Archives For
Extremes

A recent news program reported that U.S. organic farmers are having a “row,” as the Brits say, over the organic label.

One side, we’ll call Purists, want the label to apply only to foods strictly raised without synthetic substances.

The other side, we’ll call Pragmatists, want broader availability of organics in the market and are willing to accept the use of some synthetic substances.

It makes you wonder what do organic farmers throw at each other in a food fight? “Who threw this un-certified organic banana at me?”

While I am not one to pick sides in the organic-label war, I do understand the nature of the tension.

Many organizations feel this type of tension between purists and pragmatists around all sorts of issues.

Theology, gender, economics, parenting, politics, policy, standards of dress, on and on organizations wrestle in areas that seem to demand a stance. Should an idea be held to its purest form or should the desire to reach the masses lead to a compromise?

I often find fear at the core of both the purist and the pragmatist positions. Two very different kinds of fear but fear just the same.