[Opinion] Scorpions

There is an old story about a scorpion and a frog swimming across a stream together. The frog piggybacked the scorpion after the latter promised that he would never use his poisonous sting. It said, ˝Why should I do that? If I sting you, we will be drowned to death together.˝ When they almost crossed the stream, the scorpion stung the frog, however. Drowned deep down to the water, the frog asked why and the scorpion answered, ˝I could not help it. It is my nature…˝

▷Scorpions are known for their poisonous sting. When stung by a scorpion, one is bound to be either paralyzed or dead. This is why scorpions are described as evil and satanic in the Bible and as a symbol of attack and revenge in many literary works. Biologist Robert Trivers observed that humans has the scorpion`s nature, too. It is that humans are made to generate meaningless conflict carelessly. From the evolutionary perspective, human genes do whatever it takes to survive. If something works for their interest, they do not hesitate to hurt others and their descendants rule the world with that selfish gene inside. Although the conflict does not necessarily mean the demise of the two sides as in the old saying, sometimes good will can lead to a great tragedy. Trivers noted that conflict is inevitable because one`s interest is bound to be different from another`s.

▷According to recent studies, scorpions use different kinds of poison depending on the enemies they are facing. Professor Bruce Hammok found that scorpions attack large-sized enemies with more fatal poison and small ones with less fatal poison, which indicates efficient consumption of energy. With the less fatal poison, they even sting female counterparts during mating. There is nothing they can do about it since they are made in that way. When mating is over, female scorpions, like some 80 other female creatures on earth, eat out males with tears in their eyes. Male scorpions are dying for pregnant females so that they do not need to look for food. Is there any similarity here with humans, too? Women take care of their children at home, while their husbands work exhaustingly to bring home the bacon.

▷Most scorpions choose to run away rather than facing with an enemy. They do not sting people unless they are attacked first. A scorpion appearing in a legendary story in African Mali Republic says. “Death to those who touch me,” which contrarily means that if they do not touch him, they will be spared. In the human world, however, when people do nothing to attack first, they are often hurt fatally. An attack is the best defense, they say. In an age where people travel at light speeds, we often feel like being on a downward escalator. If we stay where we are, we are easily outpaced. Then we just wish we were in the scorpions` world.

Kim Sun-deok, Editorial Writer, yuri@donga.com