What if you were stranded on an uncharted island in the middle of nowhere? You are without a phone, without food and without medical supplies; not even a radio to contact anyone. You search the area for wild game and find nothing. The trees are far too tall to climb to harvest fruit, if there is any to begin with. Little by little, the survivors begin to die, for no apparent reason. Hungry, you start eating their bodies by lighting a fire and roasting them as if you were roasting a pig. Of course you feel guilty, but after all, you are starving. Cannibalism can be a survival technique in extreme cases like these. Although cannibalism is most often considered the epitome of wild behavior (Bell), cannibalism is not always intended for pleasure, it can also be a means of survival as cultures around the world practice this act as part of religion and there is no real charge for eating another human being. If cannibalism is a crime, there should be laws to punish its wrongdoing. The first documented cannibalistic action that took place was when Christopher Columbus encountered the West Indian tribe who were participating in the practice of eating human flesh (Arens). The act seen was part of a post-war ritual. Cannibalism has been part of history and religious practices for centuries. So how can we say cannibalism is bad? Although there is a huge difference between eating a human to survive and eating one for sexual gratification, cannibalism is more of a survival technique. There are many differences between killing a person to eat them and eating someone who is already dead. Cannibalism has been practiced in ethnic groups around the world and often participates in this act in order to appease the gods of their culture. The vi...... middle of paper ...... Firstly, cultures around the world practice this act as part of religion. But most importantly, there is no real cost to eating another human being. So something has to be done. If cannibalism is bad in all cases, even for survival, then better laws need to be passed to enforce those who so easily slipped through the cracks. There is no evidence that cannibalism is about to slow down. In fact, studies show that it is accelerating and becoming more visible to the public eye. If nothing is done to put these individuals in their place, you could be the next main course. Works Cited Arens, W. “Cannibalism: Information from Answers.com.” 2003. Answers. Internet. April 24, 2011. Bell, Rachael. “Cannibalism: the ancient taboo of modern times.” TruTV. Internet. April 21, 2011. “Top 10 cases of human cannibalism. » List of verses. Internet. April 21 2011.