Kiss the Messenger

In my FYE, I was fortunate to have been introduced to the wonderful world of Wendell Berry’s mind. We read most if not his entire book, Another Turn of the Crank, under the trees in the woods. It was really informative, and helped me better understand the mentality of what I would later recognize as Guilford’s values. He puts a major emphasize on staying local, like Guilford does. He sees it as a great way for to make a sustainable economy. I saw the correlation between what he was writing and how the Greenleaf functioned as a co-op. So as I was first introduced into his principles and ideas, I was being introduced to an idea of where Guilford’s principles here and lie.

I really enjoy and appreciate how passionate Berry is about the issue of localization. He is able to give the movement, though he would not enjoy me using that word, a lot of force by arguing in numerous fashions all the benefits for the cause. I do believe that buying locally and organically are great things and I am really glad that Meriwether Godsey does it but at the same time there has to be needs for some kind of the movement because not all produce is capable of growing in every region. Also, in the current supermarkets and stores, the price differential between local organic foods and the generic corporate versions is enough that most people can’t afford or don’t want to spend the money on them. As a student, I know that I do try to buy more local and organic products but there are times where it is like a three-dollar differences. So, in the goal of getting more to buy and support local, there must be a way to get the prices down. It is the same reason people go to McDonald’s, instead of a healthier alternative.

His essay about buying a computer is a very interesting one. It made me feel slightly guilty about reading his works on a computer and writing a response. Buy at least I am writing my response in daylight. Berry is a lucky man that he could not write any better or easier with a computer than with a pencil in hand. I am not gifted in this way and thus I am envious of him. My handwriting is horrible, so typing everything is always my priority. Since this essay was written in 1987 before computers became super mainstream like they are now. I wonder if he wrote an update of this essay what he would say now. Computers are everywhere and almost to avoid. Would he be able to make through life in the same way he was capable of in 1987?