As the modern world moves on bringing us new ways of living,
playing and eating we find ourselves more and more removed from certain things
that are common placed. For examples instead of labouring away to build our own
homes to live in we now have specialized individuals with their various
machinery to do the work for us. Instead of simply running around pretending to
be pirates, cops and robbers in our back yards as the children in the old days
used to do, we now have virtual reality where the experience is almost as real
as if one were to live in the actual game, never mind the countless other
gaming consoles and internet itself. Then there is of course the process of
feeding ourselves that has evolved from us having to go hunting for our own
food to it being brought to our very door step, if we wished.
But with all this advancement, surely there must be
something lost in the process of such detachment?
Looking at a recent video made by Buzzfeed we see how a few
people from the city are tasked with killing their own food for the first time
and eating it. Now while it isn't a new concept, I'm sure, it’s an interesting
experiment that allows us to see how a few individuals accustomed to the modern
way of life, like many of us generally are, take to the simple act of
‘harvesting’ their food directly.
While observing them we see quite a few emotional moments as
the city folk realise that these adorable creatures that hatch from eggs and
are quite cuddle-worthy are in line for one single fate.
The reality that they,
these fluffy feathered birds, are living beings that move and run, gives a few
of our amateur farmers pause as the time comes for them to pick their chosen
meals.
Honestly, as a negative human being, I find this revelation
quite refreshing. The mere fact that some of our species can hurt, if only
slightly and briefly at the idea of harming another creature gives hope for our
species in general. Doesn't that mean the same feeling can be transferred to
humanity?
What was even more interesting to see was that neither of
the amateur farmers could watch as the chicken bled out without some form of
melancholy. It was as if the act of killing the animal numbed them slightly.
Needless to say they were more than glad once the deed was done and the process
finished off. Though the experience didn't turn any of them against eating the
animal, it’s clear that more respect was given to its consumption as the gap
was closed between their modern lives and the reality of our food’s origins.
So I wonder, is advancement really all that good if
sometimes things like this are lost, the respect one gains for the food they
harvest for themselves knowing where it comes from and why it’s so precious?
Of course, it isn't always the advancement that is at fault
but the perception of those who only look at where something is going and not
where it comes from.
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