Choking on Candyland

Does the hunter pity his prey? Does he somehow know that the death of one contributes to the life of another, and cry to the stars in lament for the life that was lost to feed his own? Or is the hunt simply a game, and the extinguishing of another life but the forfeiting of an irrelevant piece to achieve victory?

There are numerous ways to attribute this problem to humanity; the first is in the basic aspect of survival in its simplest form. The utmost goal of the human being is to survive – it is inconceivable that any species would have the dumb luck to survive for so long without that pure, basic instinct. It is natural to assume that the survival of the species is beneficial overall, while the survival of the individual becomes secondary; however, this concept only works in the classroom, due to the fact that it ignores the realities of personal survival. The species is important, yes, but the human mind tells itself that, so long as it personally is the one to survive, the race will similarly continue.

However, one of the primary issues with using the model of the hunter to reference human behavior is that such natures are seldom altruistic or utilitarian. Humans are indeed hunters, yet are divorced from the natural aspect of animals by virtue of their own intelligence; the ability to reason a personal belief in what constitutes 'enough' necessitates that the individual will place their own desires first, until such a time as they are fulfilled. This is not to say that human nature is wrong or immoral (as morality is but another facet of human construction, irrelevant to every aspect of life) but that it is often contradictory with the benefit of the species, as well as directly contrary to the purported beliefs of many hunters.

It is self-evident that human behavior, notably in capitalist societies, encourages one to profit off the losses of another. A man cannot gain money without another losing it; it is thus the desire of man to gain the most while losing the least, fueling ever-greater levels of profit. The purported morality and codes of ethics that we humans cling to are often riddled with justifications for our actions, or else are simply additional tools to achieve the purpose of profit. While there are certainly those who act altruistically, it is within the greater framework of deception and profit – thus the concept of charitable donations for tax write-offs was invented. 'Good' deeds are not given without a thought for what will be gained. Even the prevalent tenets of Christianity that plague Western society are predicated upon receiving an ample return for investment; what is a few dollars when the reward is eternal life, when those who do not give are condemned to fiery torture for an eternity?

Returning to the original question, it would appear the hunter does not pity his prey; in the case of honest, moral, law-abiding and possibly religious upright citizens, there exists countless methods of divorcing oneself from the realities of an action. The capitalist hunter does not even recognize that his prey must inevitably suffer for him to prosper, and as such cannot pity him. For those on the other side of the law, the brutal honesty and willingness to place oneself first likewise suggests that the survival of the hunter is the only relevant topic to consider. The prey is doing its part, and while some may indeed pity it, the suffering of the weak is irrelevant when compared to the benefit of the strong.

This mindset is crucial to the survival of the individual when the extent of humanity follows the same creed; only a universal adoption of species benefit over personal benefit would result in a change that, if not removing the need for prey, would likely at least introduce a stroke of compassion or pity. However, as such a lifestyle is deemed by the Western world to be the root of communism and evil, it is unlikely that our culture will transform willingly. Until and unless the day comes when the change is forced upon us, the hunter will continue to flourish...until all that is left is a row of sharp teeth sitting atop a decaying skeleton, alone in every sense of the word.