Walking through the snow I get the sense that every step I take destroys something beautiful. To make any progress forward I would need to crush the perfect fresh snow on the ground or follow in the footsteps of someone who already had. It is the same with society. To make progress something has to be sacrificed. To make food for people land has to be farmed, to build homes materials have to be gathered, and so on and so forth. It seems to be a natural law. To sustain life something has to be consumed. For every meal I have had in Japan something has had to die to supply it whether it be an organically farmed carrot or the fish in the conveyor belt sushi. I wonder than if it is a natural law that sacrifice is needed to make progress why is it so painful? Today we went to the place that used to be Yanaka village. It was a village that was sacrificed by the central government in an attempt to save the people of Tokyo from heavy metals in the water that came from a copper mine up stream. I understand the thinking of the good of the many over the good of the few, but how good can the good of the many be if it must be paid for with the homes of the few. This concept isn’t new to me especially with having an education about American expansion where I learned of the crimes the United States committed in order to get more land. Going to Yanaka really struck me because it truly made me sad and I feel that it made everyone who was there sad as well. This made me think on the willful ignorance that people live with on a regular basic. In the case of Yanaka it was the people of Tokyo ignoring the cries of the people of the village so they could feel safe drinking water. I am no exception when it comes to being ignorant of pain I cause when I want to be. There are several parts of this trip that have showed me this with great clarity. First is showing me the results of copper mining. I use copper pretty regularly in both life and lab and I am willfully ignorant of how I came to acquire it and how many people and land were poisoned I order for me to have it. The second point is not something that has happened yet and may not even happen. Through the grape vine I have heard that we may get to take part in killing one of the pigs at ARI to get the meat to eat. I determined that if the opportunity arises I have to go. I have never killed anything larger than a bug so I have to find out for myself if I can or not. If not I will have to reconsider my consumption of meat. If I don’t have the willingness to sacrifice a life so that I may enjoy meat how can I demand that others take that life for me so I can keep my hand and conscience clean? I have also begun to question the carefree nature I which I get food back home. I usually don’t pay attention to where my food comes from and what greater impact the production of that food has on the earth. I know that the means of progress haven’t changed that much through the course of my life, but as I learn more I am getting better at hearing the scream of those getting crushed by every step taken forward. I am unsure if I should continue moving forward and ignore the pain I cause by doing so or try and find a new way to carry on.
