Eternal Enemies

The movie “Eternal Enemies “ compared the lives of lions and hyenas to human beings. Clearly nature is not tame, calm and beautiful. As Darwin explained nature is survival of the fittest, which unfortunately (for me who does not like blood) it is brutal, fierce, and sometimes saddening. In many ways, it is easy to compare humans to the relationship of lions and hyenas in terms of competitiveness. We, as the lions and hyenas, do fight over territory especially resources. We claim what is ours and if someone takes these things away we either look to the law, or we simply go to war. Although there is a clear difference between the lions in the movie and humans in terms of competition, that the movie does not acknowledge. Humans have reason and understand when they hurt another, animals do not understand to the full extent we do. Animals simply compete for survival, but it seems to me that humans no longer compete solely for survival.
Another interesting conclusion that the movie can to is that animals, therefore humans, destinies cannot be changed. Inevitably death awaits and cannot be escaped for the lions, hyenas, and the rest of the animal world. Although if destiny is predetermined for humans, I think certain situations within our culture cannot be explained. Upward mobility, which America prides itself in having, apparently is false because nature determines our destiny. If anything is clear humans are not hyenas in that social class is completely fixed, unless you live in a caste system. The second half of the claim that our destinies are predetermined attempts to justify humans hurting one another. The interpreter states that it is our instinct yet it seems to me that we are not just animals because we have reason. Just as in the competitiveness example, previously mentioned humans have reason therefore the ability to understand others pain. So this claim the interpreter makes seems to me to have some major flaws. I acknowledge that in some ways we are similar to the lions and hyenas but in others we are not. It is essential for the human race to understand that we are different (maybe not as different in the ways we commonly think) so that some cannot justify horrid acts by simply saying “I’m just an animal”. Obviously one is left with many questions after watching this movie such as: where is the justice in that or why doesn’t the other lion help that lion or even why does this have to happen?