Kelsey Garegnani - response to Wendell Berry

 "The verage American farmer is now an old man whose children have moved away to cities.  His knowledge and his intimate connection with the land are about to be lost...some would justify all this in the name of efficiency.  As I see it, it is an enourmous social and economic blunder.  For the small farmers who lived on their farms cared about their land."

The author states that many small farmers are being pushed from their buisnesses because they cannot compete with "methods of haste".  She also claims that the common public disclamer to this is that its jsut in the name of efficiency.  That is certently what our actions demonstrate we value but I sincerely doubt many would say that is a perosnal valuse of theirs.  So which do we value? Do we value hard work, care and concern, and skill as we say or do we give ourselvs away by our actions?  I wuld argue that actions will always hold more weight than words - for what are beliefs and oinions if they are not backed up by actions in response to them?  For instance we can claim to trust a chair will hold us ip bu if we refuse to sit in it how strong a message does our faith relay?   It is even faith then if we are not willing to put some action into it?  beliefs in my opinon can hardly be considered beliefs if they are not acted on.  therefore while our society might laim to believe in the American dream ad support "the little man", we have seemed to replace those with a dependence on efficency and speed which has lead to greater use of cheap, quick, and more harmful products and methods.