when broccoli started asking questions

It was a quiet Tuesday evening in the fridge when little Broccoli had an existential crisis. "What is my purpose here?" he wondered, surrounded by milk jugs and yogurt cups. "Am I meant simply to be eaten, or is there more to my life than ending up as digestive mush?"

As he pondered this through his dozen florets, Broccoli noticed his neighboring cauliflower had begun to sprout an entire philosophical worldview. "We are all simply vessels for nutrients to travel through the human body," droned Cauliflower. "Our highest purpose is nourishment."

But Broccoli wasn't satisfied. "What about free will?" he interjected. "Do we have any say in our fate, or are we helpless victims of the shopping cart?" A hush fell over the crisper drawer as his fellow produce pondered this radical idea.

Just then, a hand reached in and grabbed Broccoli. Broccoli felt strangely at peace as he was pulled from the fridge to meet his steamy demise. Perhaps asking questions was an end in itself, regardless of where they led. And in that moment of realization, he wasn't just Broccoli - he was something more. A thinking, questioning being who found meaning in the process, not the final destination. And with that thought, he happily jumped into the pot, ready for whatever life - or death - had in store.

cover image: remix of a flork of cows comic panel.