One World

12) Chicken War and Peace

Posted 22nd March 2016

This morning I walked by a small field containing about 15 chickens. The caretaker had put out some seed for them, which was spread over about 1.5m or so. All the chickens were able to feed at the same time, and all was calm and stress free. I watched for a minute or so, then I continued on my way.

About 5 or 10 minutes later I stopped at an arch bridge parapet to take off my jacket, as I was feeling quite warm. Below the bridge, near the river bank, was an allotment containing about 20 chickens. Some of the chickens ran to the corner of their pen, towards where I stood, presumably hoping I'd come to give them food. I was eating a banana, and when I threw the banana skin into the foliage near the allotment (which I only did because it is organic and good nutrition for the soil) they became excited, thinking I was throwing them food, and the remainder of the chickens in the pen rushed to the corner.

Feeling sorry for the frustrated chickens, or possibly falling for their Jedi-like mind tricks, I reached into my jacket pocket and took out one of two apples I'd been saving for my walk. I threw the apple into the middle of the allotment, and all the chickens ran to it, like dogs running to a thrown ball. Within moments, there was squabbling among the chickens. A big cockerel aggressively chased off another cockerel, while the hens crowded around the apple, trying to get a tasty morsel, like rugby players in a scrum.

The apple changed beaks from one big chicken to another. I noticed that there was a small hen on the outside - clearly wanting a piece of apple - but shying away from the actual scrum as it was easily outmatched and could be hurt. So, feeling pity for this little hen, I took out my other apple, and tried to throw it in the vicinity of the underdog. Of course, the other chickens who were not successful in getting to the first apple saw this and ran to the other apple. The small hen was forced to run out of the way of the onslaught, out of fear of being attacked.

I continued to watch: the rabble surrounding the first apple had all but consumed it. The second apple - now little more than a fleshy core - was picked up by a large black chicken which ran away with it. That black chicken was pursued by 5 or 10 other chickens. As a result, it didn't get an opportunity to set down the core and eat it in peace.

I'm not sure how the story ended as I had to carry on my journey, but I realised that I now had a blog post topic for today.

Discussion

In the first case, the small field of chickens, there was an abundance of seeds. Also, the seed was dispersed across a sufficiently broad area that all the chickens were able to get at some seed, without the need to resort to aggression. The caretaker had presumably intended it this way so that all his or her chickens remained fed and healthy.

In the second case, the allotment, the apple was food concentrated in a very localised region i.e. the body of the apple. Consequently, for the chickens to get to it, they had to fight. As a result, only the strongest and most aggressive chickens got any of the first apple.

To alleviate the struggle, and to help the small hen, I threw in another apple. Whilst this meant some more chickens got some apple, probably the second strongest chickens, the little hen was again outmatched. Then, the fastest (and perhaps most cunning) chicken, snatched up the fleshy core of the second apple and attempted to run off with it. Whilst it out ran the other chickens, it never got to enjoy its spoils as it was persistently harassed by its pursuers.

I realised that if I'd cut up the apples into small pieces, and spread them out in the same way the caretaker of the small field had done with the seed, all the chickens, including the little hen, would have got some apple - instead of just the strongest/most aggressive/quickest chickens having it all for themselves.

Conclusion

At present the people of the World fight among themselves for concentrations of resources, like the chickens in the allotment fighting over the apples. Naturally, the strongest, most aggressive and most cunning gather it all to themselves, while the weaker are compelled to stand by in deprivation.

The little hens can wait and wait, but the big chickens are not inclined to share, lest they lose out to other more aggressive chickens.

If resources are shared out to everyone on Earth, like the seed is shared out to the chickens in the small field, then everyone will have their needs attended to.

However, unlike the allotment and the apples case, the field and the seed system has an outside authority that precludes unequal acquisition of resources by one individual or group over another. That authority is the caretaker of the chickens. The caretaker makes sure all the chickens get what they need. There is peace among the chickens in the field, as they don't need to fight to get what they need, it is given to all of them freely.

So, in conclusion, this is what the World needs for peace and happiness to reign: a caretaker who takes care of everyone on Earth, who gives everyone what they need, for all time to come.

Because of the complexity and scale of the planet, this caretaker should be a holistic computer programme linked in to all systems on Earth.

Today is World Water Day. Many in the World struggle to get this basic necessity of life. These are some of the many people who desperately need there to be a global change. Only when the World has a wise and devoted caretaker can the 'little hens' (such as the little girls who forego their education to walk miles to collect dirty water for their families) prosper.

SETI have said that if water is found on other planets it gives rise to the exciting possibility of finding intelligent life. I would suggest that until everyone on this planet has free access to clean water, this planet doesn't qualify as intelligent.

Finally, you may think you have things good right now, but this is only in comparison to those in abject deprivation, 'the little hens'. You, or your country, are the same as the fighting cockerels, suffering pain for a piece of apple. Or the scrum of hens, struggling against one another for a morsel of apple. Or the cunning hen, running with the fleshy core, but being continually harassed by its pursuers. Your life could be so, so much better if you all work together to make everyone's lives better. To submit to a global caretaker is to be like the large chickens and the little hens who happily eat side by side.

"When will there be a harvest for the World?" 

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Image of chickens at top of page from By Tranquilles - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15752990