Take Me To Your Leader...

I've had this deep suspicion for a long time that the human race has pretty much lost the plot.

We evolved into a race with more power than many other species, in terms of our sophisticated language, and our sophisticated tools (see machine gun. See atom bomb). And it always seemed to me a little unfair that we should exert this super-natural power (I mean 'super' as in 'above': powers above what might be considered natural) over the other life-forms with which we share the planet.
We have removed ourselves from the natural eco-system and now dominate (and smother) the whole thing.

So I've always had these nagging and rather gloomy thoughts, but thoughts are easy to override as long as they remain just thoughts.

Earthlings is one of those films that you know you should watch but you try to avoid. Because you know that it will challenge your thinking quite radically. You have this fear that it will shake you so far from your comfort zone that you will never be comfortable again. Well, then don't watch it. But if, as I was, you are uncomfortable in your 'comfort zone' (a zone made comfortable by ignorance, in my case); if there is a seed of regret within you about our (humans') relationships with nature and the creatures on the planet, well then give it a try.

I'd heard of Earthlings a while before I encountered it on my detox bootcamp (as an assignment!). I'd heard from a friend who could bring herself to watch only the trailer, that afterwards she couldn't quite eat meat in the same frame of mind as before, and was attempting to cut meat out of her diet almost completely. Wow, I thought, this film must be pretty radical. So when I received it as an assignment, I knew that the time spent watching it would lead me, certainly, to a fork in the road of my journey. And I watched it; the whole thing. And it spoke to those parts of me that were sad for what we as a species have become.

Now don't get me wrong: There's nothing I dislike more than people getting all up in my face about what I should or shouldn't do. Because I want to make up my mind about that! But I also know that making up my mind about how to live from a place of ignorance is foolishness. Better to hear as many other sides of the story as you have access to, see what's really going on, and make decisions based on truth. I also know that there are different truths, and that any film has its bias. But even taking that into consideration; even holding onto the hope that Earthlings doesn't tell the full story, I cannot ignore what truth I have seen in the film.

Anyway, that's enough rambling from me on the subject. The film is a free online documentary, and both the film and the trailer can be found on youtube. I've added the full film below - it's about 1.5 hours long.

So, Consider yourselves challenged! Earthlings has allowed me to open myself up to a new level of love and respect for the other 'earth-lings' (inhabitants of earth) on the planet. Although it is a difficult watch, it is well worth it. But I promise, nothing will be taken personally if you don't watch it. I'm sharing it as something which has defined my path.

Here's the film.

'Til next time! 
xx