The Quandary

Two brothers were playing in the field. The younger asked the older, “In this world, only kindness should prevail. No cruelty ever.” The older boy sighed before saying, “They must co-exist, or they will both cease to be.” “That makes no sense. How?” said the little bro, squinting as he looked up at his older brother who promptly replied, “Because often in this world, you need to be cruel to be kind. There’s a reason Nature is red in tooth and claw, little brother. Without that, Nature will cease to exist. The Tiger hunts the deer so the deer don’t eat all the grass and bush-leaves, leaving the trees with no foundation in which to shoot down their roots, leading to all manner of death and destruction. Keystone predators need to be cruel in order for all Nature to maintain Life. What looks like bloody murder is, in truth, an act of kindness .”