1/31/21 – 10:53 a.m.
There is a once popular children’s show celebrating its 50th anniversary. It is called “Mister Rogers Neighborhood”. My curiosity for this show is purely academic. What is the subject matter they discuss that is so popular? In what fashion has this shaped the outlook of young toddlers from a subconscious perspective (of which I am included).
Glancing at today’s episode, I focused on the owl and the cat in the make believe neighborhood putting together a fruit salad. I also noted the homeliness and nurturing being displayed by the women doing the physical labor of preparation while the animals (who play the role of children) read the instructions.
This caused me to think about the place of food in today’s society. Always displayed as pure wholesomeness by the educated. Why then has the establishment invalidated this belief by inventing concoctions disguised as food for profitability and to promote the relief of pain?
I queried “how did humans come addicted to food”, and for once what appealed most was the webpage “quora”. I generally avoid these open forums for research information as I am seeking fact not opinion in most cases. However all the website hits were off my intended topic.
I was surprised to find the most popular answer disagreed with my sentiment. The lead argument being that food is an intuitive need and thus not addiction. While this may be true, I have my doubts on the basis of their example on evidence. This person claimed that with drugs “as time goes on”, we need more dosages. However, they go on to state that with food “we can easily pack it up once we are not hungry anymore, usually we have no problem to pack the food for later or not keep wanting to eat.” They proceed to bolster their argument with a video about intuitive eating, which only addresses micro addiction, not macro addiction. I do not agree with logic as it pertains to drugs. How could the same intuitive process not apply to drugs? Has this person any experience with drugs?(legal or not) I think this person is misinformed on the medicinal nature of drugs, and only referencing the recreational. We consume food in the same manner. We don’t just put it away. As if a drug user is not capable of discipline? Those who abuse the intake of food are considered “food addicts”, therefore food is an addiction. While it is certainly commonplace for an individual to have control of their addiction, it is still the same formula for addiction. Is there such a thing as intuitive drug use? I would say yes. What is food really but a collection of chemical compounds, as is a “drug”. Therefore this less refined chemical compound is in essence a common ancestor to modern food. Both are choices. This person is only arguing their perspective.
In closing, I think we have a huge taboo against what we consider a drug and what we consider food. The foundational element of any consumption is its nutritional value. In this scenario, only that is vital to the host, and the remainder is nothing but waste, which can be classified as an addiction when appropriated to necessity, which is the basis for the intuitive drive.
This is truly fascinating and I wish to discover more. Is this evolutionary biology? Modern anthropology?, or as I tend to classify my research “Speculative Philosophy.”
There is a disease that still yet inflicts humanity. This disease is tradition. I long for a world where this takes a back seat to the greater interaction, that being ritual. The ritual has no boundaries, while the tradition is sacred and insufferable. The only power that should be distributed to the sacred is the abilities to change and grow. The human lifespan follows this course as guidance so it is the truth. How can we not admit that we are conditioned to believe the level of necessity in which to intake food. This is a core structural lie and one that must be addressed. Humanity must suffer for enlightenment, but rarely should it agonize over this pursuit.
The Meanthead 