A moment of our time – part 33

Revisiting part 33 of my A Moment of Our Time.

Part 33 of A moment of our time is all about farming. Farming seems to most a normal practice of everyday life. In regards to Earth’s systems it is not. Farming has come about in the current interglacial period, a mere blink of geological time and very recent even in the 7 million years of the branch of evolutionary history that represents our species’ antecedents.

Farming

Think about all the farming and growing at that moment

Think about all those people growing tea at that moment

Think about all those people picking tea at that moment

Think about all those people growing coffee at that moment

Think about all those people picking coffee at that moment

Think about all those people collecting honey at that moment

Think about all those people making cheese at that moment

Think about all those people growing grapes at that moment

Think about all those people making wine at that moment

Think about all those people growing cocoa at that moment

Think about all those people harvesting cocoa at that moment

Think about all those people growing sugarcane at that moment

Think about all those people harvesting sugarcane at that moment

Think about all those people growing cereals at that moment

Think about all those people working on a farm at that moment

Think about all those people sowing seeds that at moment

Think about all those forests being destroyed to grow palm oil at that moment

Think about all those forests being destroyed to grow cocoa at that moment

Think about all those forests being destroyed to create pasture for cows at that moment

Think about all those things being grown at that moment

Think about all those fruits being picked at that moment

Think about all those flowers being grown at that moment

Think about all those flowers being cut at that moment

Think about all those poppies being grown at that moment

Think about all those nuts being harvested at that moment

Think about all those vegetables being picked at that moment

Think about all those cows being milked at that moment

Think about all those sheep being shorn at that moment

Think about all those chickens free to roam at that moment

Think about all those chickens in very small cages at that moment

Think about all those goats being herded at that moment

Think about all those animals forced to work the land at that moment

Think about all those machines being used on farms at that moment

Think about all those fish farms at that moment

Think about all those animals caged in fur farms at that moment

Think about all those bears caged in bile farms at that moment

Think about all the land being cleared to grow crops at that moment

Think about all the cereal being harvested at that moment

Think about all the crops being planted at that moment

Think about all the food that is wasted at that moment

Think about all the tobacco being grown at that moment

Think about all the coca being grown at that moment

Think about all the cotton being grown at that moment

And all in that same moment, a moment that has passed more than a few moments ago

Think about how long ago that moment was and how many moments have followed and yet we are still thinking about what took place in that original moment