WEEK-IN #18

 The Blessing of what we Eat - 2

We all have learned from our ancestors that we'll have to put at least a couple of grains of our cooked rice aside before we start eating, and we should do it in every meal. This blog is to explain the reason behind it, and also to explain why that isn't needed in the present generation.

What we general citizens don't realize is the importance of maintaining the stability of the ecosystem. We are not the only living things around. Insects, Birds, Animals, Plants live too, to name a few. If we humans want to live a happier life, letting other living things grow is crucial.

In the early days (way before we have started cultivation), small groups of human beings used to live in forests. They used to have an ample amount of food and resources, cause the group is small and they wouldn't disturb the ecosystem. But, we've started building villages, and agriculture came into the picture to feed the masses. Everyone observed a shift in the ecosystem, and that shift in balance slowly added up in having fewer animals around to hunt, less healthy trees, not enough food production from agriculture, to name a few. This happened cause we humans have started consuming all the food around us, without leaving behind any for other living beings. So, they've come up with a solution to put aside some food from every plate, and contribute that to the Nature. That way, they've brought the ecosystem back to balance.

In today's world, there is an immense of shift in the balance, so much that we don't even have an ecosystem to talk about. We import food and resources from where we can find to live and export the pollutants to the lands where there are no humans. Nature took a hit. No good breathable air, not enough drinkable water, not enough fertile land to cultivate, not enough land to let other beings live. Even if you leave some food behind, that doesn't contribute to the Nature at all, cause hundreds of others around you are already wasting huge amounts. Whatever you leave behind rots, and that adds up to the downfall of the ecosystem.

So, never leave any food behind. If you still want to leave some food, make sure to feed at least an animal, or bury it in the soil so deep that it makes the soil fertile. We are a hindrance to this planet, and not leaving anything behind on your plate brings down some burden for the planet. Earth is the only habitable planet we know of, and doing our part to care for our planet is everyone's basic responsibility.