Exploring

I had most of the day off today, so in addition to catching up on some NPR and other news sites (did everyone else know about the big hurricane in the Caribbean?), Tomoe and I went for a short hike up a nearby riverbed. We started at the same "remote" point where we were stranded with a flat tire last night, but were quitedisappointed to find dam after damn dam - even at 1200 meters.

It was still a beautiful day for a hike - not too hot and the water was warm enough for a quick dip without a wet-suit. We only made it to the last dam before the "unregulated" part of the river began. I wanted to go further but Tomoe had driving lessons in the afternoon.

I used the rest of my free time catching up on NPR and other news.

One interesting article I found was this NYT bit about the chicken-slave/egg industry. The article highlights the growing demand for "cage-free" eggs. It also mentions how "cage-free" really means nothing. Tomoe and I rarely, if ever, eat anything with eggs while at home (when I am at work and other people are in charge of the menu its pretty hard to control that kind of thing). When we do have eggs we know how many are in a 5-meter area, and how often they get to go outside. The eggs are hell expensive, but the main reason we shell out is because of the horrific treatment of the the chickens who provide most of society with the cheap eggs we have been trained to "need". Just take a look at the photo of the supposedly better-treated "cage-free" chickens in the article.

A lot of people I know talk about "free-range" chickens as well, but often all that means is that the door to their cage was opened for a few minutes offering them the "opportunity" to go out and enjoy a real life befitting a bird. Of course, having been raised their entire life in a tiny pen, they are to afraid to step out and see what a real life might be like.

Hmmmm. Chickens, people... are we really that different? How many of us have been raised our entire life confined by an extremely limited view of what life should be and could be? How many of us are afraid to step outside that view and experience the joys waiting us outside our own little coop? Given the obvious likenesses, I wonder why it is so hard for us to empathize with the chickens.