[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VObLitSe3K0&feature=player_embedded]
Listen to Fred Kirschenmann explain how soil is actually a community of life that is vital for all our food. As he quotes Wes Jackson, since we are so dependent on soil for our life and eventually return to soil, we are simply stop-overs between soil and soil.
I can only recommend this really fascinating talk if you have a quarter of an hour of spare time!