Food by Any Name
The Russians have two words for truth: pravda and istina.
“The word for truth in Russian that most Americans know is “pravda” — the truth that seems evident on the surface. It’s subjective and infinitely malleable, which is why the Soviet Communists called their party newspaper “Pravda.” Despots, autocrats and other cynical politicians are adept at manipulating pravda to their own ends.
But the real truth, the underlying, cosmic, unshakable truth of things is called “istina” in Russian. You can fiddle with the pravda all you want, but you can’t change the istina” (from the NY Times).
Sometimes we want pravda truth instead of istina truth, because the real truth is hard, very hard. The unchangeable truth requires us to adapt, to change to conform to truth. This is why “mercy and truth” are coupled together dozens of times in the Bible.
Our English language is often insufficient when it comes to conveying concepts clearly. In John 21:15-19, Jesus and Peter are using two words with different meaning, but the English translation uses the same word, “love.” We seem to confuse the two meanings of truth by using one word.
We see our preference for pravda truth throughout our culture – economics, politics, health… and food.
Perhaps we need two words for food, one for the product of nature and a different word for the product of man.
Words matter because they communicate meaning between individuals. We must understand the words correctly if we are to understand the meaning. That is, of course, unless the actual meaning is not intended to be communicated.
Does the word “food” bring images of whole foods prepared for a social meal or prepared and packaged items to meet the necessity of eating?
Does our mind conjure up sights and smells with a meal prepared from scratch, or a picture generated by marketing of what appears to be food ready made (or available in an instant in a microwave)?
Pilate asked of Jesus, “What is truth?” (John 18:38) but walked away without waiting for an answer.
Are we willing to ask if the “food” in the grocery, the restaurant, or the school room is something our bodies recognize as food?
Many of us are overwhelmed and turn away, feeling there is no choice but to accept the pravda of the marketplace.
And a significant number are looking more deeply for the istina of nature, realizing that living in harmony with nature surrounding us is necessary for the quality of human life.
There is no doubt that what we eat affects our health. The changes in what we are eating is causative to a large number of the chronic diseases we face today.
This series will look at some changes in what we have known as food:
(continue reading)
The Russians have two words for truth: pravda and istina.
“The word for truth in Russian that most Americans know is “pravda” — the truth that seems evident on the surface. It’s subjective and infinitely malleable, which is why the Soviet Communists called their party newspaper “Pravda.” Despots, autocrats and other cynical politicians are adept at manipulating pravda to their own ends.
But the real truth, the underlying, cosmic, unshakable truth of things is called “istina” in Russian. You can fiddle with the pravda all you want, but you can’t change the istina” (from the NY Times).
Sometimes we want pravda truth instead of istina truth, because the real truth is hard, very hard. The unchangeable truth requires us to adapt, to change to conform to truth. This is why “mercy and truth” are coupled together dozens of times in the Bible.
Our English language is often insufficient when it comes to conveying concepts clearly. In John 21:15-19, Jesus and Peter are using two words with different meaning, but the English translation uses the same word, “love.” We seem to confuse the two meanings of truth by using one word.
We see our preference for pravda truth throughout our culture – economics, politics, health… and food.
Perhaps we need two words for food, one for the product of nature and a different word for the product of man.
Words matter because they communicate meaning between individuals. We must understand the words correctly if we are to understand the meaning. That is, of course, unless the actual meaning is not intended to be communicated.
Does the word “food” bring images of whole foods prepared for a social meal or prepared and packaged items to meet the necessity of eating?
Does our mind conjure up sights and smells with a meal prepared from scratch, or a picture generated by marketing of what appears to be food ready made (or available in an instant in a microwave)?
Pilate asked of Jesus, “What is truth?” (John 18:38) but walked away without waiting for an answer.
Are we willing to ask if the “food” in the grocery, the restaurant, or the school room is something our bodies recognize as food?
Many of us are overwhelmed and turn away, feeling there is no choice but to accept the pravda of the marketplace.
And a significant number are looking more deeply for the istina of nature, realizing that living in harmony with nature surrounding us is necessary for the quality of human life.
There is no doubt that what we eat affects our health. The changes in what we are eating is causative to a large number of the chronic diseases we face today.
This series will look at some changes in what we have known as food:
- The effects of “fast” agriculture and animal husbandry
- Whole foods to processed foods for convenience and profit
- From a variety of quality to simplified quantity
- From nutrients to “nutritionism”
(continue reading)
