It must be so.

From River Out of Eden: A Darwinian View Of Life by Richard Dawkins.

The total amount of suffering per year in the natural world is beyond all decent contemplation. During the minute it takes me to compose this sentence, thousands of animals are being eaten alive; others are running for their lives, whimpering with fear; others are being slowly devoured from within by rasping parasites; thousands of all kinds are dying of starvation, thirst and disease. It must be so. If there is ever a time of plenty, this very fact will automatically lead to an increase in population until the natural state of starvation and misery is restored.

I am a keen enjoyer of the great outdoors - hiking, swimming, climbing, etc. I love vistas and views. The close examination of wondrous things and the stock-still contemplation of the overwhelming, the awe-inducing wonder of it all.

But every now and then I cannot help but recognize exactly what Dawkins is pointing out. All that life, all that joy, inextricably intertwined with all that suffering and barely comprehendible tragedy.

To appreciate the wondrous awe, sometimes you have to know that it is part and parcel with the chilling tragedy.