Saturday 22 August 2009

Beating our ploughshares into golf clubs

Opposite the primary school I attended lay a huge estate owned by the government. It was enclosed by a stone wall and out of bounds to everyone, but those who worked there or did business there.

It was used for commercial farming and agricultural experiments. No doubt the aim was to develop approaches to farming that increased yields and efficiency. In other words, it was all about food production.

Now it is mainly devoted to leisure and tourism, and the farming element is greatly reduced. Some of the land has even been turned into a golf course. We had a walk around the lake and our children played in the park.

I wonder what that says about us as a society? Does it say anything? Can I really conclude that we are now more concerned with leisure than we are with food production? I wonder how someone from the developing world would interpret this. Perhaps I just need to be a bit less serious and enjoy an angst free holiday.

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