A Human Element in Agriculture

A few years back we took a trip to Kenya.  Although not the purpose of the trip, the agriculture that we witnessed there was a highlight for me.  The photo above is of laborers picking tea leaves in a region called "The White Highlands" west of Nairobi.

Our guide told us the work of the tea pickers was very difficult and that they were not paid well.  I have no doubt of the difficulty, I have put in many hours of manual labor and it can be extremely demanding physically.

One way such backbreaking labor could be minimized, or possibly eliminated, is through robotics.  Sensors would detect when the leaves are at the peak level of maturity for picking.  The difficult manual labor would be eliminated and instead, there would be mechanics and engineers to maintain the machines.  Those labor intensive jobs would be eliminated.

Even though it was a number of years ago that I witnessed this, the thought of mechanical pickers crossed my mind at the time.  I considered the large amount of capital investment and the elimination of the difficult jobs.  I also thought about the fact that most people in Kenya are struggling to survive, have little opportunity for employment and rely on foreign investment to a large extent for the growth of most industries and therefore, jobs.

The U.S. is a country founded on agriculture and trade.  We have moved far beyond that to one of technology and service, but we still are the most advanced producers of food in the world.  Our farms are the most productive and each farmer feeds many, many people -- not only here, but around the world.

In our developmental period, farmers and their families provided much of the backbreaking labor.  In some areas, imported labor in the form of slaves increased productivity (I am opposed to slavery in all forms but, won't get into that discussion here).  Later, and even today, much of the labor for some types of farming comes through poor immigrants seeking jobs.  However, a tremendous amount of the need for manual labor has been replaced by mechanical devices that plant, cultivate and harvest the crops.

Those who have never been in the situation of desperately needing a job don't understand that there is dignity in work -- even difficult manual labor.  Mechanization and robotics eliminate jobs.  Are we guilty of applying "first world" views to "third world" problems when we think this way?  Those jobs may be foundational to some economies.  The issue of appropriate compensation, health care and working hours/conditions is something totally different.  Those are issues of governance.

I am a firm believer in and enthusiastic about the advances being made in both mechanization and robotics as applied to agriculture.  Along with such advances though, needs to come an awareness of the impact on the people dependent on agriculture for the dignity of a job.  An awareness of the social issues is just as critical as the desire to replace human labor with machines.

A Worrisome Trend

Last night I read "The Manifesto of the Communist Party."  I read it years ago, but it had been a long, long time.  I was somewhat amazed at how many of the ideas promoted by the document have found their way into current theory of government.  Everything from public education to policies that promote the breakup of the traditional family unit.

Within the document are a few "gems" that are thought provoking.  It discusses the evolution of societal arrangement through time from tribalism, to feudalism to more modern theories of political and economic systems that we enjoy today.  It promoted communism as the next logical step in that evolution.

The argument presented within the document is that all such economic and political systems are designed to keep power concentrated in the hands of the few and the productivity of nations on the backs of the many.  It purports to resolve that issue by moving that power, through revolution, into the hands of the government by taking the resources of the nation out of the hands of the individual and placing them into the hands of "all citizens" through governmental control.  It is confiscation of wealth by those who hold political power, pure and simple.

In theory, there is merit to the concept -- especially to those who have been without wealth and power.  The trouble is that it doesn't solve the concentration of that power into the hands of a few -- it merely changes their face to that of government officials instead of private individuals.

The current trend toward automation is concerning to me.  It further exacerbates the issue of concentration of power into the hands of a few -- no matter under what political/economic system you consider, or favor.  It will become more and more difficult for a subset of the population to find employment in an automated economy.  Not everyone is suited to become computer programmers, or practitioners of other technology-based jobs.  The entry-level jobs are the very ones being replaced by technology.  These would include store clerks, fast-food workers, janitorial services, etc. -- i.e. low-skilled labor.

How do we deal with the loss of those jobs?  In my mind I see the classic science-fiction scenario of an underground economy of those who fall outside the system and live in the sewers and decaying factories of cities.  It isn't a pretty picture....

Why Do We Do What We Do?

Why do we do what we do for a living?  This is a question that I believe we all need to ask ourselves from time-to-time.

I think the answers would surprise those who know us.  I think that if we are truly honest with ourselves, the answer might surprise us.

I look back through the years at my "raising" as well as my education -- both formal and on-the-job -- and at my career(s) and can see that where I have been has shaped where I am.  I suppose that is only logical and is true for pretty much everyone.  But, what I really mean is that there seems to be a definitive "shaping" of who I am that prepared me for what I am doing.

Such a view obviously implies a belief in Divine Guidance.  Yes, I do believe that God actively works in our lives to shape us into what He would have us to be.  Does that include our career?  Perhaps, because it is such an integral part of our life and exerts tremendous shaping influences on us.

I become frustrated when I hear someone talk about how bad it is that when we visit with others the conversation almost always turns to work.  This occurs with friends, acquaintances and people that we have just met.  It is especially common in men.  Women often turn to the topic of family rather than career.  But, I believe God designed them uniquely for a nurturing role.

Our career is often a place where we can serve others.  Yes, many are very self-serving in their jobs, but, it doesn't have to be so.  Whatever we do -- unless illegal, immoral or unethical -- can be done in a way that others benefit.

If a person is unhappy with what they are doing, it is likely that there is something about their reason for doing it that is not right.  I suppose that some belief systems might refer to it as being in harmony with ourselves.  I think that it is a result of either not being in the job that you are made for or doing the job for the wrong reason.  Which brings us to attitude.

If our attitude is one of service to others, any job can take on a completely different complexion.  If we are sweeping floors and cleaning toilets, it can be with the attitude that I am providing a clean environment for others and therefore making their lives better.  However, if it is just for the paycheck, I will likely feel that it is a demeaning job.

I believe that God designed each of us with a purpose.  We are shaped by Him to serve others.  If we find what it is that He has designed us to do and pursue it with all of our heart in service to Him and to our fellow man, we will find joy and happiness in our life.  And, we will be successful.

I think that it was Sam Walton who said something to the effect that, "Success is achieved by serving others.  The greater the service, the greater the success."  -- and if he didn't say it, my apologies, he should have!

Psalm 139:13-16

13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well.



15 My frame was not hidden from you

when I was made in the secret place.

When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,



16 your eyes saw my unformed body.

All the days ordained for me

were written in your book

before one of them came to be.

Advertisement: Yokes by Jesus

In biblical times plows were pulled by oxen. Usually the oxen were yoked in pairs. Often the pair would consist of an older experienced ox that was well trained to the plow along with a young ox that still needed to learn. One of the keys to the oxen efficiently pulling the plow was the yoke itself. The better that it fit the oxen -- the more comfortably it fit -- the more efficiently they could pull. This was because it was a comfortable fit that allowed the pressure to be evenly distributed without chaffing or galling the animal.

Jesus was a carpenter. Among the many things that he made I'm sure were yokes for oxen. Often farmers would bring their oxen in to the carpenter to be "fitted" for the yoke. Basically, they were custom made to fit the specific animal. Can you imagine how well a Jesus-made yoke would fit? I suspect they were the best made yokes around.

The yoke on an ox is a little like a job or career for a man or woman. If it is a good fit they are efficient and effective. If it is a poor fit, they are constantly fighting against it and are frustrated and ineffective.

Each of us is uniquely suited to a particular career or job. That is what we should be doing. When we find that niche we are happy and productive. Often we enter into a career because of the money we will make or because of the expectations of others. We should find and do what we were made for.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."__Matthew 11:28-30

(adapted from our sermon this evening)

Where Are The Workers???

A friend of mine whose business
Requires a crew of laborers
To harvest turf for people's lawns
Constantly has difficulty
Finding anybody that wants to work.
The work is difficult and dirty
And the hours are often long
Especially in the spring and fall.
He said he gets quite frustrated
With all the folks complaining
About the immigration issue
Because he needs some help.
He tried to work college students
Because he figured they were
Always needing money but
They often left after only half a day
And never even came back
For their paycheck. They all
Wanted easy jobs that didn't
Take long hours and so they
Left without even saying goodbye.
They're spoiled, he said, and
Didn't even have the decency
To say, hey, this is harder than I thought,
I think I'll go find something else.
My friend said that with the
Unemployment rate as low as it is
Our country is basically at
Full employment, so why is
Everyone complaining about
Illegal immigrants taking all
The jobs when he can't even find
Someone to work the jobs he has?
Let's get 'em a "green card."


So, I got to wondering about his comment on the unemployment rate. Having been trained in economics, I was taught that anything below about 5% unemployment is considered full employment because there are a certain percentage of the populace that is either unemployable, or chooses to remain unemployed. As of January 1, 2007, our national unemployment rate stood at 4.6%. Click on this link to a table of the Unemployment Rate by State as of Dec. 31, 2006. I understand the "illegal" part of the argument; what I don't understand is the resistance to a work permit program. The jobs are here and a lot of them are going unfilled because it is "beneath the dignity" of our spoiled welfare class to take them.