fighting nature

lately, my interest is piqued by the GMO debate and the recent farmer lawsuit against monsanto.

on one side, i can see the innovative creativity that is at the heart of GMO development.  i even remember doing a science report back in high school about genetic engineering, and at the time, i thought the whole concept of it was amazing.  the idea that we could use our minds to improve, to contribute to, to evolve nature intrigued me.

and now, i look at where this field has gone in the decades since that report, and i realize how the development of GMOs parallels something i've been listening to adyashanti talk a lot about: the development of ego.  just like we can all be so compelled to try to control the circumstances of our lives, the people around us, the way we appear to others, GMOs are just working to exercise that same control.  we can all feel so drawn to make our mark on the world, to have it be a different place because we are here, and a GMO is doing just that; it's making its mark, making things better - more efficient, more resilient, or creating a higher yield than nature could do on her own.

and in that i see just why i'm so deeply intrigued by the GMO issues.  i feel like the whole thing plays out a metaphor for the way human beings generally live, and i see the immense destruction of biodiversity indicated by pictures like this:

as the same wake-up call human beings are getting in so many ways.   although it's not only GMOs contributing the decline of biodiversity, to me, all these causes feel quite related in the way they aim to improve upon nature as it is. 

there is a delicate balance, harmony, and mysterious beauty in the way all of Life fits together, and on very personal levels or very collective levels, the same truths can be seen.  when we mess with the balance, we suffer.  when we try to control it, we actually make it worse.  when we fail to honor the mysteries, we realize how great they are.

the GMO revolution exposes this profound idea in yet another form.  it makes so relevant the fact that our desire to improve nature leads to decline because in this situation, it is leading to the decline of our food sources.  just maybe, with such a flashing red light, we might realize on greater and greater levels that there is no way to perfect that which is already perfect.

the world is sacred.
it can't be improved.
if you tamper with it, you'll ruin it.
if you treat it like an object, you'll lose it.
-verse 29 of the tao te ching