There is more than one reason why the extinction of so many species that is occurring as a result of human activity around the world is serious. One simply feels like a moral imperative not to destroy life so wantonly in pursuit of our own pleasures. For many this is encapsulated in the Biblical imperative to Adam and Eve to take care of the world put into our care.
Another reason is sheer self-preservation. We depend on other life forms to maintain our own. Without plant life, without pollinating insects like bees, without a whole range of bacteria, we cannot sustain our own lives for more than weeks. Many of the most effective medical treatments are also essentially derived from plant life. We benefit hugely from a great diversity of life forms.
Still, when we are popping an aspirin I suspect few of us feel particularly virtuous with the thought that aspirin was originally derived from a tree. Being treated for cancer with one of the effective plant-derived drugs probably doesn’t feel much like a contribution to the health of the environment either.
However, I do feel rather virtuous about honey. It’s a healthy substitute for sugar, which in its granulated form has almost no healthy contribution to make. Honey is different. For people like me with osteoporosis concerned with eating a more alkaline diet, honey is a positive blessing. And buying honey is a contribution to our threatened honey bees.
So osteoporosis sufferers, let us united! Let us eat more honey, and maybe help save our bones and our bees at the same time.
