Then or Now - He says

Every time I have a meal at McDonald’s or KFC, my mind drifts away towards thinking about how food and eating patterns have changed over the centuries. I often wonder, did this shift actually reflect progression?

Having touched upon pieces of Marshall David Sahlins text from his book Stone Age Economics, I was introduced to the idea that the hunters and gatherers were the original affluent society and that we may have changed our patterns but in no way may have improved.

For instance, chicken manufacturing as well as meat and vegetable acquisition have proved time and again that although variety has increased, people now also have a limited purchasing ability. Every economics lesson begins with: “Consumption is a double tragedy. What begins in inadequacy will end in deprivation.” That is exactly what a major part of the world is facing, deprivation. The concept of money has deprived a significant part of the population from access to the very same produce. The poorest part of the population does not have enough access to raw food. Despite advancements in the production procedures in many counties, the amount of production has definitely increased but the amount a person can afford hasn’t.  This makes me believe that even though historically, the aim of humans has been to satisfy needs, it has transformed into the need to satisfy wants.

This leads me to believe that this is a reflection of transition of wealth and the time that goes into procurement has undoubtedly increased. All we see is that the economy is transforming from a foraging society to an industrial one.

Surprisingly, hunters and gatherers had more “idle hours” as compared to the average human today.

I read, the majority of the people’s time (four to five days per week) was spent in other pursuits, such as resting in camp or visiting others. In case of the gatherers, on an average, their expedition consisted of six hours (of which three hours were not productive gathering) and a day of gathering could go on to support a family for three days.

In conclusion, I feel that this was a real eye opener for me that lasted much longer than my Spicy McChicken for sure. I truly enjoyed reading this book and comparing it to today’s economy by employing my school’s curriculum.