Edited Summary

The oil we eat
By: Richard Manning

The Oil We Eat by Richard Manning is an essay about life and the civilization that comes along with it that we create. “All animals eat plants or eat animals that eat plants. This is the food chain…” This means that the circle keeps going around and round. We as humans, eat animals that eat plants. The circle of life is one thing that will never change. If plants weren’t there, chances are we wouldn’t be here either. Plants are very essential to our lives. They create energy and are a very prized possession to the human society. If the cow can’t graze the field and grow bigger, the human can’t eat as much. In the essay, Richard manning presents a surprising statistic. Humans consume 40 percent of all living things (including plants) on the earth. That is a big number if you break it down into how many animals and plants that really is.
This essay is primarily about the problem in an examination of modern agriculture, oil, and soil. Richard manning speaks on how Hunting and gathering, the occupation of early humans, is stated to have produced healthier people than today. He stresses the fact that we rely on machines to make our food which uses our earth’s oil is almost to a point where it’s not healthy anymore. Human beings now a day’s sometimes only rely on McDonalds to get them through the day. This isn’t healthy nor is it good for our environment. He does make truthful statements that should be realized by many people in our society. Manning also drills into the readers head the fact that oil is not what it used to be. There is a bigger demand but less of the product. More production of vehicles such as SUV's, require more gasoline and consume more of the oil supply.
My opinion on this essay is like most others. We agree but also disagree on some points. Robert Manning is too worried about the stresses of life and his surroundings than it seems he enjoys life. He brings up great arguments that are completely accurate, but what can we do about it? Well, we can try to reduce global warming and save fuel so we don’t drive as much. Maybe some of us will stop buying processed food and learn that natural or organic foods are far more healthier for us. We can sell the SUV and buy a compact car that gets 60 miles to the gallon rather than 12. In the essay it seems he is nervous about the production of oil, like there is none left. We are at our peak for oil usage, but why can’t we drill anywhere else on our planet? Africa or the Atlantic Ocean. This could be done and could possibly change the minds of many individuals that are nervous about the loss of oil.