Caged Contentment

A blog from my latest Radio Bristol thought for the day

              

   Let’s start with chickens; a recent report from Bristol University suggests that with “new enriched cages”, caged hens may actually now be better off than some free range hens. They have, and I quote, “space, they've

Contentment when the family are around

got a little perch and they've got things they can scratch on!”  I’m no expert on hens, but that sounds fairly limited. Truth is though that some, in the carnage of the Philippines or witnessing the on-going grind in Syria, would probably be happy with those provisions.  In Bristol do we have enough? Well you have access to a radio and probably electricity, you may struggle with some bills, or even attend a food bank to keep yourselves fed, but these are there. I wonder how many are living on a wage below the, “living” wage of £7.65 an hour. And with rising energy bills, is that really just an enriched cage, just enough to scratch by.

                 For me, this isn’t a one way street; I am not convinced that everyone gets happier or fulfilled the richer they become. Too much, seems often to be nearly as destructive as not enough. There is a lovely phrase in the bible saying godliness with contentment is great gain. I am convinced there are plenty of people in Bristol who have all they need, or even want, but still they are not content. On the other hand, some have no job, no prospects, not enough to feed their family nor enough heat to feel warm, but from my experience they can sometimes be wonderful contented generous people. So I guess my thought is, scratch it out with what you have, and always keep an eye out for other chickens less fortunate than you are!