"Humans are not the most intelligent of creatures." — Pain

Pain's words were a reflection of his experiences in the ninja world: how shinobi seem to act out of hatred before they think of the suffering of others, and the outcome that will result from their actions. If we take a look at our own world, what can we take from this? Are our actions really any less selfish than theirs, or are Kishimoto's characters mirror images of ourselves?

Considering the chaos we've created over time for the sake of modernism, I agree with Pain. I at least think that's the case for the majority of the world. The current health of our planet is not a good one due to human settlement over natural lands, with complete disregard to nature. What's more are human activities of waste disposal and toxic substances that kill nature, and hunting for the sake of pleasure which causes other species to go extinct before their time. We haven't been too good to our own bodies either: creating gadgets that potentially give us cancer, producing foods that are imitations of the real thing which may also cause cancerous cells. We have also created a culture with a bag of self-destructive notions of beauty on weight, skin color, hair, eyes, and body figure. We live within a society that encourages individualism as oppose to community, which has led to our disregard for others’ well-being (e.g. big corporations). In my opinion, this is all due to our disconnection to the natural environment.

Let’s take a look at other animal species: What all animals have in common, and something that domestic animals (keyword domestic) have lost over time, is the sense of danger; the threat of an upcoming natural disaster. It’s been recorded from various researches that animals seem to flee days before an earthquake, for example. Speaking of which, might I mention the unique magnetoception of vertebrates? That’s better than any basic senses we have, yet we dare call animals primitive. Are you kidding me? In terms of community, many animals have systems that are based on the survival of their clan, such as lions, where the female hunts for her pride, which could be of up to 30 other lionesses and lions (males being the minority), and the dominant lion guards them.

Now, let’s take a look at indigenous tribes all over the world: they all have many things in common, one being that they value nature, and live within it, not without, just like other animals. Another thing is their perspectives on society: everything belongs to the community, not them alone or their blood relatives, because others are seen as extended family.

I think co-existance with others & animals is important. We should harness nature and integrate it into our lifestyles.  I also need to mention that Earth goes through phases of destruction and rebirth naturally (e.g. ice age); however what we’ve done has caused the impact of this cycle to worsen. I do a lot of reading and research on culture & such, so I may have strong opinions that others may not agree with. But that’s the point.

What do you think about what Pain said?

.COMPLEX