Genetically Engineered Future

I left for work really early this morning and was listening to the NPR Shuffle podcast. Recently, Europe (specifically France) rejected a large shipment of rice because a test of the shipment revealed that there were some genetically engineered grains of rice mixed in with the ordinary grains of rice. The new piece was inquiring how such a thing had happened since the FDA has not yet approved genetically engineered rice, but it has approved soy and some other grains that have been genetically altered. About this point, my mind began to wander to futuristic movies like The Island or the 1982 look at the future, Tron. I began to imagine our future as those movies portray it. All of our food was genetically engineered and agricultural products could all be found in a box ready to eat.

Immediately, I thought of the impact the genetically engineered products would have on my family (ranchers) and how sad I woiuld be to lose that part of my life. I then hatched a scheme for how to get away with growing my own plants and starting an underground gardening world where people could buy non-engineered products. Much like the movies, I would be hunted down if my plan to nourish the world was ever revealed. My dream ended there because the Shuffle mix had a new story for me to listen to. You will have to wait for the movie version to see if I get out alive.

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