I remember my friend’s family farm in Poland, 40 or so years ago. It was very typical of a 19h century farmstead (Poland went into societal shock in 1939 and didn’t really begin to recover until the 1990s, it only became free from Soviet suzerainty in 1989). I was there in the late 1970s, so I was right in the middle of a “time warp.” The things I most remember about the farm were the smells and the mud. The mud was truly ubiquitous: it was on my shoes, on my clothes; you could feel the tiny granules of mud’s byproduct, dust, on your skin and even in your mouth.
Layer this with the odors that emanate from a farm: the smell of animal feces, chickens and ducks frenetically running everywhere and you complete my picture. In a word: idyllic. I was home. I arrived in late summer and the farm workers were busily putting a crop of potatoes, cabbage and beets, among many other vegetables, in the root cellar.(1) The communist centralized and government-run economy, at this point, was well on the way to destroying Poland financially: there was little of anything in the shops. The people were shoddy, emaciated and tired. The agriculture community was somewhat better off because it grew food. The agriculture ministry took most of the harvest, (2) but there was still enough to eat. What was lacking was meat, oh how we craved meat! Fortunately, my friend Yas, had a pig. It was considered a real prize.
Now, pigs are very clever and, over time, I became somewhat attached to the animal. It would seem to recognize me and saunter over to where I stood at the fence. He took on the character of Wilber in Charlotte’s Web (ISBN 957-586-096-9). Anthropomorphism (attributing human qualities to other life or energy forms: usually animals) (3) invariably hurts because most of us, including me, are omnivores, we eat meat and vegetables. “Wilbur burst into tears. ‘I don’t want to die,’ he moaned. ‘I want to stay alive, right here in my comfortable manure pile with all my friends. I want to breathe the beautiful air and lie in the beautiful sun.’” And, the fateful day did come: it was decided that the pig was to be slaughtered for Easter festivities. I opted not to attend the butchering out of respect for the pig and also out of a small dose of guilt. I did, however, participate in the feast: I ate well.
An aside: I often drive home quite late in the evening from Chunghwa. I often pass the trucks taking chickens, ducks, and pigs on their way to the abattoir to be killed. I then stop at 7-11 and buy some chicken nuggets. The point of these two events is not to stop eating meat, but simply to remind us that the industrial food system, which removes our consciousness from nature is dangerous. “Industrial agriculture has taken over our food supply. In an attempt to feed more people in an easier and more productive way, food has become ‘products’ full of chemicals, not real food. This denatured food contributes to diseases that are shortening the human lifespan for the first time ever.” (4) The concept is that we should attempt to eat heartily and well, but respect and watch the food that we eat. The great physicist and philosopher, Albert Einstein (1879-1955) leaves us with a thought: A human being … experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. … Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.
A closing thought: Whether we are omnivores or herbivores, we must respect the sanctity of life. Gaia in all her great creation has made everything necessary. I try not to even kill a mosquito or even the lowly cockroach. It would seem that all are somehow necessary in “the big scheme of things.” 7 But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; 8 or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. 9 Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? 10 In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind. (Job 12:7-10)
To sum up: This week, we spoke about having an appreciation for the natural world and for a respect for all life.
A small joke: A cult leader claimed that he survived on air. A doubter said, “I saw you eating French fries at McDonald’s yesterday.” The guru replied, “You can’t call that food.”
Just for fun – CAT STEVENS – Wild World 1971
This week on your peaceful wanderings in a park, please remark on the beautiful nature around you.
Every day look for something magical and beautiful.
Quote: When you achieve pure silence, even when surrounded by a noisy and peripatetic world, you will find your true purpose in life.
Footnotes:
1) Root cellar