Imagine,
if you will,
a hawk.
Circling far up
in the summer sky,
when out of the corner
of its razor sharp eyes
it espies a mouse.
A meal.
A hard bank right
and our hawk plunges
into its murderous descent.
It folds its wing
closer to its feathered frame,
and reaches speeds
of up to two hundred
miles per hour.
As this bird of prey
plummets towards
the unsuspecting mouse,
do you suppose
it ponders
the morality
of its actions?
That it should spare
this unaware field mouse
because it cannot defend itself?
That,
because of its elevated position
within the animal kingdom,
it should “know better”
and choose to live
in a manner that does not
cause any harm
to this poor mouse?
No,
no it does not.
It strikes the mouse
faster than it can process
the hawks talons
rending through its soft flesh.
The hawk has accepted its role
in nature,
as has the mouse.
We upset the delicate balance
of the universe
when we attempt to change
the natural order of things.
Only when we grasp
our position in this cycle
are we truly free
to live our lives
to its fullest extent.
~LT
How lucky we are, as humans, to have a nature so different from the animals! That we can trade our bloodthirst for a desire for peace, that we can transform ourselves from selfish to generous, from self-centered to altruistic, from cruel to kind, is what makes us so wonderfully human. Unlike the predator and the prey, we always have a choice.
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While I do agree, the hawk is never considered evil, is he? For abiding by his nature?
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The hawk is not considered to be evil by the hawk. The mouse, however, is aware of the threat at all times, by instinct, and does its best to stay hidden, with nature’s help. We humans consider the hawk to be evil, because we anthropomorphize animals, and view such predatory tendencies as a sickness, something that can be cured or somehow overcome.
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But the hawk is not evil. He is merely doing what he must to survive. His actions are done in survival, not malice. Just because we know better, doesn’t mean we ARE better. Food for thought 🙂
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I respectfully disagree. The fact that we humans KNOW better, and can make the choice to adapt to a way of surviving that does not cause harm to another, DOES make us better than the beasts. And among men, there are some who see theft, murder, or other forms of malice as a way of surviving, and are seen as “beasts” for behaving as the animals do, as though they have no choice. We humans are better, because we can choose to do better.
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I was disagreeing with the idea that the hawk is evil. I do not think anyone would view murder as a justifiable means of surviving. There are apparent good and dark forces at work, but I was trying to shed light on a neutral force as well, such as nature. Thank you for your ideas 🙂
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What a lovely thought! Thanks for stopping by at my blog. Your poems are very good indeed…
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I am humbled by your kindness, friend. It does me well to hear your thoughts on my paltry words 🙂
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