Dear Greeks, The Olive Tree Resents You
Empathing With Trees — Stories Of Husbandry, Slavery And Self-Objectification
Empathing With The Oldest Living Olive Tree
It certainly surprised me that there was a feeling of a collective coming from each of the olive trees. This particular tree seemed to be livid. There were swarms of tourists around, taking pictures and seemingly “adoring” the tree, for its size and methusalehian age. And yet, none of them acknowledged the tree for what it was — a living creature. To them, as to all of the people who buy into patriarchy, a tree, no matter how magnificent, is just thing. A commodity. Everything is a commodity.
Husbandry — a revelation
Lately, someone has brought to my attention that the patriarchal family system is similar to raising farm animals. This is where the idea of “husbandry” came from in the English language. In this perspective, the “husband” of the family is, in fact, the owner of the family herd that he is raising for his own profit, like a farmer raises animals. Some say “care” for animals. We know that term is misplaced. Does a farmer care for animals only, without expecting anything in return? Or does he raise animals for slaughter? Let’s be real. The only reason why animals are raised is…
