Hello Everyone,

Eaten alive. Cannibalism. Being eaten after you have already been disposed of. These are some things that really hit a different nerve with people when you talk about it. Why? Well, for me it is the feeling that your body is being consumed by something other than the Earth. Maybe it’s because we have climbed to the top of the food chain and are not used to this so the very thought repels us. Perhaps it is the primal fear because this was humans most known threat of death in the beginning of human kind besides the accidental, being eaten by animals.

Cannibalism:

When many people think cannibals they immediately think of Hannibal Lecter or Native Tribes of the Jungle regions where cannibalism was a large part of the Hollywood pictures for some time. In fact it dates back before any of these known Native Tribes of the Jungle Regions and goes back further into all of ancient, recorded and unrecorded, history. It was at some points a means of survival, or in some cases it was simply considered normal to eat something available when in need. Perhaps this fear is stronger in the physically weaker people because human and animal instinct dictates that the weaker prey is the best prey because it reduced the possibility of injuries to the predator. Perhaps that is the human fear that develops there. But what about the strong? They will still have a fear of being eaten. Although cannibalism does not always have to be when someone is still alive. Sometimes in certain parts of the world it is mentioned that the victims of cannibalism were kept alive during the process to preserve the meat. The body’s natural immunities would help fight off bacteria’s the longer the person was alive but also prevent rotting. So there is the eaten alive part of cannibalism.

Animal Fear:

Think about it. We’ve all seen the movie were an animal, snakes pop into my mind, and eats someone alive. That strange fear, that eerie feeling of being consumed by something while you are still aware of it, is strong in a humans mind. Knowing that you will be digested by something before death or perhaps before the suffocation overcomes your will to survive. That is enough for me to shudder. Perhaps it was because in the age old times being eaten alive by animals was more common. We all know it’s a cycle of life and have seen it multiple times on animal shows but deep down we all feel for that animal that is slowly torn apart by the predators and the ones that the predators are already consuming as the animal is still fighting for its life. We all know it must take place for the world to keep spinning around but we really don’t like thinking about it to its full capacity. So I know what you might be thinking. Why would you break it down into such detail and try to bring out those fears in us readers. Because, that’s what makes it eerie.

Thoughts about being Eaten Alive:

Like I’ve said we have all seen in it movies, documentaries, read about it, or even thought about it to its full extent. Just the other day I was watching “Jack the Giant Slayer” because I needed a point of reference clarified for something I was working on and noticed the scenes where the giant eats the guy head first. The guy in the movie fights with his might but even pressing his arms against the giant’s mouth is not sufficient to prevent the giant from crunching down on his upper torso. Think, the last thing he smelled was the breath. Anyways, it is something that irks me so I thought bringing out some details about being eaten alive would strike and eerie note. It is probably one of my biggest fears to be honest. Like a feeling my body is not simply dying but becoming something else, food.

Thanks for Reading,

Joshua Crane Dowidat