Eat or be eaten

I think about the food chain a lot. I know people who span the entire spectrum of vegan and carnivorous lifestyles. Among political and economic issues, a big concern for vegans and veggies seems to be that they don't want to take the life of an animal for their own eating pleasure. And some carnivores are quite proud of their position at the filet-mignon-eating end of the food chain. However there is still one thing they both have in common: they have to kill if they want to eat. In fact, the same goes for every living organism on the planet. In order for any form of life to survive, it must constantly end the life of other organisms and ingest their bodies.

Even a level-five vegan (you know, someone who doesn't eat anything that casts a shadow) still, at every meal, kills and consumes other living organisms. Theirs just happen to be plants that don't seem to care or fight back. However, ironically enough, plants themselves could technically be considered the most carnivorous of us all. Because what else is good black soil but the massive decomposing graveyard of billions of organisms. Plants could even be said to eat people, if one of them has access to our yummy body as we turn back into soil. They could also be considered cannibals, if you consider the fact that they absorb the remnants of their own fallen flowers and leaves.

I guess I'm not really arguing a point here, just throwing out a perspective on an unavoidable truth: death is an absolute necessity for life to survive. And it's a beautiful thing, because we are a part of that circle. And the tragedy of death is completely relative. If it's your father, you could be devastated. If it's a deer you killed in the woods so your family can eat and survive the freezing winter, you could rejoice. If it's a cute fluffy white bunny rabbit that got torn to pieces and eaten by a pack of ravenous wolves, you could feel sad. But hey, those wolves are rejoicing.

It's safe to say that we humans have more control over when and how we die than any other species of life on this planet, but it's still just cleverly delaying the inevitable of course. And all life is designed at its core to avoid death as long as possible, so let's face it - death is by far the most fearful experience we will ever endure or witness. Most of us are spared the terror of dying in the jaws of another animal, but that's how most of life on this planet gets to spend their last few moments, so we should consider ourselves lucky.

I think the only thing that makes death bearable for some people is the possibilities of where we could end up when we discorporate from this pile of ripe yummy meat. For some, it brings them hope and calm when none can be had. Whether it's true or not, none of us truly know for sure what happens after we die, so I say let people embrace their hope. Because who the hell are we to know death well enough to say they're wrong.

Anyway it's unavoidable. One day you will die. And then you will be eaten. So smile, order up another juicy prime rib, and enjoy your life. And praise Jesus if you want. Or don't.