Reflecting on the Writings of Vandana Shiva- Colloquium Post 2

 Vandana Shiva presented a very persuasive argument of how biodiversity is not just important but crucial for the survival of humanity and the planet as a whole.  Vandana Shiva states,“ Biodiversity is the very fabric of life—it provides the conditions for life’s emergence and maintenance, and the many different ways in which life is expressed”.  Shiva presented a perspective that I had not previously considered which was how biodiversity and cultural diversity has been greatly damaged by globalization.  I always considered that globalization increased cultural diversity by allowing the world to share their cultures, knowledge, and beliefs with one another. I knew that biodiversity was being damage but was more due to overpopulation and consumption of resources. Shiva describes how globalization has actually decreased diversity by dictating what crops are to be grown, what livestock to be raised, and what type of medicine is to be acceptable and ingested.  What greatly surprised me, was the incredibly narrow scope of practice that we use for farming and livestock.  I always believed that our choices in farming and livestock had increased due to the introduction of new livestock and plants from so many different cultures but instead, because of specialization, are choices have dwindled down to only a small percentage of what use to be available to us.  I had a sense of sadness when I realized that our world is, in a way, less than it was before.  Medicine in the western world has also become so specialized and controlled that alternative methods are being accepted less and less. Many of these methods are cultural based with beliefs and practices that have been around for thousands of years and have had diverse knowledge of the plants and roots around them.  Only to be overshadowed by western medicine in a matter of a century.  I myself put a lot of faith in science and western medicine but I personally believe that there are many benefits and possibilities with ancient / alternative medicines. Western medicine seems to want to give you a pill for everything.  By the time you start to enjoy your golden years, you have a grocery list of meds that will eventually kill you due to renal and liver disease.  We have, as a society, become technologically advanced, but we lost so much knowledge and possibilities in the process, knowledge that could have been an asset to our future and to our children’s future.