We'd capture praying mantises, and place two in a box, face to face, and hold our breath, expecting them to fight to the death. And they often did. We were cruel, yes, but we were kids surrounded by the unblessings of adult cruelty. Only later did we unlearn those violent lessons (not all of us learned) but let's not romanticize mantises. Today, I watched a video of a mantis snaring a hummingbird at a backyard feeder. That successful hunt seemed to violate physics. How can a mantis be that strong? Dear humans, how often have you been unknowingly wrong? My errors seem to be infinite. So, dear birder, are you aware that your sugar water, however sweet, is often just bait for the winged and doomed? Ah, we humans are often most cruel when we assume that what we do is only good.
What a powerful poem. I was immediately reminded of C.S. Lewis:
“A tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive…. Those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.”
A very deep truth that can assist us in understanding much of the evil in the world and in history. The road to hell. Great poem.