http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/05/world/africa/05bushmen.html?nl=&emc=a2
I have read science fiction books where people have become so dependent on computers they can't do basic math in their heads. We experience that now when the few of us who still use cash try and get change from someone when the cash register is down.
I used to be a nature guide on Ring Mountain, a Nature Conservancy preserve, where the Coastal Miwok lived. We would go through the land with a shopping list, find soaproot for soap, acorns for food, show how quail can be caught in special baskets, point out the abundance of food in the bay and show photos of how tule can be used to build boats.
The children were astonished. I was astonished at how it used to be.
I think it is essential to encourage a variety of ways to live, to honor our need for the land, especially for those people who are raised to understand.
We are learning that we need diversity in our seed stock. We can't be dependent on a few strains. Aren't we, too, seeds?
