Obesity existed before soda. Obesity exists without soda. The causes can be traced from sedentary jobs to the automobile; from deficiencies in parenting to physical education. But soda does play a role. So why accept soda in the first place? Why not just propose dissolving it entirely? If it has no nutritional value, what actual value does it provide?
by Brendan Steidle
Music
1. Like music, it can be our constant in a world of lonely flux; something to turn to when all else turns away, to depend upon when all else fails, to remind us who we are and what we love. Because it is always there, all is never lost.
Proximity
2. When so much of what we want seems impossibly far away, soda stands like an island here before us, a stepping stone across the stream; it is a goal, a destination, something to look forward to that is close at hand and always possible.
Color
3. In a place of stale color and grey monotony, where feet tread always where they tread before, where conversation revolves in endless repetition and nothing seems fresh, it offers color and flavor—a taste of something exciting, maybe new and exotic, in a tired world. It takes us somewhere else.
And that is why we drink soda:
- When things go bad, it’s there...
- When goals seem far away, it’s close at hand...
- When all is stale, it’s fresh...
But none of these reasons have to do with quenching your thirst, and there’s no reason that these jobs-to-be-done can’t be done with a healthier brew. So let’s get to work—offering people better alternatives for drinking, a better product for enjoying, and some new experiences along the way. It’s all possible, it may even be profitable, and it has the added benefit of being right.
