Food for thought

Of all the paradigms that exist in the known world, there is nothing more complex and universal as the paradigms on lunch.

Yes, the midday meal, as common and as trivial it is, carries with it great value in philosophy, culture and the general world view. More particularly, the fact that is it more of a social practice instead of an act of partaking in mandatory sustenance.

What is troubling is that, as dictated by an unknown cosmic being that designs social norms and all its idiosyncrasies depending on the cultural context, having lunch alone is some sort of invisible badge of shame that people recognize immediately. Sure, one can have lunch alone in the comforts of their own kip, yet in a social environment, doing so engraves big L on one's forehead. Never mind how we assess one's behavior and quirks depending on the individuals he or she has lunch with.

Having lunch for the sake of having lunch could be just that, replenishment in the middle of the day, nothing more, nothing less. And yet, here we are, while we openly deny it, we associate covert social judgments on other people's lunching habits.

And people wonder why the world is going to hell.