I just watched some guys on YouTube eat a whole pineapple, skin and all.
Apparently pineapple exteriors have an enzyme that digests protein and basically tenderizes the inside of you mouth and later your digestive system – it digests you while you digest it. These guys were bleeding from the mouth by the time they were done.
Of course this looks like a stupid thing to do. But it also has some strange appeal, just like the stunts on MTV’s Jackass. Or climbing Everest for that matter.
Humans want to know.
We want to see firsthand (or at least secondhand) what happens when you do this to that. Watch kids mess around with household objects. They always eventually do something stupid with them.
This is a wonderful trait. It can lead to tragedy, but it is also the most human, fully alive kind of activity, and it pushes humanity forward.
We want to go to Mars because it’s there. We want to know what will happen. We have to try it.
The kids doing pineapple challenges are channeling the same spirit that drives us forward. When we’re interplanetary, you can thank them. (If they’re still alive.)