A Highly Subjective Commentary on a Very Specific and Increasingly Popular yet Markedly Useless Subset of One of Human Society's Foremost Fields

TL;DR On Aura Farming

by KV

A Brief History Lesson with ChatGPT

“

For most of human history, people lived as nomadic hunter-gatherers, surviving by foraging wild plants and hunting animals across shifting landscapes. Early humans, such as Homo erectus and later Homo sapiens, developed tools, mastered fire, and adapted to diverse climates during the Pleistocene. As the last Ice Age ended around 11,700 years ago, rising temperatures and stable climates fostered abundant vegetation and game, enabling some groups to settle more permanently. In regions like the Fertile Crescent, the Levant, and parts of China and Mesoamerica, people began selectively planting and domesticating plants and animals, marking the Neolithic Revolution—the transition from foraging to farming that laid the foundation for civilisation.

References:

D. R. Harris, The Origins and Spread of Agriculture and Pastoralism in Eurasia, UCL Press, 1996.J. Diamond, Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, W.W. Norton, 1997.“

KV’s ChatGPT, 11 November 2025

(trained to give citations—the author did not verify the veracity of the included references, so subscription is at one’s own risk)

Agriculture in Human History

As readers now know (credits to ChatGPT, every modern university student’s best friend), “the foundation for civilisation” is farming. Ancient humans began forming proper settlements with the advent of agriculture—as opposed to nomadic hunting, foraging tribes. These uneducated ancestors were constantly at nature’s mercy with the cold, unfeeling grip of winter always ready to reap their crops and our favourite horseman Pestilence constantly showing up uninvited. In contrast, modern-day farmers—equipped with steel beasts like tractors, cheat codes like gene editing, as well as chemical weapons from Dupont—play the meta. As should be expected from a craft so intimately tied to prosperity, farming is now an extremely advanced field, with global production of primary crops reaching 9.9 billion tonnes in 2023 [1]. While still insufficient to solve world hunger (humanity had thousands of years to address this, and yet…), this is a monumental feat achieved through millennia of research & development—or “trial & error” back in the days of yore, to be more precise.

Branching Out

However, as all scientific areas are wont to do, the monolith that is “farming” was simply too vast to remain a single entity—branches had to sprout to maintain growth. This has happened many times in scientific history as well: “Physics” developed into astrophysics, quantum mechanics, electrodynamics, etc., and even doctors only specialise in treating a single human organ or organ system.

Likewise, farming has in recent times branched out into several focus groups, with the most prominent among generation ℨ (which, for the benefit of non-STEM readers, is \mathfrak{z}, or simpler yet, “Z”) and α (which, again, for inclusivity, is “alpha”) being aura farming.

Farming in the Modern Day

Farming is all about producing great yields from humble seeds. Traditionally, this would mean ploughing fields and depositing seeds within muddy soil enriched by minerals, followed by months of cultivating via the further, periodic addition of water and the eradication of pests.

The modern-day, performance-centric subvariant introduces its own twists to the art, substituting many of the tangibles with the intangibles, as well as the practical with the vain. Instead of real seeds, aura farmers sow nothing but their selves, and the audience takes on the role of the muddy soil (let this be a critique to all ye fanatical concertgoers: imagine paying so much just to be mud). In fact, if one gets mud on oneself during the aura farming process, one’s yield—now measured not in kilos but in ‘likes’, given how central social media is to the average aura farmer—is likely to suffer. Special acts or flourishes such as poses or costumes take the place of fertilisers too, producing a different flavour in the performances that could boost ‘likes’ if done right—or cost them instead if done poorly. Lastly, an aura farmer shuns the traditional implements employed by vanilla farmers. One would be hard-pressed to find a tractor or plough at an aura farm (lest it is part of the theme), yet shiny lenses of cameras would flood such concerts, with the audience cum soil providing the means by which the performance would grow into a bounty of ‘likes’.

The Chronicles of Aura Farming

Unlike traditional farming, however, not much is known about the chronology of aura farming. While aura farming is predominantly a 2020s phenomenon, traces of aura farmers have been found dating from even the pre-messianic days. As all good articles should be, this article is based on facts and historical accounts, with proper evidence cited (in IEEE style, for the author is a STEM human) to support the many bold (and even obviously true) claims made here, so one need not fear bias staining this highly subjective commentary.

While the present-day global political climate and social media inevitably result in entertainers becoming the most successful aura farmers due to their widespread appeal and the nature of their jobs, the earliest aura farmers tended to be great warriors or politicians. A prime example would be the ancient commander so great that “great” is in his name: Alexander the Great (July 356 BC–June 323 BC [2]). A warrior and tactician so skilled, he lost nary a battle but the battle for his nerves (he reportedly succumbed to the Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a neurological disorder) [3]. Despite his many unbelievable exploits in battle, however, his most glorious display of aura farming was his speech at the Hydaspes River in India in 326 BC [4]. After a decade of continuous battles, but with many more to come, his troops’ morale suffered, so he challenged them to leave: “I will make those who stay the envy of those who return.” With his beyond stellar track record, the impact of those words would have shaken even his greatest opponents had they heard him. The yield was immense: his troops, spurred by his rousing words, pushed on, and they emerged victorious against the formidable army of King Porus of the Paurava Kingdom. Ever the aura farmer, Alexander even treated the defeated Porus with the utmost respect out of appreciation of his boldness in requesting to be treated “in a kingly way” upon his surrender, earning his former foe’s loyalty [5].

Another almighty historical aura farmer is an actual almighty being, and one of the main subjects of the most widely printed and translated book in history: Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Before proceeding, the author would like it to be known that the author is a devout Catholic and wrote everything in this paragraph with the utmost respect and reverence. Jesus grew up a carpenter’s son, but is likely one of history’s greatest poets—the majority of His teachings were communicated via grand and eternally memorable parables (seriously, did He think of them on the spot?). From the gloriously absurd—“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” [6]—to the on-the-nose horrific—“There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” [7]—, He’s got all the verses up His (holy) sleeves, and they hit hard. Not just that, however—He had the insanely unfair perk of being almighty, so He could just straight up do impossible things and appear all the more badass as a result. He walked on water in the middle of a storm at sea and even calmed it down (unmatched aura farming) [8], called for a dead man to wake up (and obey he did) [9], and turned water into wine at a wedding (imagine how many would flock to Him after this in today’s world—HONUS would rush to Him by the buses) [10]. Truly, Jesus is one hell (heaven?) of a role model—both for Christians/Catholics and aspiring aura farmers alike.

Now we shall skip through the many other legendary militaristic or political aura farmers in history—to name a few, Leonidas of Sparta (who led The 300 at Thermopylae) [11], Abraham Lincoln (and his monumental Gettysburg address) [12], and Martin Luther King Jr. (and his equally glorious “I Have A Dream” speech) [13]—and begin discussing the modern epoch of aura farming with an illustrious and timeless performer: Michael Jackson, the King of Pop. He was the quintessential aura farmer: vocals that made entire stadiums quiver, dance moves so groovy they sparked a (an inter?)national dance revolution across all walks of life [14], powerful messages in his already catchy music, and part of a minority to top it all off (he was black). Admittedly, Elvis Presley would also be a paragon of an aura-farming performer, but for a moment in Jackson’s career that can only be described as transcending “legendary”. True Jackson fans would recognise this moment—his performance at the 1993 Super Bowl halftime show. The performance contained what is likely the greatest aura farming moment of all time: Jackson simply standing still for a solid 92 seconds, all the while the crowd never stopped screaming (at a Black man doing absolutely nothing!) [15]. His show was so iconic that the Super Bowl halftime show became one of the greatest venues any performer could dream of [16].

A Manual for Aura Farming

The Four Be’s

The lives of such figures offer fertile ground from which the principles of aura farming may be derived, which we shall distil into four key tenets dubbed The Four Be’s:

Be Good

Imagine if Alexander the Great had been a poor commander up to that moment at the Hydaspes River. “I will make those who stay the envy of those who return” would bring endless laughter to his soldiers, no doubt battered and bruised after streaks of nonstop losses under an incompetent leader. The legend of Alexander the High would certainly not be as everlasting.

If one is skilled and shows it, the audience will offer themselves as the soil with open hearts and happily nurture one’s aura. On the other hand, it is extremely difficult for one with no substance to farm aura successfully—it would be akin to planting seeds that have been hollowed out. If one has no ability, one is wont to execute acts poorly, and this is the most effective way of lowering one’s own yield—which, unlike in traditional farming, can become negative in aura farming.

Be Different

One does not have to be a successful Black person in a racist and predominantly white nation to successfully farm aura, but one should be able to stand out and be different in one’s own way. This is admittedly not a must—simply being unbelievably good would suffice, but for the just good aura farmer aspirants out there, this may not be very feasible. When this happens, developing a niche would help one stand out from the proletariat—like the first “organic”-branded product in the sea of normies. For a musician, this might involve crafting a unique instrumental tone or voicing, much like what Laufey has succeeded in doing within a pop-dominated global soundscape.

Be Aware

Awareness is another key trait that could be leveraged to optimise one’s yield. Being aware of oneself, one’s audience, and where one is would help one plot out actions which draw out the most positive response—much like how Jackson’s awareness of his own godlike aura led to his 92-second idle stance. He knew his own popularity, his past of being an unparalleled showman, his fans’ proclivity towards his stunts, and last but not least, the high-energy atmosphere of the Super Bowl. If a random nobody were in his place instead and did the same thing, the halftime show would turn into the halftime snooze—all because this foolish nobody lacked awareness. Only one of Jackson’s status would be able to successfully pull off such a daring stunt. Likewise, if one were a politician or activist seeking support from a certain demographic, one would have to act in such a way that appeals to said demographic’s interests—telling a pro-choice community that one intends to ban abortion is one surefire way of farming middle finger emoji reactions fast.

Be Almighty

No kidding, Jesus is still overall unmatched at aura farming. One should aspire to be almighty like Him if one seeks to be the very best. The homies would come rolling in if one could instantly convert water into wine.

Perhaps, for the majority of aura farmer aspirants, the list could simply be reduced to The Three Be’s, given the low likelihood of attaining the fourth Be.

On the Application of The Four Be’s and Over-Farming

The Four Be’s form the foundation of what could be called aura agronomy. Yet, like all disciplines, theory is sterile without praxis. One should start small and develop one’s green thumb first, before expanding one’s farmland when one’s status and skill level call for it.

Moreover, as in traditional agriculture, overexploitation leads to decline. One who farms aura excessively risks depleting their fields, transforming mystery into monotony. Jesus knew to ascend before overexposure set in. Jackson, too, withdrew at intervals, preserving the rarity of his harvest. The novice, however, posts thrice daily and wonders why the crop rots.

An Argument for Aura Farming

This article has so far discussed the history behind as well as practices and methods in aura farming, but has yet to address why one has to even care about aura farming. The author acknowledges that this constitutes a structural violation of conventional academic protocol (and possibly of common sense), yet maintains that such reordering serves a higher rhetorical yield.

Aura farming is, ultimately, markedly useless aside from nurturing one’s ego. This explains why this motivations section was left to the end.

Conclusion

In the past 2270 words (title, subtitle, and byline included), this article has brought up the concept of aura farming, its history, as well as its practices, before making the stunning claim that it is of no consequence. This article, like the noble aura farmers it sought to chronicle, has produced no harvest beyond the faint shimmer of self-satisfaction and a mild, lingering sense of irony.

Nonetheless, if the idea of being worshipped by the masses is what ye seek, go forth, ye aspirants—pose dramatically, pause for exactly 92 seconds, and let the algorithms water your crops. Civilisation began with agriculture, and if things continue this way, it may very well end with aura farming, so face the end while looking cool.

References

[1] Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, The Future of Food and Agriculture – Trends and Challenges, FAO, Rome, 2017. [Online]. Available: https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/df90e6cf-4178-4361-97d4-5154a9213877/content

[2] History.com Editors, “Alexander the Great,” History.com, 2018. [Online]. Available: https://www.history.com/articles/alexander-the-great

[3] History.com Editors, “Alexander the Great’s Cause of Death Finally Discovered, Researchers Say,” History.com, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.history.com/articles/alexander-the-great-death-cause-discovery

[4] B. McKay, “Alexander the Great’s Speech at the Hyphasis River (326 BC),” The Art of Manliness, 2017. [Online]. Available: https://www.artofmanliness.com/character/knowledge-of-men/the-35-greatest-speeches-in-history/#speech_Of_Alexander_The_Great

[5] Clay Lane, “Treat Me Like a King,” Copybook, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://claylane.uk/copybook/?title=treat-me-like-a-king

[6] Holy Bible, Matthew 19:24, BibleHub. [Online]. Available: https://biblehub.com/matthew/19-24.htm

[7] Holy Bible, Luke 13:28, BibleHub. [Online]. Available: https://biblehub.com/luke/13-28.htm

[8] Holy Bible, Matthew 14:22–33, New International Version, BibleGateway. [Online]. Available: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2014:22-33&version=NIV

[9] Holy Bible, John 11, New American Standard Bible, BibleGateway. [Online]. Available: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2011&version=NASB

[10] BibleGateway Editors, “Water Into Wine: The Hidden Lesson,” BibleGateway Voices, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://www.biblegateway.com/learn/voices/water-into-wine-the-hidden-lesson

[11] M. Cartwright, “Leonidas I,” World History Encyclopedia, 2016. [Online]. Available: https://www.worldhistory.org/Leonidas_I/

[12] A. Lincoln, “The Gettysburg Address,” Owl Eyes, 2015. [Online]. Available: https://www.owleyes.org/text/gettysburg-address/read/text-of-lincolns-speech

[13] M. L. King Jr., “I Have a Dream,” American Rhetoric, 1963. [Online]. Available: https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm

[14] Biography.com Editors, “How Michael Jackson Changed Dance History,” Biography.com, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://www.biography.com/musicians/how-michael-jackson-changed-dance-history

[15] NFL, “Michael Jackson Super Bowl XXVII Halftime Show,” YouTube, 1993. [Online]. Available: https://youtu.be/Dfn3c5gxTgE

[16] J. Lockett, “How Michael Jackson’s Super Bowl Halftime Show Changed Everything,” Grunge, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.grunge.com/1772065/how-michael-jackson-super-bowl-halftime-show-changed-everything/