I've told a number of personal contacts that when I decided
not to license myself as a Registered Nurse in 2006 I didn't
expect that working and living on small ag farms would carry
as much risk.
When we consider the operational activities in any health care
facility that delivers services, it is assumed that professional
roles are clearly defined with a stated hierarchy of power. All
those with direct contact with a patient holds a responsibility.
Quality of care depends on the intention, skill and integrity of
all those at the front-line of care.
It is the same with farming, cultivating food and any type of
land management. If soil can be seen as a "living" entity that
provides the means for food production, think of all the risks
in working with this soil in a rural area. Mother Nature has her
moods swings they say, but it really is the human contact on
any property that determines the outcome.
I wonder why I didn't have this experience sooner in life as if
cultivating food were as important at math and language. I also
wonder why in a place like Maui, old time farmers who are weary
to even think that this question needs to be answered in 2010
are not supported and revered.
The level of contempt I've experienced in America given my
choices to live in alignment with the knowledge provided in our
free society is something that I have normalized. Gender and
race issues determined how I chose to navigate what I perceived
to be certain realities of America's power. Contempt is a given,
however, this is 2010. I intend to leave my stamp of experience
on American history as a participant, risks and all.
Being atheist, I frequently have to over-qualify the evolution of
my spiritual questioning as an adult. One story I frequently tell
involves the period during which I spent time as a youth in a
bible study group at Protestant church for a few years.
Even in the 8th grade, my cynicism led me to question the adults
who attended this church. Our bible school leader spoke of some
concepts that had not been part of my upbringing: omniscience
and omnipotence. I remember thinking then that if I could just
grasp these beliefs, I would not have any problems in life. With
these beliefs I would be able to transcend any circumstance.
None of the adults in this setting seemed to exude a deep grasp of
omniscience nor omnipotence. Our other bible school teacher and
his girlfriend ended up getting pregnant while dating. This was a
direct contradiction to the instructions we received to remain chaste
until marriage in our sessions. This imperfect application of our lessons
was humorous to me and my boyfriend at the time. Double standards
were imprinted even then.
I decided that I could not believe that what they preached applied
to my life. It was clear that everyday reality had nothing to do
with any of the sermons and lessons that were taught to us. It
wasn't until my early adulthood that I came to grasp the universal
metaphor. Until then, I remained puzzled over why there was no
application of the concepts taught to us in bible sessions.
It isn't different now as a participating adult in America. Principles
of decency, valor and honor do not seem to apply in most of the
highest institutions. The problem is a human problem, but it is
also a problem of the news feeds using informal mental conditioning
through advertising. I am certain the problem can be solved. This
is the only way to engage the American population into forcing those
in power to conduct themselves to a higher standard.
Obviously, someone doesn't want the problem to be solved, or
they are too stupid to solve the problem themselves.
