What Love Is This?

Disclosure: Millennium River is an independent website that uses hyperlinks. Some of these links are affiliate links. When you click and purchase a product(s) through these links, I may earn a commission on qualifying sales. This is done at no extra expense to you. You may also support this website via PayPal. Unless it is clearly stated, the content is not sponsored. This post also has nothing to do with Kari Jobe’s song of the same title. It is purely a coincidence that by the time I thought of it, I later discovered that there was song of the same title, too.

A man is on a walk in the city. It is a beautiful, clean place. The sky is blue and mostly clear. The few clouds are white and lovely. The sun is shining brightly like the radiant star it is. Cars in various colours drive by. The doors of restaurants, banks, retail and other outlets open and close as people leave or enter. Upon going crossing the street, he sees a path to his right, and decides to follow it. Shortly, one of his hands brushes across a sharp part of the fence. Ouch! Pain strikes him, and blood discharges from his veins. He hastily looks all over his garment to find something to deal with the wound. He cannot find anything. He does not know what to do. But then suddenly, a girl wraps her fingers around his wrist. It shocks him slightly, but then when he sees her offer him a bandage and sanitary wipes, he is significantly relieved. Oh, what love is this?

A woman wearing a luxury hat. She is walking along a great wooden bridge, situated above a rapidly flowing river. The sights, the sounds, and the fresh air of the place is revitalizing. About halfway through, she then decides to rest her arms upon the railings to admire the flow of the natural beauty. Unfortunately, a powerful wind comes by and blows her expensive hat off! She tries to chase it, only to have it blow off to the opposite side of the bridge, and straight down into the fast-moving river! She does not know what to do. Worry fills her heart. Will she cry? Will she scream? Should she pull her hairs out? Perhaps she will try not to fret over it too much? Just as she decides to move away from the railing, a cheeky bird zips by and messes up her hair! At that point, she finally unleashes her inner frustration! She screams as if great thunder has fallen on her! A trio of snarky men walking by see this. Having no respect, they laugh, point and jest at her. But then, there is one. There is one man coming from right behind them that tells them stop and think about what they are doing. Ashamed of themselves, they then depart. The man of kindness then inquires about what happened, and restores her mood. Oh, what love is this?

A man is busy typing on his computer. He is trying to complete a business page for work. He successfully completes it, and then saves it to a USB. Having spent his time and focus on work, he nearly forgot that today was the birthday of his fiancée, who is presently overseas visiting a sick relative of hers. Upon leaving the office, he attempts to call her and wish her a happy birthday, only to have the phone shut off. He attempts to power it back on, but no avail. He considers waiting till he gets home, but then decides to do something old-fashioned: write a love letter. He enters a café, writes it, and then drops it off at the post office. Oh, what love is this?

A lone woman is walking through a forest. Despite the scenery of trees, fern, fungi and the occasional wildlife, she does not take them in. They appear grey and dead to her. She walks, and walks. She does not know exactly where she is going. Things could get dangerous. Will she turn back? What is she pursuing? Upon reaching a creek, she stops. She then kneels down and takes a long, serious look at her reflection in the water. She then proceeds to taking a flower next to her and stripping it of its petals. After stripping it of all its beauty, she proceeds to doing the same to another. Halfway through it, a man appears and says, “I am listening. If there is someone you need to talk to right now, I am listening.” Oh, what love is this?

There are 5 men, all saxophonists, that have been tasked to play an original song in front of an audience in a city auditorium. The day has come where they must perform. The first one comes on stage and plays his piece. The audience enjoys his charismatic jazz song, which has caused some of them to dance. The 2nd man comes and plays his piece. His reggae song leaves them with lots of smiles. The 3rd man comes and plays his piece. His country style does not resonate with the entire audience. Nevertheless, they smile and give it much applause. The 4th man comes and plays his piece. The audience is amazed at some of the sounds he produced with an acoustic instrument, during his techno song. And finally, the 5th man nervously enters the stage. He tries hard to swallow fear and anxiety, and hopes that nobody will notice. He manages to pull it off. The audience claps, but the the lack of enthusiasm on their faces, makes him feel as though they are just trying to hide how they really feel. At the end of it, much of the people scatter and go about. The 5th performer finds himself in hall. Emotions of failure and frustration enter him. He clenches onto his keypads. Suddenly he feels a hand and shoulder. He turns and finds a woman smiling at him. She tells him that she loved his piece, how he should not be so hard on himself, and how she would like to get to know him better. Oh, what love is this?

A woman is walking through the desert. It is dry and sunny. Rocks here, rocks there, and cacti dotted around the place. All goes well until a furry, carnivorous mammal seemingly appears from nowhere. She stares at it, and it stares right back. She ponders what is going on its brain. She finds the answer to her question really quickly, when she sees it baring its fangs. She cries out loud and makes a run for it! The animal chases her! She finds herself in front of a rocky area. The animal is behind her. She does not have confidence in her rock climbing skills, but she proceeds. The animal follows. Upon getting the top, fear and anxiety get the better of her, and cause her to tumble down into the sand! The noise thankfully startles the beast, but leaves her in a spot. Her eyes close. She bites her tongue in pain. Upon opening her eyes after some time, she sees a man with an outstretched hand offering help. Oh, what love is this?

A man and woman are at a busy, festive Christmas venue. Many people laughing. Many people telling jokes. Some sharing witty, humorous, or even embarrassing stories about things that happened to him. There are enough colourful lights to make it seem as though the sun has entered the building with the rainbow on its belt. And naturally, there is some festive music to keep the mood happy and special. The time now comes where people must take their presents out from under the starry platform, and hand their gifts to each other. Everyone excitedly gets to it. However, when one man cannot find the gift for his lover, his eyes go blank, he becomes stiff as a tree, and his heart sinks. Some people notice this and wonder what is going on. His love see this and asks what the matter is. His lips tremble a little, and he then states that the gift might have been stolen or misplaced. He looks down. But just before the cloud of darkness get a chance to laugh and drop lightning on him, his lover intervenes. She wraps an arm around him, kisses him, and tells him, “Do not fret. I am just happy to see you alive and well this holiday” Suddenly, the dark clouds clear, and a beam of sunlight comes through powerfully. Oh! What love is this?

Walk of the Wilderness

Disclosure: Millennium River is an independent website that uses hyperlinks. Some of these links are affiliate links. When you click and purchase a product(s) through these links, I may earn a commission on qualifying sales. This is done at no extra expense to you. You may also support this website via PayPal. Unless it is clearly stated, the content is not sponsored.

It is fairly misty. The sounds of viols and a harp are heard. There is some uncertainty about where they are coming from. The music coming forth from them is beautiful, wherever they may be. Beautiful, mysterious, somberly at times, yet ever so intriguing. As the mist begins to clear, the eyes then open slowly. Leaves are seen rustling above, a squirrel jumps across a branch, and then a songbird lands to perch. No music is heard, nor is there any fog. Was it even real? Was it a dream? Was it something heard, prior the song of the viols that caused this wondrous sleep? A day dream perhaps? Many questions come to the mind about what was seen and heard, yet no answers.

Getting up and looking around reveals an assortment of trees and bushes. Where to go? The wind blows. Some leaves drift across the sky. Four birds fly across the sky going in the opposite direction of the leaves blown. A wild goat hops out between two bushes, and dashes along a mossy path. Two trees with glossy sap stand at beginning of that path. Next, a red maple leaf is seen drifting towards that direction. Just as the eyes become fixed on the things happening near that path, three rabbits come out of a hole, and hastily dash in the direction along a narrow stream of water. What could be happening? Do the animals sense something that is not clearly seen? Or are they just going about their merry ways? As the questions are asked internally, a snake of three colours slithers out from under a hole where a big block of quartz is. The eyes did not even notice that there was such a beautiful boulder, till now. They want to spend more time admiring the beautiful, crystalline mineral, but the animate serpent steals the spotlight.

Is this the animal that has brought fear upon all the others? The one that triggered all the flying, jumping, scurrying and galloping? No, this cannot be so. To assume such seems like nonsense. Perhaps if it had been the beast of a member from the Naja kind, this would have been reasonable. In fact, this serpent seems like it is in a hurry to go somewhere, too, but where? These animals have convinced the feet to get going, and the brain to observe. The moss path where the two amber slathered trees stand, is chosen. Where might this path lead? Too soon to ask, but time will tell.

Many of the trees along this path happen to characteristically have glossy sap on their trunks. An area of the path brings the feet to a halt. A bunch of fallen fruit are seen all over the forest floor. Numerous omnivorous, furry animals are seen devouring that which has fallen. Human eyes and animal eyes meet. The animals pause. Some fire can be seen in their eyes. Are they angry? Are they afraid? Anxious even? Will they attack? What are they going to do? Some of the animals decide to flee, some of them bare their fangs, and some of them return to eating. What should be done at this point? Continue along this path? Turn back and try another? Try and walk alongside from the fallen fruit mash and animals? The latter is attempted. All the furry, quadruped omnivores run away.

The moss path ends, but continues up a steep hill of many red mushrooms, wildflowers, and grasses. While the fungi, flowers and grass is not a problem, the boulders are. The risk of kicking or even accidentally tapping against one, could spell serious injury. Is this steep continuation of this path a sign that it should be discontinued? Is the mind being unnecessarily fearful and doubtful at this point? Or are the inner advisories worth listening to? While searching for a decision, the sound of high-pitched instrument is heard from a distance. One that has a sweet, silvery tone to it. A sound that would bring peace and rest to a troubled heart. The sound then brings motivation to carefully ascend the hill.

Upon reaching the top, feelings of pride and joy enter the heart. Looking around, the eyes get a good view of parts of the forest. What a natural beauty it is. Continuing ahead, descends down into another part of the forest. No paths to be seen. Many trees here and there, and the occasional rodent and bird going by. Where to go? With no path of guidance, the decision of where to go next must be carefully made. A look up ahead reveals the blue sky, and numerous white clouds that appear to be grouping together. A dragonfly buzzes by and strikes the right ear. The body turns to the right, and decides to pursue that direction.

Aimless pursuit? As that question comes up, the eyes then notice a large pond of many animals: turtles, frogs, aquatic birds, salamanders and floating pads. It looks so clean and wonderful. A closer look reveals many lovely fish swimming within it. Swimming freely and elegantly. As the eyes are busy admiring the aquatic wildlife, some sounds are heard. Not just any random sound, but sounds similar to that of what was heard during the mist. The mist that took place while the eyes were closed. Must pursue it.

The feet get going. They walk around the wild pond of beauty. They walk through some blackberry bushes. The walk through an area of wildflowers and trees. They step over a narrow creek. The sound is now lost. Sadness and disappointment begins to enter the heart. They poke it. They scratch it. They even laugh a little at its face after seeing what they have done. The mind then says to keep going and continue that way, but where is that way? Nevertheless, the walk continues without exactly knowing which place to go. Soon enough, a large open-spaced area with short grass is entered. Has the forest finally ended? Where is this place? Are the ears hearing the sound of a bowed instrument coming from the left?

Going left reveals a quartet of musicians: three on viols and one on the harp, playing under an apple tree. The eyes begin to shine like the sun’s reflection on water. The heart pumps a rhythm of happiness. The lips change form. Finally, the eyes are seeing what was seen when they were closed. The sound waves of sweet music enter the ear canals, get to the brain, and wrap around it like a fine wrapping. The walk of the wilderness has led to the sound of majesty originally heard in the dream.

Beautiful Blue Creek (Haiku)

Disclosure: Millennium River is an independent website that uses hyperlinks. Some of these links are affiliate links. When you click and purchase a product(s) through these links, I may earn a commission on qualifying sales. This is done at no extra expense to you. You may also support this website via PayPal. Unless it is clearly stated, the content is not sponsored.

Beautiful Blue Creek

Beautiful blue creek
Home to many animals
Visitors love it

Speech: Let It Become A Legal Requirement To Label Genetically Modified Organisms In Canada

Disclosure: Millennium River is an independent website that uses hyperlinks. Some of these links are affiliate links. When you click and purchase a product(s) through these links, I may earn a commission on qualifying sales. This is done at no extra expense to you. You may also support this website via PayPal. Unless it is clearly stated, the content is not sponsored. Lastly, the opinion in this speech does not necessarily reflect Millennium River’s beliefs on the subject being discussed.

Introduction

Hello to you all! It is truly fantastic to have you all come here. I am grateful and appreciative of your time. Now because this is my first speech, it is ever so important that I introduce myself. My name is Michael. I am representing my personal, professional brand, Millennium Creek — the creek where professionalism and passion flow in harmony. Today, I am here to talk to you about the controversy of GMO labelling in Canada. Perhaps, the lack of I should say.

Story Time

Now allow me to tell you a story about your time at the grocery store. You walk into your usual grocery store. You see two areas of apples: one with smaller, lesser impressive-looking apples, and the other with large, blemish-free apples that look very juicy and sweet. Naturally, you go for the perfect apples, because they look much more pleasing to the eye. As you walk around, you notice that some things are labelled peanut-free, shellfish-free and so forth. The usual allergy warnings that must be in place, as required by law. But then, you notice that some of the products are proudly touting a non-GMO label on their packages. You do not have enough time to look up the word and details behind it in-store, so you proceed to purchasing your groceries.

Later when you find the time, you look up what GMO stands for. You discover that it is an acronym for Genetically Modified Organism. You then begin to feel weird, and a even a little horrified. You ask yourself, “Why is this not labelled on food?” Well, I can you tell why: because Canada does not have legal requirements for it. That is why. And not so surprisingly, our neighbours to the south do not have a requirement for this either. The European Union makes it mandatory for food that has been genetically engineered, to be clearly labelled as such. Canada needs to do the same. Canada needs to drop the slack and excuses. Canada needs to create clear labelling of GMOs placed on the market to enable consumers to make an informed choice.

Are We Already Eating Genetically Modified Food?

One of the most common things you will hear GMO supporters tell you, is that we are already eating genetically modified food. Not only that, but that we have been apparently doing so for millennia. Well, what do you think? Do you think this is true? I mean, the corn we eat did descend from a wild grass called teosinte. Beef is another good example. As you may or may not know, the cattle present on today’s farms came from a now extinct animal called the auroch. These domestic organisms have been selectively bred over thousands of years for certain traits to make them more desirable. Whether it be for size, flavour, nutrition, resilience to certain elements and so forth.

GMO supporters will say that this is genetic modification because the genes have been altered through human intervention. They will tell you that because of modern technology, we might as well stop waiting for X amount of years for desired traits to appear in nature. GMO advocates believe that we should utilize modern technology to get the traits we want faster. My audience, there are two things seriously wrong here:  the improper naming and forced splicing. Allow me to first start with what actually qualifies as genetically modified.

Firstly, the original methods of breeding plants and animals for traits does not fall under the category of GMO, and should never be carelessly called the same. A genetically modified organism is an organism that has had foreign genetics inserted into it in a laboratory. How exactly is this done? Genetic engineers remove one or more of the genes from the DNA of another organism. This can be a bacterium, virus, animal or plant. The trait is then inserted into the organism that the scientist wants to be altered. Not convinced? Several high profile places including Britannica, The Balance Small Business, Your Genome, and Food Government United Kingdom all make it ultra clear that the definition of GMO involves two things: a laboratory and an organism to transfer the DNA into. Selective breeding is encouraging traits that already exist in a population’s gene pool. Genetic modification is taking DNA from one species and splicing it onto the genes of another. I think the point has went across more than well at this point. Genetically engineered would honestly be a much more accurate term for this.

Now this brings me to the second problem: getting traits upon demand instead of waiting X amount of years. Who would not want strawberries that can withstand desert temperatures, self-fertilize, resist insects and disease by 2020? While that may sound interesting, there are other alternative fruits that can naturally withstand desert climates, that will not bruise as easily. The strawberry, both wild and domestic, will only have a limited amount of traits, because that is what makes them what they are, and what they could become. The techniques that would be involved to force it into an organism that would naturally never have such traits, domesticated or not, is uncalled for. Just because it can be done, that does not mean it should. There are many different plants and animals out there with their unique strengths from around the world. Work with them accordingly and respect them for what they are. Promote biodiversity. Take a look at the people around you: notice how thousands of years have gone by and humans still do not have anatomical parts such as beaks or wings? That is because the genes for such traits have been absent from our species since the day we have come into being, and will never be there. Speaking of around the world, could GMOs be the answer for the rapidly rising population in developing countries?

GMOs To Feed The Starving World?

GMO advocates will often tell you that GMOs are needed to address the malnutrition, famine, pests and diseases that developing countries are struggling with. Public, if I am going to be very honest you, this may very well be the silliest reason to genetically engineer food. Let us first start with the fact that the world makes more than enough food to feed everyone. In industrialized nations like Canada, we make so much food that we throw it away, if it does not sell within a certain period. Restaurants and others? Same thing. Makes you wonder why they do not just give it to those who are in need across the street. Greed and lack of proper distribution is one of the major reasons why there are so many people famished today. But what if distribution were to improve? Would the problem end there? Not quite, if I am going to speak truthfully.

Remember the words of a wise, ancient proverb, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime” So even if we were to suddenly just give the poor more food, it would not create true sustainability. This is where educating them on the numerous types of foods, their nutritional strengths, how to grow them and so forth, will come into play. Now there is the issue of pests and diseases of crops and animals. Again, resources and spreading knowledge on the particular pests, how to deal with them, where they come from, and the alternatives are crucial to better pest management. You would be surprised at the amount of things that can be discovered when you actually take the time to explore them. Genetically engineering, or dousing plants heavily with pesticides does not, and should not, be the only way to address problems. Better solutions can be found if we focus our efforts on looking for them, rather than wasting time and resources on unnecessary things.

With this said, I would like to talk about vitamin A for a bit, since that is a nutrient that is frequently brought up in GMO arguments. When we were children, our parents insisted that we eat up our vegetables. They wanted us to be nice, strong, healthy adults that could take care of their parents in their old age. Two of the most commonly hated vegetables we were forced to eat happened to be carrots and broccoli: high in beta cartotene and vitamin C respectively. Why? Because beta carotene converts to vitamin A which is important for our eyesight, while vitamin C is needed for immunity. Malnutrition is a big problem in developing countries. Golden rice was developed years ago in hopes that it would receive international approval from the countries that needed vitamin A. Did it? No. Why? Because even they felt that it was unnecessary to waste time on resources in making rice rich in beta carotene. When you consider that there were already numerous other foods that could have been used to address the issue, this makes the idea even more of a failure. Sweet potatoes, winter squash, kale, and carrots are all excellent examples of alternatives that could have, and should have been used instead. And for those that do not mind organ meat, the livers of beef and lamb are extremely high in vitamin A. Both developed and non-developed countries have access to cattle. Again, why did they not focus on these? You see, this is the result of focusing on a narrow issue, leading to shortsightedness.

Effects Of GMO On The Body And Environment?

While I am on the topic of food and nutrition, I would like to speak about ingestion now. Are there any harmful side effects associated with the consumption of genetically modified food? Truth is, there are two sides with seemingly never ending points for how they are good, or why the are bad. Many studies want to convince people that they are safe, that they are the future, and how they are needed to address numerous problems. Public, I have touched on some of these already. You know what the truth is. But what about our bodies? What are they doing to them? A lot of groups will say that our bodies cannot detect the altered genes in food, and will break them down and process it as normal. They also claim that it does not cause their genes to be transferred into our tissue, because they are destroyed during digestion. On the other hand, other studies are warning that genetically modified foods have caused a spike in allergies, intolerance and other complications. So who is right? Health Canada and the FDA say that there is no evidence of them causing additional allergies, complication and bacterial resistances. However, if we were to go back say 100 years ago, were there as many complications as there is now? It would be shortsighted and false to say that GM food is the indeed cause. Truthfully, it could be the cause of environmental, physical, social and mental shifts at play. And yes, diet and changes to food are also tied into this too. At the moment, not enough time has been given to say “Ah, yes! This is definitely it!”

If there is one thing that is certain, it is the fact that genetically modified plants can indeed contaminate regular crops with their DNA, and create other unintended environmental effects that the large groups would rather not talk about. Now before I speak further about groups, I really should inform you more about how GMOs can effect the environment. This is something that I know many of you are curious about. Pollinators: we have all seen bees and butterflies going from flower to flower during warmer weather, brushing pollen, transferring pollen, and going about their merry ways. Because genetically engineered plants are often created to have their own insecticides that repels or destroys the digestive tracts of insects, this also drives away beneficial insects, thus bringing their population down. On top of this, the ultimate long term effects of GMO’s superpowers are not as certain as scientists claim them to be. In other words, if a plant was engineered to resist grasshoppers, they do not know how long that will truly last. There is a future risk of insects becoming more resistant to said engineered plants. Reduced biodiversity as a result of their domineering traits, is one of the biggest problems associated with GM plants. Making a plant too strong, can cause it to become an invasive nuisance. Promote biodiversity.

Before I went into the environmental effects of GMOs, I mentioned groups. Particularly, the big organizations. As you will know from what I just said about about the mindset of larger organizations, they are hugely supportive of pushing biotechnology. So much, that independent research and reporting is often attacked and suppressed. Sad. This is very sad. If a seesaw leans heavily towards one direction, we can clearly see that it is not balanced. Thankfully, as much as some people or groups have tried to push to make it that way, there have been enough activists and counterstudies to allow people to see the other end of the debate. Thanks to them, this is the reason why we do have some brands that voluntarily choose to proudly label their food as non-GMO.

You Are What You Eat

Public, you have heard the saying many times, “You are what you eat” This means that if you strive to be healthy, you must eat a balanced diet rich in many nutrients: fats, minerals, vitamins and other needed elements. Yes, one of purposes of genetically modifying food is to make it more nutrient rich. But, why? Why waste time and resources doing so, when there are literally thousands of different foods, with different flavours and attributes available? Promote biodiversity. We live in an interconnected world. One’s actions will affect others. Sometimes noticeably, sometimes not so noticeably. The way we interact with nature can cause a complex array of results. Eating a genetically engineered product will not kill you. Some people will continue to do so, because they remain firmly confident that genetic engineering is the way of the future for food. But if there is one thing we can do, is to let there be choice. Let it be clear through visual labels what has, and what has not been genetically modified for all food on the shelf in Canada. Thank you for coming by, and I hope that I have both informed and inspired you to be more weary about GMO regulations in Canada.