I agree with some of what you say, dixonmassey. Transporting perishable food across the country does only makes sense if you ignore most of the true costs. But the problem of people wasting their lives doing menial work applies just as much to farmers. People have been farming for thousands of years. I think as a species we should be focusing on other things by now. I for one worked on a farm for a total of three days last summer, and while it was nice to be outside, it was some of the hardest work I've ever done. I would be delighted to have a machine to do that instead. We could be designing farming machinery that causes almost no enviromental impact -- in fact, people probably already have, it just never gets to be used. Personally I think it's vastly preferable that the person who was flipping burgers goes to college and finds out what they really love instead of having no practical choice but farming, like in the "good old days". The problem with machines and free markets isn't that they exist, it's that they're used unethicially.
I don't know about you, but I rather enjoy taking a crap in a toilet and being able to just flush it away. Don't you?
Have I called to give away the joy of taking a crap in a toilet and not thinkig about where the crap flows?
You may not believe, but lots of folks enjoy menial work; especially, if one can see its results. "Wasting life" requires more detailed definition. Personally, I don't know any low wage "wage slave" enjoying what he does. I know many farm folks (as poor in cash terms as burger flippers) who quite enjoying themselves. Also, one can "waste" a life doing nominally non menial job. But, it's rural vs. urban thing. There are some things about working on land (and enjoying it) that urban folks simply cannot understand and rurals cannot explain. And what are those things? Science? Been there, it'll solve nothing. Only miniscule % of humans can really do science; The rest will (and do) give science bad name by compensating their lack of abilities with fraud, hype, waste. What alternatives modern society offers? Lemme see, consumerism + gigantic marketing/financial services octopus supporting insanity + social control institutions (media, PR industry, politicians, education, partially science, religion, police and army, of course). Majority of people are working in those areas. Relative minority of people are doing something productive. Significant % of people is doing nothing. (manual) Farming is hard work. It's increadibly murderous if farmer is growing cash crops for sale and nothing else (not even food for himself). However, if a small farmer is mainly concentrated on subsistenence, it's totally different matter than working on commodity market (with all its leeches and volatility). One doesn't need to work himself into a grave that way. Farming is open to human creativity as anything else. If one farms, it doesn't mean he switches his brain off and just shovelling shit. That's observing of things, thinking about them, coming with better ways is making farming much more enjoyable. You presume that one can love only something that requires a college degree to get it. Preoccupation with formal education as the only of way of "finding" and "bettering" oneself isn't healthy. It's not the only, it's not even the best (universal best simply doesn't exist). Not every burger flipper is cut for a college. Also, lots of college graduates flip burgers too. It's not about forcing all folks to farm (oil shortages may do just that). It's about creating conditions (I know, fat chance of that), when small scale farming will become viable again. Those folks who prefer it to living in ghettos, being homeless or dozing over another meaningless scientific publication, sucking boss' ass... may just farm and/or work off farm.
