Hunters

Kingini and her kittens - mother, not hunter

Kingini, my cat, is an appalling hunter. Anything that moves catches her attention: a fluttering leaf, a lizard on the wall, even a dangling thread. She will observe it with the sharp eye of a hunter before pouncing on it with her feline playful killer-instinct. Once she even brought a snake home. 

Is hunting a basic instinct of most animals? I was struck by this thought as I tried to engage in a friendly conversation with my young partner yesterday. We were both judges at a spelling competition. During the intervals I tried to have some meaningful conversation with her and failed pathetically. She was a teacher by profession. Yet she seemed scared of people. Do I radiate some predatory waves? I wondered. That question soon became generalised in my mind. Are too many animals hunters by instinct, some being potential victims like my young companion?

Evolution has etched the hunter deep into the nerves of my Kingini and her other counterparts. What about human beings?

We flatter ourselves that we have risen far above such instincts. We are builders of proud civilisations. We write constitutions that sound profound. We preach noble morality, speak eloquently about peace and cooperation. Yet beneath the polished language and carefully ironed clothes, the primitive hunter still prowls.

Only the prey has changed.

If our ancient ancestors hunted animals for survival, today we hunt attention, influence, wealth, followers, votes, market share, and sometimes even the humiliation of rivals. Social media platforms have become forests of ambush. Television debates resemble ritual combat. Political discourse thrives not on understanding but on tearing down the opponent. Even ordinary conversations often carry concealed weapons: sarcasm, suspicion, ridicule, passive aggression.

We don’t bare fangs; we weaponize words.

Maybe, this perpetual hunting instinct has eroded trust among some gentle creatures like my young companion mentioned above. Trust requires the assumption that the other person is not constantly preparing to exploit, deceive, or overpower us. But most people seem to be doing just that: exploit, deceive, overpower…

Apparently.

A shopkeeper suspects the customer and vice-versa. Citizens suspect governments. Vice-versa again. Friends screenshot private chats and share it on social media. News channels hunt for outrage instead of truth.

The result is emotional exhaustion. People become guarded. Simple friendly conversations seem impossible.

Are we advancing materially while retreating psychologically into a primitive jungle?

A society without mutual trust becomes a gathering of isolated hunters – surrounded by others, yet unable to connect with them.

Kingini hunts not for survival, but for sheer fun. Cruel fun. It’s her instinct. Are humans like Kingini? At least in the perception of quite many people?

Do I look like a human version of Kingini? The thought did make me move out of the room where I was supposed to relax with my young fellow-judge as we waited for the next level of the competition to begin – and I took a selfie to look at the potential hunter in me. Here it is, that selfie.

xZx