Thea Xuan, G10 宣曦雯

We often talk about involution — endless, meaningless competition in school and work. But today, let’s look at animals. They are trapped in the same vicious cycles. Anti-involution does not mean ending all competition; it means rejecting harmful, pointless races that hurt everyone.

A few months ago, I watched a MrBeast video about UPSIDE Foods and their cell‑cultivated meat. Real meat grown from animal cells, without breeding or slaughter. I was amazed. But the comments were full of doubt: people wanted “real” meat, not “lab food.” Let me explain why this technology is not as strange as it seems.

Take chicken. We take a tiny, painless biopsy from a living chicken’s breast muscle — just a few milligrams. Those cells go into a sterile cultivator and receive the same nutrients a chicken would eat: proteins, sugars, vitamins. The cells multiply and grow into exactly the same muscle and fat tissue we eat. No crowded cages, no slaughter. This is not fake meat. It is biologically identical to conventional meat. And the science behind it — biofabrication — has been used for decades in medicine, from hair transplants to artificial blood vessels. It is safe, efficient, and humane.

So why change our livestock system? Because it is destroying the planet. Livestock uses 27% of the world’s land, consumes 10% of global freshwater, and causes 14.5% of greenhouse gas emissions. In 2018, African Swine Fever killed one in four pigs worldwide. And animals suffer terribly. Broiler chickens are bred to grow so fast that if not slaughtered at 6–8 weeks, their legs collapse. This is the “traditional” system we defend.

Livestock are not raw materials. They are sentient beings. Cell agriculture lets us create the simple tissues we need for food without forcing a complex, feeling animal into a life of suffering. That is our way out of the involution cycle.

There are other examples. Aquariums and zoos compete for flashy shows, leading to animal abuse. Abnormal pet breeding modifies pets for human aesthetics, while animals pay the price.

Anti-involution does not mean giving up meat or all competition. It means choosing better options: cell‑cultivated meat instead of factory‑farmed meat; watching animals in nature instead of crowded aquariums; adopting rescue pets instead of buying genetically modified ones. Always ask: Does this hurt a living being? Does it harm the planet? If yes, remember — there is always a better way.