Here’s a question for you; would you let aliens look after you?
A few years ago I went to Switzerland. Apart from the epic scenery and mountains, the main thing that I remember are the cheese and chocolates. So much dairy has to come from somewhere and as part of our trip we couldn’t help but notice the large amount of veal which our diet suddenly consisted of. As most veal meat comes from young males there’s a double whammy of guilt that hits you. Not only are you over indulging in super calorific chocolate and cheese, but you are also eating really young “surplus” veal meat.
My mum said that she felt sad at the thought of just using animals for their milk and at the same time eating their unwanted children. I tried to console her and said that at least the cattle in Switzerland were well looked after and whatever their lifespan was, at least it was a comfortable life. Living a life on the rolling hills of Switzerland surely can’t be that bad?
I ended up thinking about humans and aliens (I promise this is not as much of a non sequitur as it may at first seem). I started to think about how humans would react if aliens came down to Earth and told us that they would take care of our every need – food, water, sex, comfortable living conditions, entertainment – everything that a human may desire on the caveat that we would be executed at age 60ish to 70ish for food.
I think most humans would agree that if aliens came and offered this to us, we wouldn’t accept it and would do anything to avoid a situation like this. I don’t think humans could be placated with a set of condition by which to live. I imagine that if a scenario like this did occur and humans were forced to live within set parameters we’d almost be like zombies. It would limit the full gamut of human experiences – the highs and the lows, real love, friendship, accomplishing ones dreams…
Thinking this through, it actually made me realise that most humans on Earth are already living as if there is an alien overlord. Most people begrudgingly end up in work they don’t care for, they end up working for organisations until it is agreed that they must “retire”, at which point they can go away and wait for the bell to toll.
My girlfriend went to Africa on a hike last year and she mentioned how the animals in the wild seem so much more alive than the animals in the zoo. She couldn’t really explain how or why, but they just seemed a lot more dynamic. Although it’s much more dangerous for animals to live in the wild, what with the threat of a predator coming and killing them at any point, it’s the way animals want to live. It’s their natural habitat and way of life.
I think I have noticed a similar thing in humans as well. There are some people out there that are just grabbing life by both hands and living it the best they can. They look different somehow, I can’t explain how. They just seem more alive and grounded in reality. A lot of entrepreneurs seem this way to me. It may be a more dangerous and risky existence than living life according to what society dictates, but it’s probably the most natural way of living – to have a real calling in life and devoting yourself to a cause that is truly important to you.
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