Wasting Nature’s Bounty

As a Floridian, I see it all the time. People plant fruit or nut trees in their yard for the pure novelty of it, but then when the oranges or the pecans emerge, the bulk of them are left to fall on the ground and rot. This is such a travesty.

First of all, at least here in Jacksonville, the food bank will accept your fruit. Check to see if that is the case where you live. I’m sure a soup kitchen wouldn’t be opposed to taking it, either. There is no excuse for letting food go to waste when there are so many hungry people in the world.

Currently, one in six Americans faces hunger. That means you look into the eyes of someone who is hungry every day, often without even realizing it. As you can imagine, those statistics are much worse in third world countries.

Given that fact, why are we not planting fruit and nut trees and community gardens in every single public park and school ground? How hard would it be to plant an orange tree rather than an oak tree for a change? Make it a cultural norm for people to help themselves to nature’s bounty, regardless of their income level or employment status. God knows that obesity is also a problem these days, so it wouldn’t hurt any of us to increase our vegetable and fruit intake.

I’m sure that some people would see this as a way to encourage laziness and vagrancy. Tell that to someone working hard at a minimum wage job who still can’t make ends meet. Tell that to a child who hasn’t had anything to eat all day, whose only source of nutrition is school lunches, and therefore starves through the weekends and holidays.

Maybe if you give people the nourishment and strength they need to carry on, they might actually surprise you and pursue aspirations that are similar to your own. I personally would be more than willing to find out.

Author: The View from a Drawbridge

I have been a bridgetender since 2001, and gives me plenty of time to think and observe the world. View all posts by The View from a Drawbridge