Response to Robert

[Guest guest]

Welcome to Seattle, earthling (Diane),

 

Let me direct you to our leader.

 

See that yellow path up yonder?....

 

Yeah, that's right. The one with the little bricks. Well,...um,

that's the road that will lead you to wisdom, our leader.

 

To get there, its a long and winding road, as I'm sure Paul already

told you....who's he?... oh,... you mean you didn't meet him yet? Hm.

 

Well, it doesn't matter. When you finally get there, our leader may

reveal to you three of life's most important lessons.

 

Unfortunately for most, our leader appears to be shy and doesn't make

very many public appearances, so when you get there, keep a sharp eye

open and follow your nose,...as your former neighbours like to say.

 

Oh, by the way. Do you have any doggie bones? .....oh nothing....just

wondering......

 

So away you go, be sure to pack some lunch, and enjoy the sights.

 

Uh, what did you say?....

 

....Oh, yah, what are the lessons, you ask. That's a good question.

 

The first lesson is that a belief will bring you down a long and

winding road.

 

The second lesson is that it sometimes takes the first lesson to find

out the third lesson.

 

The third lesson is that you will have learned the difference between

belief and wisdom, or knowledge, by using your senses, or your nose.

 

So be sure to follow your senses as you go down that road, so you

don't miss out on what is right in front of you, that you already

have with you.

 

Have a nice walk....

 

Okay, back to earth.

 

Dianne,

 

I'm just trying to be creative, while keeping things light. Welcome

to Seattle, for certain. Hopefully you brought lots of sun with you

for the winter time. One gets a liking for liquid sunshine here at

times. On to your post.

 

Your introduction was:

 

>Here Here Chef Sprout!!!

 

>Such a logical and well written email. I fully agree with you

>Chef. Not to impune Roberts beliefs and if he does well on a

>fruitarian diet.. as we Aussies say... Good on ya, Robert!!!

>It is much healthier than the sad diet. Anyway.. I do believe

>that for some profound reason the human species of today need

>greens. I also believe that eating the fruits and vegetables

>in season is best. One reasons is because they are fresher.

>I go to farms where I can pick my own fruit and vegetables.

>I know that that food is living food because I just picked it.

 

I noted you used variations of the word 'believe' in your greeting

message. I hope you don't mind me using your words for the purpose of

clarifying the manner in which that word is washed around. I don't

mean to sound too blunt, but it might come across that way as I keep

to being clear.

 

To be sure, I don't believe in eating fruit. I eat fruit, and I don't

have to believe in it. I follow my senses and what I know by them.

 

I would not eat fruit if I could only believe in eating fruit. I eat

nuts, greens, vegetables, and various other things, and I don't

believe in those either, nor is it necessary to if/as one eats them.

 

Belief means to accept as true, and/or to accept something without

evidence or proof. Proof is evidence sufficent to establish a thing

as truthful or factual. That which is factual is known or knowable.

 

In other words, belief requires no evidence. For the most part, to

believe is to accept without evidence. Once evidence is established,

something can be known. Why believe that which can be known or is

known?

 

The person who uses the word belief is at the same time admitting

ignorance.

 

You said you believe that the human needs greens. I eat a fair bit of

greens, but I don't believe in greens or eating them or that the

human needs them. I know they are good by how they taste, how they

look, how they smell, how I feel, what I intellectually know about

them. Why do you only believe in greens? Don't you have evidence, or

are you unsure about yourself?

 

Why do you only believe that picking fruit in season is best? I know

that it is best and I'm not afraid to say so. I make effort yearlong

to eat fruit in season, for obvious reasons, especially in summer.

Are you unsure of yourself?

 

Fruitarian is a very poorly and variably defined word, ignored by

science as a consequence. It fits well with belief systems and is

used frequently by believers. Biological science uses the term

frugivore to describe the species that are primarily fruit eaters,

carefully basing its classification systems on anatomical,

physiological, psychological, and biological evidence. The term

fruitarian falls under the same nomenclature as vegetarian,

breatharian, and other vague yet catchy -arian words. It reflects

following a belief rather then sense, or knowledge. I follow sense,

not belief, so that I know what I am doing and can say it with

confidence.

 

It is normal for a frugivore to eat mostly fruit, various lesser

quantities of greens, nuts, seeds, vegetables, legumes, tubers, and

mushrooms, and grubs, insects, and animal flesh to an even lesser

degree.

 

A herbivore eats mostly grass and plant leaves as they peacefully

munch it fresh off the ground it grows out of. They love lazing and

grazing around the fields and meadows. They rarely if ever eat other

types of foods. They are sort of like carnivores in the sense that

carnivores rarely eat anything other than animal flesh and goodies.

 

Don't take my word for it. There are plenty of books in the

biological sciences that reveal these facts. These books will also

reveal such things as which features of the anatomy, physiology, and

biology of the species are consistent with each dietary

classification. Humans clearly fit into the frugivore classification

as do so many of the primates of which we are one and which we share

so many anatomical and physiological features with, not to mention up

to 98 or 99 percent of our genes.

 

So what does this make me? What does this make you? Or perhaps we

should just forget about what we can know and instead just come up

with -arian words that are believable and seem to make sense, to make

it easy and not so fussy?

 

I know quite a few people who believe they are meat eaters. And a lot

more who believe they are grass, plant, and grain eaters. I know they

are. I have seen them do it. They used words to describe themselves.

 

In your opening paragraph you mentioned my beliefs. What beliefs are

those you refer to? Are you talking about fruitarianism? I don't

believe in that and I'm not into it. I also don't believe in eating

fruit, but I do eat a lot of it. I don't believe in eating anything,

for that matter. Some people mistakenly call me a vegetarian

sometimes, but I correct them too. I'm not sure about what beliefs

you are talking about. I know that civilized humans eat all sorts of

things, including meat, junk food, grain, sugar, alcohol, dairy,

condiments, and drugs. I certainly don't believe that. I know that.

I've seen it with my own eyes, and I used to do most of it myself.

 

A horse has teeth and a mouth, and chews and swallows its food. A

horse has a stomach and intestines to digest its food, and legs,

head, rump, shoulders, neck, hair, and runs around energetically. A

horse eats grass. Since humans have all the same things as a horse,

and like to have lots of energy, they should eat grass too. It's so

logical. This is all well written and is very believable.

 

But in case it isn't believable, I'll write it a different way.

 

Grass has lots of great nutrients in it, like calcium, magnesium,

vitamins, proteins, and fatty acids. A juicer can squeeze out all

these nutrients into a juice and it can taste good, especially if

mixed into other foods. Humans need these nutrients and they are good

for health, so humans should drink wheat grass juice.

 

Is it more believable now? How about the following:

 

Tree bark has lots of great nutrients in it. Like calcium, magnesium,

vitamins, proteins, and fatty acids. A juicer...

 

Again, this is all well written.

 

Welcome to Seattle and be sure to take advantage of all the great

summer fruit here. Blueberries are superb in Seattle from July to

October. There are tonnes of blackberries, and lots of fresh

vegetables. The ones I especially like are coloured bell peppers,

lettuces, cucumbers, celery, tomatoes, and cherry tomatoes.

 

I loved it in the Brisbane to Cairns region when I was there

recently, the sugar bananas and jackfruit are spectacular. Mangos

everywhere towards Cairns.

 

Reflecting on the meaning of logical and well written, Robert