My work at the Oklahoma Pork Council has given me many wonderful opportunities to work with different people and groups representing agriculture producers from across the state. Today I had another of those fabulous opportunities - the Dean's Advisory Council for the Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources at Oklahoma State University.
During the meeting, a panel of folks who work for some of the major ag organizations in the state was asked to share our thoughts on the major challenges facing agriculture in general and specifically our organizations.
One of the panelists mentioned the opportunities that come with providing food and fiber for the world - not just Oklahoma or the USA, but the world. And then he said something that brought his entire point into a new focus for me. He said how wonderful would be for everyone in the world to experience "the sheer joy of cotton underwear." The room burst into laughter, but after a little thought about this simple descriptor, it became apparent to me how blessed we are in this country and how little other people around really have.
Prior to his "sheer joy" comment, the speaker mentioned a son that had recently traveled to India. While in India the son said he had stayed in the nicest hotel he had ever been in. And when he looked out the windows of the hotel, all he could see were slums. Countless numbers of people who live in a poverty that most Americans - and certainly me - will never understand.
Those of us who are active in agriculture often talk about what it means and what we need to do to feed the world. We recognize the challenges that are inherent in that effort, but we really don't appreciate what it means to be hungry or what it means to not have clothes - especially "cotton underwear."
As I watched my daughter parade around the house in her pink leotard with the orange and black tutu, I thought about all the things we have and all the things Americans are blessed to have that most of the world simply can't comprehend. While it was momentarily humorous, and while it made an entertaining post on my facebook page, "the sheer joy of cotton underwear" was an extremely profound and eye-opening statement.
