I don't watch a lot of TV.
And when I do, I'm a sucker for anything involving World War II (sometimes "war is the answer"), survival shows (including the newest Naked Castaway) and nature shows.
You would think that of those three categories, the last would be most pleasing on the eyes, after all it doesn't involve genocide or a nude British soldier parading his naughty bits around for 60 minutes. But you'd be wrong.
Because Mother Nature can be a cold, heartless bitch.
Last week I watched a show about animals that have evolved into perfect killing machines. It was fascinating, except for the part about the actual killing.
You see, I'm very squeamish and can't stand the sight of blood. I had to watch a good deal of the show with my palm blocking the majority of the screen until the prey had been brought down. And even that wasn't enough, as they showed some hyenas chomping on a poor water buffalo, while he was still alive and kicking.
My heart goes out to that water buffalo.
But oddly enough, I also have empathy for the hyenas and their pups. After all if their parents don't secure a kill, they will suffer a long, agonizing death by starvation.
It's a no-win, no-lose proposition.
And it's the way nature keeps everything in balance.
All this carnivorous activity reminds me of a newspaper headline I wrote for Outback restaurants years ago:
If God didn't want us to eat steak,
he wouldn't have made cows so easy to catch.
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