Just a toothbrush

In the last post bread and the supermarket supply chain was just a random example of how there is something interesting and extraordinary behind the most mundane of activities. Whether supermarkets are a force for good or evil is beside the point, the way they organise their distribution is impressive. Today I came across an article that clearly shows the intricacy and interdependencies of our global economy by looking at what goes into to the production and distribution of just one product.

It gives a different perspective to my run because although the example is an electric toothbrush but it could easily have been a pair of running shoes, a heart rate monitor or a technical T-shirt.

When I run I tend to think it is just me in the landscape doing something basic to being a human animal, something done by all of my forefathers. That is still the case but I now know more clearly I am also carrying the rest of the world on my shoulders, my wrist or on my feet.