Tales From the Old New Land - Century 2 - Generation 7 - Dialogue 2 - Some

And the Children of Babel did speak with the kings of the earth and they did say "Verily, we have spoken with the mothers of the earth and they hath pleaded you to end this war ere their last children depart for the valley of the shadow of death."

To which the kings of the earth did respond "Behold, what have these children to live for? We cannot provide them plenty nor succor without visiting the valley ourselves, for they shall rise up and revolt; and therefore their lives are saved merely by their commitment to our darker purposes. Only their deaths shall endow them with meaning." 

And the Children of Babel did reply "Thou dost surely realize they would disagree." 

To which the kings of the earth did respond "What else may we do for them? Their lives are but torture and squalor, but glory may they find as a swordly extension of the sovereign's arm." 

To which the Children of Babel did respond "They do surely have their consolations, and surely they do value their lives however small. Life mattereth to them if even thou seest them as wheat for the harvest."

And the kings of the earth did reply "Only pharaohs see themselves as gods of stone. We sovereigns are half mortal and do feel the guilt of their calamities. We cannot provide them with more ere they go the way of the earth, and when they do, the flock thins, and as shepherds we may tend them more." 

And the Children of Babel did say unto them "Thou wouldst not have to fret over rebellion if thou hadst not become as tyrants over them."

And the kings of the earth did say "We did not become tyrants, our tyranny was compelled by the tyranny of many kings before us, and should we relinquish our despotic privilege, others would assume merely what we had, with all the greater force for their insecure positions."