Ben Franklin is attributed to saying: “Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see.” I didn’t give it much thought at first since I am a product of twentieth century egoism and think the only truth that matters is my own and my modern counterparts whose ‘truth’ (we are told) is as valuable as my ‘truth.’ That’s a liberating idea because my truth can be garbage. Like this one: “Raising hens is easy.” Or this one, “Chicken ‘security wire’ protects chickens.” See?

Franklin was warning us that “what appears to be” is only an appearance. And to warn us further, he cautions us that people’s opinions about “what appears to be” likely has no relationship to truth at all.

We can’t learn anything until we humble ourselves, that was a “truth” I learned worth keeping, so let’s start there.

The amount of things a human being must know to survive in this world with any degree of skill or satisfaction is incredible! First you must sort through the appearance of things to get to the reality of things (as Franklin warns us). That one assignment may take the rest of my life to learn and practice before developing any competency at it. Plus, you need to feed yourself and your hens (or whoever those ‘charges’ are in your life) and care for their health and well-being in a world which clearly does not particularly care about you or your well-being or your health. The FDA qualifies Twinkies as “food.” Doesn’t food need to possess nutrition to qualify as food?? And healthcare, only health care that is profitable is what matters. Hen health is not an issue. Your hens are disposable as are any creature who does not serve the so-called cloudy concept called “Progress.”

This is what happens when we are proud and foolish and do not sort out the appearance of a thing from reality of a thing as Franklin warns. It’s extremely profitable for powerful people for hens to be foolish. Eat this thing we call ‘food.’ Get sick. Buy this thing we call healthcare BUT as the disclaimer goes on television we cannot be held accountable if you get sick and die from our medications because we are powerful own everything including Washington D.C. and We make the rules. Period. That is what Franklin was warning us against.

Lesson for hens: “Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see.”