I’ve always suspected there was much more to plants than we knew, that they potentially felt pain, communicated, were “self-aware”. It’s nice to see science investigating in this area. I just watched this documentary,
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/what-plants-talk-about-video-full-episode/8243/
(if the above link doesn’t work try this)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrrSAc-vjG4
and I was completely captivated. I think anyone with an interest in gardening, farming, food, life will enjoy this film.
I’m reminded of a discussion (well you could hardly call it a discussion, she just got mad) I had with a vegetarian friend years ago, when she posted something about eating plants rather than animals because animals feel pain. My response was: how do you know plants don’t feel pain? She said: Don’t go there with me. Ok, well, I guess she thought I was being sarcastic, but it was a serious question. I get it, I tried veganism. I don’t enjoy seeing other creatures suffer, I don’t enjoy killing. But, how do we know that plants don’t suffer? We don’t. I feel just as bad cutting a tree down for firewood as killing a chicken for dinner. Maybe worse. Who decides which life is more valuable? Chickens are cute and fuzzy (they’re also aggressive little predators), but they only live a few years whereas trees can live hundreds, even thousands. Which is the bigger loss?
Now, the film has nothing to do with veganism, it’s not political, it’s about the methods of plant communication, that’s it. So, if you don’t like my ideas, or you disagree with me, don’t worry, you’ll still enjoy the film. I’ve just been thinking about this a lot lately, and this film got the wheels turning.
I suppose this field of research may turn a few vegans into fruitarians, although that’s not what I’m driving at. And I’m not attacking vegans or vegetarians, like I said, I get it. I would hope this research can bring us together to help reduce suffering for all creatures we depend on for food. All living creatures want to continue living, all life deserves respect. Unfortunately, life and death are intertwined, some must die for others to live. Life is not a Disney movie, much as we might wish it to be. Our job as humans is to be responsible stewards, and to leave the Earth better than we found it.
If you watch the episode, let me know what you think.