Take a cue from animals

We humans pride ourselves with being the most intelligent and creative of God’s earthly creatures. That is conceivably indisputable yet man has since time immemorial, inevitably learned from the animals and merged some of their observations into human qualities which in many ways aided in our civilization too.

Bats are blind but their flight paths are guided by high-pitched sound emanations and bounce-backs which tell them where objects and obstructions lay. The radar which came in handy during WWII was invented based on this principle. Male Antarctic emperor penguins care for the young while the females leave for extended periods, as studies show, to replenish on nourishment – the precursor to today’s househusbands.

Ancient Indians and Chinese based their martial arts by learning from and imitating animals ranging from tigers, monkeys on to storks, snakes and even the mantis. They integrated these animal moves into specialized fighting skills. Examples can go on and on but truly, man ought to take his cue and learn from animals.

To begin with, animals are never pretentious or sarcastic. They are direct. They are never cynical and don’t bother to criticize. They may be full of antics but these are designed mainly as body or sign language. They are not conniving albeit animals in packs are known to plan ambush. They are never mean. When they fight, it is instinctively for survival or propagation reasons. Most of all, they don’t cheat or lie. Though they could be cunning, then again it’s for strategic reasons which are again more of a survival instinct.

They are not ungrateful. Rarely do they bite the hands that feed them. They are loyal and have been known to sacrifice themselves purely out of love or a call of duty. They don’t abuse their young. Lions are known to devour their mates' cubs but then again these are predominantly for sexual reasons since lionesses will not mate when they are nursing cubs. Hence it’s cognitive to life’s conflict of purpose.

Animals don’t backstab! They would usually confront or run away from any unwinnable situation. They are not malicious except perhaps for leopards which are known to hunt purely for sport. They don’t flatter.
They don’t cause environmental damage or carnage just out of greed or disregard. They are easily satisfied too and live by the day. They don’t destroy in order to rebuild and fight fair without the use of weapons.

Few are ever unreasonably aggressive or antagonistic but they protect their territory. There is no bribery or corruption. They don’t incarcerate others and certainly don’t blackmail. They kill for self-preservation but don’t premeditate murder. They don’t persecute or torture and never bear false witness. They are guided by their natural instincts and are quick learners. They can be apologetic but don’t know embarrassment.

So you can perhaps tell me who’s higher on the morality scale. As time passes I have a higher tendency to conclude that animals are actually superior on many fronts insofar as dignity and honour go. Who knows? Should reincarnation be true then some of us might be reborn as hyenas, vultures, crocodiles and the likes as some stage of soul purification.