Fringe benefits
When our vegetable box* came today, I sat on the stairs and read the weekly newsletter. Normally these concern the fields and tomato tunnels and how the pumpkins are coming, but today's didn't. Guy Watson (chief farmer) has a bee in his bonnet about big corporations stealing ideas from and/or gobbling up independent producers.
He said that there is a theory of evolution that says the most change usually happens on the fringes of society. And when big change happens (like the ice age?), the giants at the centre of society are too settled to change accordingly, so it's the flexible, forward-thinking, rebellious fringes which go forward. And survive.
This is his theory for independent producers, who continue to have ideas. Big corporations, if they are canny, attend conferences and invite small people to talk so they can steal ideas or buy into them. But he is determined to remain a small, idea-generating revolutionary. And survive.
Which is something to try and remember as I get old and don't want to learn how to drive a different car, or use text message slang, or understand MP4s.
*Now I have to list my vegetables. I love Fridays.
Onions, carrots, potatoes, scary hispi cabbage (pointy), spinach, double-scary pointy cauliflower thing, leeks, frizzy lettuce, celery, mushrooms. But as I still have 8 pumpkins and squashes left (over-excitedly ordered the squash box), we will have to eat squash crumble for dinner.
He said that there is a theory of evolution that says the most change usually happens on the fringes of society. And when big change happens (like the ice age?), the giants at the centre of society are too settled to change accordingly, so it's the flexible, forward-thinking, rebellious fringes which go forward. And survive.
This is his theory for independent producers, who continue to have ideas. Big corporations, if they are canny, attend conferences and invite small people to talk so they can steal ideas or buy into them. But he is determined to remain a small, idea-generating revolutionary. And survive.
Which is something to try and remember as I get old and don't want to learn how to drive a different car, or use text message slang, or understand MP4s.
*Now I have to list my vegetables. I love Fridays.
Onions, carrots, potatoes, scary hispi cabbage (pointy), spinach, double-scary pointy cauliflower thing, leeks, frizzy lettuce, celery, mushrooms. But as I still have 8 pumpkins and squashes left (over-excitedly ordered the squash box), we will have to eat squash crumble for dinner.
posted by Anna @ 2:52 PM
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