Food and the future

There is an idea that meritocracy always wins. It is individual efforts that result in positive outcomes.

The writer is a UET graduate and holds Master’s degrees from Sargodha University and Allama Iqbal Open University Islamabad. He can be contacted at wajahatsultan6@gmail.com

From the historical struggle of empire building to the contemporary quest for information dominance, humans have always been in a continuous battle to dominate the world which is invisibly decided and shaped by the availability of nutrients and food consumption patterns around the world. Food consumption with all necessary fibers and macronutrients contributes to the development of effective formative psychologies, resulting in statistical minds, cognitive performances, and forward-looking speculative psychologies. Consequently, efficient mass performative psychologies produce diverse mindsets and thinking cultures. In short, it is the availability of food choices that play a significant role in deciding power dynamics at all levels.

There is an idea that meritocracy always wins. It is individual efforts that result in positive outcomes. It is an invisible fact that meritocracy is a paradox. The decision to win for an individual is decided when they are born. Meritocracy is a popular idea that not only provides relief, but also creates barriers to equality and inclusion of lower and middle-income individuals. According to Daniel Markovits's The Meritocracy Trap, meritocracy is one of the most hyped ideas. An elite education, which involves admission to a top preschool, a private secondary school, a university and then graduate school, may result in a six-figure income for someone born into the upper-middle class or upper-upper class. The idea of merit is dismissed because a person from the middle class despite a lot of hardwork and effort would never get the privileges of elite education which turns into elitist opportunities to expand capabilities in the long run.

From this idea, the most perceptible aspect to discuss is that food choices in the initial phases of life also decide the performance of individuals in later stages of life. A person who barely consumes adequate food will not perform equally in adulthood if he or she gets all the nutrients from milk, dry fruits and nuts. Food contributes to making the competence of an individual. Early stages of effective food availability confirm the diverse and multidimensional functionalities of a person. In comparison, a person with inadequate food choices will never meet those markers of diverse performance. Now think on a larger scale in terms of state competition at the international level. All those advanced states where food choices are adequate will have more abilities to develop for performance than those who live in those countries where food choices are inadequate.

From 1948 to 2024, as per the report of The Economist titled 'How to raise the world's IQ', it is derived that human consciousness raised 2.2 points a decade due to improvements in food, micronutrients and folic acid. Human IQ levels and consciousness have been significantly raised in the last 75 years as a result of improved food. This raised IQ helps to develop statistical thinking and analytical skills.

Analytical skills, to make effective decisions through vigorous analysis and interpretation, are mandatory for democratic consolidation. It is because democracy is based on effective decision-making. This effective decision-making comes when human cognitive abilities and understanding are good. All these operations of mindset develop with early intervention in food effectiveness. To summarise, democracy sustains when individuals have effective food systems.

From early formative psychological development to sustained adequate food intake in adulthood, good food availability and choice promote innovation and inventive reasoning. People who consume enough food with nutrients will be more productive in socio-economic efficiencies, resulting in positive social contributions. A state's responsibility is regulating effective food consumption so that citizens can develop constructive mindsets that can be channeled for nation-building and increase the visibility of their countries at international forums.

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