There lived once a large society of Otters and Elephants. The Otters lived on the water, and the Elephants lived on the land. They did not have any contact with each other, but they both lived in relative peace and happiness. Above all else they loved their children more than anything.
Coincidentally, one day something happened to both the Otters and Elephants. In the water where the Otters lived swam a group of Crocodiles. In the plains where the Elephants lived came a pride of Lions. They had never seen a Lion or Crocodile before, and so according to their values they welcomed them as friends into their lands.
The Lions tried to kill an Elephant calf and failed, the Crocodiles tried to kill an Otter pup and failed. The Otters met and debated what had happened. The Elephants met and debated what had happened. They both began by stating how much they loved their children. They both also agreed killing is a horrible sin and they must not do it. Their plan was simple, protect their children if there is another attack.
Time went by and the Lions and Crocodiles persisted. They were both finally successful. One Elephant calf and one Otter pup was hunted, caught, and eaten alive while screaming for their parents. The societies watched in horror. They met again and debated.
Chaos ensued at the debate. A wise and respected Elephant stood up and spoke.
"What happened is horrible, and no words can undo what has been taken from us. How do we protect our children and our souls? We can. Letting these foreigners into our land was a good thing and made us virtuous. We do not have to decide between killing and saving our children’s lives. We can do both. We must believe that Lions can be good and that this one Lion does not represent the rest. We must learn to tolerate and live in peace with the Lions."
Chaos ensued at the debate. A wise and respected Otter stood up and spoke.
"What happened is horrible, and no words can undo what has been taken from us. How do we protect our children and our souls? We cannot. We thought that letting foreigners into our lands made us good people, but it made us murderers of our children. We must decide which murder we will bear, murder of Crocodiles or murder of our children. We must believe that all Crocodiles are the same and that all of them will eat our children. As long as a single Crocodile lives we will never be able to live in peace."
Years went by. The Elephants had decided to never kill and so they were innocent of murder. However the Lions never stopped trying to eat their young, as a result the Elephants lost all their children. The Otters had decided to kill. They were murderers, however the Crocodiles were no more and so their children were safe.
