oil rigs and/or the big city life immediately upon graduating high school if not before then. The scenerio most likely to occur in my mind is the few younger farmers out there will enivitably end up farming an even more ridiculous amount of land! Not exactly a solution, is it? Dec 27th 2007 16:12 |
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Not Here
just want my account deletedForgot to add...I sure weeping is exactly what they did too! These old boys loved their way of life! Dec 27th 2007 16:14 |
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Eric Smith
Online ProfessionalIts not about time or space or any of the excuses most people use... its about the inability for most to "Think Outside The Box"... We all have ample space to grow sufficient produce to keep us (as a family unit) going all year round whether thats on a balcony, unit or small backyard and for things that can't be grown (like fruit trees and livestock) its just a matter of farming like we do now. Anything that does not destroy the soil structure is not damaging to it. Cattle for instance only damage (compact) the soil when there is an over crowding in paddocks. Fruit trees are permanent (They have a lifespan of 20 Years or more in most cases). Arthur, A problem in Australia is the rising salt level which produces vast areas of sandy wasted land caused by removing native trees that kept the salt levels at natural levels. I do Disagree with your theory that Organic Farming is not a viable alternative. Most people look at Organic Farming as producing the same quantity in the same large scale as we do today. Its more about getting off our lazy butts and producing our own healthy alternatives for our own personal (and bartered) consumption. Its not HARD and only "Impossible" for the Lazy minded... Dec 27th 2007 16:19 |
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Eric Smith
Online ProfessionalLOL... looks like we over posted each other garnet but had pretty much the same thing to say... Dec 27th 2007 16:20 |
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Arthur Webster
Just plain honestyHi Garnet and Eric, I'm not an expert on organic farming but what I have noticed, repeatedly, is that todays' housewife has grown used to the 'standard' sizing of fruit and vegetables that she currently buys from her markets. I don't know if organically grown fruit and vegetables can achieve that standardisation in USA or elsewhere but I do know that organic produce in Europe tends to be uglier and more varied - therefor, less attractive to the modern housewife. There are many organic markets in Spain and, if the prices were competitive, I'm sure they would be more attractive - unfortunately that is not the case. I like the idea of 'home grown' - this is still popular here but, again, the demands on the time of two working adults leaves little room for horticulture for the majority of young couples. Dec 27th 2007 16:41 |
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Eric Smith
Online ProfessionalYes i must admit... its ironic that both adults work so one can pay the mortgage and the other can keep the Lettuce, Tomatoes, Onions, Potatoes & Eggs on the table... ... anyone heard of self sufficiency ? Dec 27th 2007 16:49 |
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Not Here
just want my account deletedHi Eric and Arthur, First...Todays Housewife??? Sorry those two words put together didn't quite add up to me..lol I don't claim to be any kind of expert either, but I am sure there is still much unknown in the ways of sound organic farming methods and based on personal experience I have seen better than decent organic cereal crops. The biggest factor I know of outside of weather conditions is the soil conditions which can be somewhat controlled with the use of organic fertilizer(by the way, the best garden crop I ever seen produced was in the soil that used to be my grandfathers barnyard...incredible potatoes and vegatables! and organic!) I also happen to like the idea of organic beef for instance over beef injected with all kinds of hormones and whatever else they use these days. Self sufficiency is definetly where it is at in my opinion, a relatively small piece of land can provide more than enough for the average family. As for the people who have no clue as to any of this or how to survive off the land...what would they ever do if the _hit hit the fan? People have become far to accustomed to convinience in this day and age and seem to not even give thought to what has made it all possible or the fact it could all be washed away in a blink of an eye. That being said, the one thing I can tell you for sure that I like about convinience is the fact that I am able to have this conversation with other people who seem to have a little passion in their hearts for real issue's like this....not real easy to find out here in my region where most people assume they know everything! Dec 27th 2007 18:59 |
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Jean DAndrea
RetiredIt seems that we have the same problems here as in the USA. The good farming land around our cities is being bought up by developers and build on. Guess they think that because this is a huge country that the supply of land is endless, but it isn't really - much of Australia is barren and desert, or too salty due to destruction of trees and forests. And those who think many couldn't survive without all the mod cons are right - most of us wouldn't last very long. Would like to think I would at least know how to build a fire, and grow some veggies, not to mention keep hens. Maybe I'd survive...... Dec 27th 2007 23:22 |
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Arthur Webster
Just plain honestyHi, Eric, Yes. I have heard of self sufficiency. I have also heard of countries where there is enough land for each person to have their own little plot. Unfortunately, most land is privately owned and not for sale or rent in small parcels. Many Europeasn countries, having been forced in time of war and by tradition, used to have a system whereby the populace could rent a small plot (an allotment in UK, gartenanlagers in Germany)) on which to grow their veg and keep small livestock. These allotments are long gone and many people have to travel quite a way simply to see some soil. I suppose New Yorkers could split up Central Park so that a few lucky citizens could have a little plot to call their own - I don't think the mayor would go for it. The problem isn't being self sufficient - the problem is having enough good land sufficiently close for the people to be able to practice it. Don't forget that not everybody has access to, even, half an acre of land (incredible, isn't it?) Dec 28th 2007 11:19 |
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Eric Smith
Online ProfessionalSome one should tell a fiend of mine in Melbourne that Arthur, She has a balcony Vegie garden which keeps her and her husband in fresh vegetables all year round. Eric. Dec 28th 2007 14:40 |
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Thea Westra
Adding Wings To Our Unique Life Journey!A few of my favorite quotes about 'time': You will never find time for anything. If you want time you must make it…Charles Buxton A schedule defends from chaos and whim. It is a net for catching days. It is a scaffolding on which a worker can stand and labor with both hands at sections of time….Anne Dillard Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein….H. Jackson Brown, Jr. If you'd like my free eBook "Time Abundance: Enjoy Time Do The Things That You Want - 35 Ideas To Help You Use Your Time Better", you can get that here: ~ http://www.forwardsteps.com.au/TimeAbundance.htm ~ Dec 28th 2007 19:59 |
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Arthur Webster
Just plain honestyYes, Eric, Some people are lucky enough to have a large balcony and the time necessary for such care intensive production - for the majority of people, though, there is either a lack of land or community rules governing what may or may not be grown. In Spain there are certainly restrictions on what can be put on some balconies, as there are in France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria - many balconies in the blocks young folk can afford are more like wide window sills. About 20,000,000 people live in New York and about 15,000,000 have no access to any areas outside the accommodation in which they live (unless you count window ledges) Over 8,000,000 live in London but even those few who could get access to a little plot are discouraged from doing so by such as the Health and Safety Executive (whose prohibitive regulations mean they would not be able to afford the safety measures), the tax office (who consider home grown produce as the result of unpaid work and taxable as a benefit in kind) and, of course, the local councils who just love to ban things. It is not unusual for neighbours to complain about those who try to become producers of their own food - and the complaints are usually upheld. Obviously things are better in rural areas but this is where the necessity to be self sufficient is not really there with an ample and cheap (if not free) source on ther door step - unfortunately, most of us live in highly developed urban areas. Dec 29th 2007 11:07 |
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Arthur Webster
Just plain honestyHi. Thea, A tad off topic but time is what you can never plan to use because you don't know that you are going to get it. If you have time enough to spend planning how to save time, you are, in fact, wasting time. Carpé deum! Dec 29th 2007 11:12 |
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Not Here
just want my account deletedOC, Rules can change, can they not? Unfortunately yes the majority do live in highly developed urban areas and in lot of cases with poorly planned infrastructure, do you think we'll pay the price for this someday? I'll bet the people living there are already in some ways and this is no reason for those who can do something not to take action. What about indoor gardens? Would love one here for the winter months(and maybe even a fruit tree, we're quite limited by what we can grow here by the seasons). Imagine living in the far north! Dec 30th 2007 11:13 |
If i had the time i could go into the importance of having small scale farming techniques to avoid soil degradation and all types of Environmental issues.
Dec 27th 2007 01:59