Let's start with the word Conservative.
Yes, I'm referring to the political party and their platform. Or, more importantly, what their platform SHOULD be.
Today a Conservative is someone who generally believes in capitalism, industry, and "fend for yourselves" attitudes. Amongst other philosophies, of course.
A Democrat is someone who thinks we should tax more and thus provide more for each other, cutting military and large corporations, etc.
Pros and Cons to both.
However, wouldn't a TRUE conservative be more like a modern Democrat?
Think about it.
How did the human civilization live 150-300yrs ago?
We supported each other with providing food, shelter, child care, education, etc. to everyone in our village/community.
We HAD less money, but we didn't NEED more money.
People lived together in a village to work the fields to provide grain for all the families. Those with cows traded cream and butter to those who didn't for eggs or wool, etc.
It didn't take two "incomes" to raise a family. There was less STUFF and more community.
Even if you look at just the past 100yrs. Just the houses. We've gone from the bungalow, a perfect little house that didn't need hours of upkeep, to 4000
sqft "houses" that you either spend all your free time cleaning and repairing or spend even more $ on it maintaining it.
The Western civilization is in a financial crisis and still all we can do is spend more money on things we don't need and let the things that are irreplaceable fall to the wayside to be all but forgotten.
We truck in food from thousands of miles away, non-renewable fuel from tens of thousands of miles away, borrow $ we will never be able to pay back, spend $ on homes we never enjoy, pay people to raise our children instead of living within our means and staying home with them....
What has our culture created? What have we, people as a whole, turned into??
We listen to fast food commercials saying that their food is "wholesome and nutritious". "Spend more time with your family! Feed them deep fried chicken tonight!"
Why don't we shut off the
tv and COOK with our family tonight instead?
Why don't we go to a farmer's market OR to a u-pick farm and PICK FIRST HAND wholesome and nutritious food?
Why are we "
conveniencing" ourselves to death?
On that note, simpler times....
I watched an episode of M*A*S*H today, it was a Christmas one.
One of the doctors was feeling particularly blue about not being at home with his family for Christmas so the Priest wrote to the doctor's mother and asked her to send something that would cheer up her son.
She sent his old tobogging toque.
He was overcome with joy, with memories, with love.
There are a couple of things that is special about this.
First, his mother kept his old toque.
Second, his memories are of a time of free play. Not organized sports or forced piano lessons, etc. Free play. Without grown-ups. Where kids rule and dream and solve problems and create worlds within our own...
Our society and culture has created this fear that if we let our children out of our sight for even a second then someone will snatch them up and take them away forever. We dont let them walk down the block to a friends house or the park or playground or corner store for icecream, even with a friend. Not until they're 13 anyways... and by then they don't want to do that stuff. They sit around and play video games all day, playing and chatting online with their friends who only live down the street instead of getting up and going out to do something together.
AND, if they do go out then we all start worrying that they're doing drugs or having sex and getting pregnant or std's/sti's!
What have we created??
What is your favorite childhood memory? What was your favorite free-play game?
Mine? Going around mom's garden and the yard collecting "food" to make "soup" with. It was mostly still-dirty carrots, fresh peas and rainwater.
Guess I've been a foodie for quite sometime now :)
- DJK
