I find it an interesting irony that the issue of GMOs came up for me tonight after the blog on crop circles.  I definitely feel a connection in that some claim that the crop circles are messages about our stewardship.  The GMO issue for myself is concerning as plants are the foundation to our life support systems.  How do we know more than nature about the impact of genetic manipulation of plants?  One of my real concerns are the companies, such as Monsanto, creating seeds called terminator seeds (sterile) that cannot be regenerated, they are one season.  This is clearly a profit motive not an intention for the betterment of humanity.  Poor farmers cannot afford to buy seeds each season, they were free when nature was the bounty but when it is modified then ownership enters the equation and patents become the legal lever that rule out societal wellbeing.

I spoke to a scientist in Hawaii this year promoting the Papaya GMO industry.  My inner feeling prompted me to ask ‘what are the ethical issues of owning, through genetic manipulation, the genetic structures of nature?  I passionately could see and feel genetics evolving over 4 billion years and then we have a few human scientists assuring us what they do is safe and they have the right to own nature.  How can they know that it is safe and what right do they have to own nature?

I have to repeat here from another blog the story where I was invited by the Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) here in Australia to commercialise scientific technology as a market analyst. I knew instantly the core issue for me was the profit motive of multinationals.  I am a trained economist, I understand it is all about profit.  How can a business person weigh up their decisions for profit, economies of scale, cornering world markets with ethical considerations of ‘who has the right to manipulate nature?’, assurances they will work for the best interests of society?, how can they know and control extraneous natural variables? and when the intent is profit what happens to the harmony of the entire ecosystem?  Do we care? Do we think it is relevant for the survival of humanity? We can see the same issues arising in the climate CO2 debate. The same commercial pressures resistant to change and not in harmony with natural systems. I get the feeling of natural selection selecting humans who are in harmony. Just had that feeling now. If we are not in harmony earth changes occur, my inner feeling is the GMO issue is another tipping point, another test for humanity to decide who we are and if we are within nature or separate? Are we alien to the earth? That is a good question. The same goes for how we are in relationship to other humans, are we separate or one species working together? Other ethical questions seldom asked as we compartmentalise our thinking, we ourselves are not integrated with our true nature. I can so feel the parallel here, our inner world creating the outer world as what we see and indeed create. Another interesting perspective that I saw in poetry was the evolutionist versus creationist debate, where scientists and religionists were in adversarial positions given the creation of life. The scientists subscribed to Darwinian theory and the religionists saw god as the creator. In my poetry I saw scientists playing god. I also considered – does god play dice? The answer is no, but scientists do as they are taking a risk a chance, they are not 100% sure of the impact of their genetic manipulations. Are they playing god?  Something to consider.

Intent is what creates future pathways.  My deepest feeling pointed me to the key dichotomy – the harmony of nature engineered by natural selection versus the disharmony of genetic engineering for profit. I saw clearly the GMO issues focusing on profit related variables such as insect repelling plants, increasing crop yields, built in resiliency with climate and plant colour, texture, size etc. That is, designing plant life for sale rather than understanding its purpose in the whole ecosystem, as everything is connected. How could a scientist know the billions of combinations, feedback loops, knock on effects of the entire natural system which works as one organism not as separate parts, it is not just parts fitting together like a car.  Our thinking is not in harmony with natures flow. You can’t just re-engineer when something doesn’t work, nature is integrated.  It is not mechanical it is organic.  Back to the CSIRO – the very week I was to make the decision my partner was given a metal sculpture that had a thin metal base (triangular stand) with all these metal prongs of different sizes sticking up.  The fascinating part of the sculpture was at the end of these prongs was a twist in the metal, this represented the DNA in the plant.  As you whack the sculpture it waves like plants.  I was not lost on this message to me.  I was clear not to lend my energy to anything that may adversely affect the planet.  I felt keenly my sense of stewardship.  I feel the crop circle turn.

Here is an article from Aljazeera on President Obama signing in what is termed the Monsanto Protection Act.  My heart wonders about healthy food for children and a balanced ecosystem.  You decide what this means for you.  Trust your own truth.

http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestoryamericas/2013/04/2013428059717911.html

GO TO LINK FOR VIDEO FOOTAGE http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestoryamericas/2013/04/2013428059717911.html