The Same Species, a New Society

The Same Species, a New Society

“The uniqueness of the human species was patterned – and the human personality was formed – in a gathering and hunting setting” (Nisa and Shostak 1990:3). For nearly 90 percent of the estimated time humans have been on Earth, hunting and gathering was the way of life (Nisa and Shostak 1990:3). Now, humans would have to look long and hard to find a society that even half resembles a hunting and gathering society. We have lost touch with the way past ancestors lived and we have turned to what is now known as agriculture. One method of agriculture is the use of science to manipulate the land and produce the desired product. This basically takes less work to produce more food. Ever since agriculture was introduced individuals and families have been able to settle down and not move around so much (Mahmood 2014). The use of agriculture has its positives, however, some people believe it has caused more issues than it has solved. Jared Diamond proposed that when humans moved from a Hunting and Gathering society to an agricultural society it was “the worst mistake in the history of the human race.”

In the book Hungry Lightning, there was a recurring theme that Hunter’s and Gatherer’s work less and enjoy more leisure time (Yu 1997). With agriculture being so much “easier” and more “convenient” why as humans are we spending more time at work than ever? When agriculture first started, families grew whatever they needed and used what they produced. Now, agriculture has been blown way out of proportion. “We’ve grown accustom to the botanically outrageous condition having everything, always” (B. Kingsolver, Hopp, and C. Kingsolver 2007:65). We, as humans, don’t even know where all of our food has come from. “The average food item on a U.S. grocery shelf has traveled farther than most families go on their annual vacations” (B. Kingsolver, Hopp, and C. Kingsolver 2007:4). Hunters and Gatherers (!Kung especially) diets usually consist...