Dear Illustrious Citizens of the United States of America,
I write to you from the great pasture of the beyond, the wilderness of the hereafter, the luminous field of eternity. In my time on Earth, I was known as Old MacDonald.	A vast and fertile land was known as mine, and on this land, I sheltered as many animals as I could, for as long as the land would have me. From the mouths of merry beasts came an oink oink here, a cluck cluck there –songs I will sing forever. We worked hard, we cared for one another, and we knew that every carrot and crow is precious. But my friends, it breaks my heart to see what has become of our land. It is crucial that we make smarter decisions about the food we eat, as they affect the land that sustains us all. I implore you: Look outside with me.
Sadly, we have learned that the way people are eating contributes to disease. Stretching	out where there once grew checkerboards of strawberries, lettuce, potatoes and apples, we now see field after field of corn, all coated with pesticides that have the power to harm your bodies. Dusty cattle farms choke the fresh air with waste, and farm workers get sick just by breathing. Meanwhile, tiny organic farms struggle to hold on as big factory farms swamp the market. Those who wish to do well are over- powered by those who care only about the money they make and not the harm they are doing to people. Hospitals grow overcrowded with those who have fed from these toxic fields. Yes, a ruined land leads to a ruined body. Instead of eating fresh fruits and vegetables, people consume far more sugar than they should, with soda and candy leading them to heart disease and obesity. People are so afraid of real, wholesome but- there that they actually eat hydrogenated oils and trans fats, all of which contribute to diabetes, cancer, and weak immune systems. Non-organic produce puts pesticides, meant to kill insects, straight into human bodies. As you can see, my friends, when we look outside, we must inevitably look inside. The devastation we see outside has crept into the very center of our lives in countless harmful ways.
I now reach out to you from the hereafter with my hands open, my heart striking a hopeful tune. Please take what my life has offered – all the happy sounds of happy ponies, the radiant opening of orange blossoms – and use it to your advantage. Keep these pictures in your minds. When you eat, be grateful for every bite. Think about the origins of your french fries, your fruit snacks, your bottles of water. Think about your chocolate bar, your grilled cheese, your peach yogurt. Then, when it is time for more and you find yourself at the market, reading ingredients. Don’t let anyone you love buy items that have hydrogenated anything, high fructose anything-both of these are poison. If you see ingredients you don’t understand, look them up. When-ever you can, buy organic. Go to farmers markets. Support the ones who want to do well. Stop giving the ones who don’t care. Always eat the food that makes you feel proud. Our fields can again be generous, and then our hearts may be as well.
With deep affection,
Nathan_Zheng