Is Our Food a Gift from God?When we say in the blessing, "Thank you God for the gift of this food." we are implying that our work contributed very little compared to God's gift. If we really accepted that food, and all wealth, is really a gift from God, or from nature, we would be taking a different attitude toward unearned income.Automation will stimulate new thinking about the role of human labor in putting food on the table. The reduction of the need for human labor combined with our growing awareness that God, or nature, is the real provider will make the idea of 'earning your living' seem quaint. Capitalism has the key to stopping unsustainable consumption growth hidden in it most hidden feature, unearned income. If we really accepted that our food is a gift from God, harvested by machines, we would feel different about taking a vacation. Then without the need for lots of paid jobs, we can start to protect the natural systems that we all depend on by slowing down to smell the flowers. When people only need to work a few days a month, oil consumption and CO2 production from their commute will fall to ZERO when they stay home. That is real innovation and more efficient than any alternative form of transportation. |