Pride Goeth before the Destruction of our Health

Genetic manipulation of grain was supposed to stop world hunger, instead it's made the world sick. 
Is your health suffering from the effects of pride?


Adam and Eve unwisely ate from the Tree of Knowledge. Today, we don't just continue to eat from the tree, we think we can make the tree better.  

This is what modern agricultural scientists continue to do with all sorts of crops, including grain. The purpose is to make plants more resistant to herbicides, fungi, temperatures and drought so that seeds can be planted in larger geographical areas to increase production and yields.

Instead of stopping world hunger, genetically manipulated grains are making us sick. Over one third of the United States population now has a documented gluten intolerance and countries such as South Korea, Japan and the European Union continue to scrutinize our grain supply. How could something that was supposed to be so good turn out to be so bad?

Grain has structurally changed. Manipulation has caused the proteins within the grain to mutate and increase. The seeds have changed so drastically that they barely resemble the seeds of emmer or einkorn--traditional grains that were harvested centuries ago in the wild. Now when we eat grain, instead of feeling nourished and whole, we gain weight, breakout and become diabetic. In short, Jesus wasn't breaking Wonder Bread at the Last Supper. 

Is it safe to call genetic manipulation a sin? Technically, anything that is pursued outside the confines of God is a sin and is rooted in pride. Everything we do should be to glorify God. Of course, this means that a lot of things are sinful, but genetic manipulation seems to be especially obvious. 

God created the world and provided us with the things needed for survival. This includes shelter, water and food. Genetic manipulation insinuates that the food is not good enough. Even worse, it says that we can make it better. But just as Adam and Eve paid for their sin, so too are we. A huge percentage of Americans are currently inflicted with life threatening diseases that are deemed preventable.  

As college students, we represent a new generation of leaders. In business school we talk a lot about what specifically constitutes a good leader. According to Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, the one factor that separates a good leader from a great leader is humility. Arrogance, or pride, can be destructive to any endeavor. If we continue to lead through arrogance and pride, our health and the health of generations to come will continue to pay for it. 

If proof was enough to change the agricultural industry they would have stopped genetically modifying the food supply by now. World hunger has increased, people are sicker and millions of people, including entire nations, have refused to buy genetically modified products. In addition, starvation often isn't even an issue of supply, it's a distribution problem. Millions starve because they don't have access to food, not because there is not enough to go around. 

So then why is genetic modification still pursued when real solutions could come from bringing attention to faulty governments and economics? It's because the problem goes deeper than wheat roots. Our society is currently facing a plethora of pride in all sectors and it's no different in the food industry. The greedy wall street banker is no different from the greedy agricultural scientist. We already had a financial collapse. How much longer can we stomach the food supply?

Adam and Eve ate from the tree. Will you?

I would love to hear your opinion! Please comment below.