Yinyang in the Nature_2 (12/31/07)

There was a person who bought a desert island to cultivate farmland.
When he arrive the island, there were so many disgusting venomous snakes from small hill to seashore, so the entire island looked like a “heaven” of snakes.

He got a good idea.
He bought just 10 hogs and released them on the island.
Then he came back to the island one month later.

What would have been happened?

He couldn’t find any snakes left over, but fatted happy hogs welcomed him. :)
Hogs killed and eat all snakes, since the fang of snakes couldn’t penetrate fatty and thick skin of hogs. Furthermore, the snakes’ venom was neutralized by subcutaneous fat of hog skin.

In our previous section, we saw the phenomenon of Yinyang that male and female want to harmonize each other. However, here we learn another “pair” from hog and snakes. In the nature, relationship of Yinyang that one kill another; in Korean”상극”, in Chinese “相克”, and in English pronunciation “Sang-geuk”.  In other word, one can eat another, since they have opposite energy; hog has cold-energy, whereas snake has hot-energy. This opposite energy against snake was a great medicine for the hog.

Another pair of nature “Sang-geuk” relationship hides important meaning.
In oriental culture, similar meaning to natural enemy “Sang-geuk” has been used.
One without natural enemy getting extinct, one with natural enemy survives.

For example, the relationship between mice and cats can be explained by natural enemy and “Sang-geuk”.
     “The natural enemy of mice is cats.”
     “Cats geuk(극, 克)  mice.”

Sang-geuk always makes pairs among similar levels by antagnization of energy.
However, flies are not scared by tigers, since Sang-geuk relationship does not occurred by the energy.

Water dominates fire. This is also “Sang-geuk” relationship, but it’s just between non-living creatures, not between animals. In other word, “Sang-geuk” or “natural enemy” is a sort of interaction in one territory. Let’s say, in a habitat there is a special animal that adjusted to the environment. Then there must be another animal that has close relationship to the first animal and one-sidedly consume it. If there are two animals just like a predator and prey in food-chain, the prey won’t be extinct, since the underdog-organism has to do anything to survive. This kind of evil by fate is a natural enemy. The reason living creatures have been developed is because of the presence of similar type of natural enemy to them.

Due to the natural enemy, living creatures can escape from idleness, live vigorously, and make progress. Evolution is a gift from the nature to living creatures. It makes possible for living creatures to survive from the challenge of harsh environment and natural enemies.

(translated by Teayoun Kim, kimteay@auburn.edu)