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| I reckon society could take a few lessons from a bushytail. |
I was sittin’ in my tree stand a while back being entertained by squirrels. Good thing they were movin’ because the deer sure weren’t. I was amazed by the action as they chased each other through the leaves, up the sides of trees, and even right up the tree in which I was sittin’. One gray squirrel was hot after another and the first one ran right up my tree and slammed on the brakes just below the deck of my stand. He was frozen like a furry statue as he stared up at me through the deck of the stand. Those big dark googling eyes were saying, “Wow-a, Hooold it!...What in the world is that thing?!”
Just then his comrade came screaming around the tree, passed his partner, passed the deck and right up beside my legs before slamming on the brakes. He too stood motionless. He had that startled “what the heck have I got myself into now” look about him. Now, if you’ve ever sat up in a tree with 2 squirrels within inches of you and tried to keep your 1 eye on both of them you would understand why my head moved…it’s impossible to watch’em both and keep your head still. Anyway, I moved and they tore out like their tails were on fire! As soon as they hit the ground they were off again.
A few minutes later as I scanned the woods I heard a commotion of squirrels barking, leaves crunching, wings beating, and a distressed critter squawking in agony. I soon spotted a hawk that had swooped down and apparently nailed a squirrel about 70 yards from my stand. Now all the squirrels were barking and headed for higher ground. It was an awesome and fierce sight for sure. I had to take pause and wonder about the event that I had just witnessed. A squirrel had just become dinner for a hawk.
As I pondered the whole episode I was listening to the squirrels barking up a storm and I had an epiphany. Squirrels don’t believe that they are entitled to life – they simply make the best of an opportunity for an individually self responsible existence within the higher laws of Mother Nature. They gather food for themselves, they find hollow trees or build their own nests, and they live life to their full potential. Squirrels have fun, even under the specter of predators that are everywhere.
To me this was a very interesting proposition - adult squirrels don’t depend on others to gather their food. Adult squirrels don’t think that others should have to provide them with shelter. Adult squirrels are pretty much on their own when it comes to self preservation. Yet squirrels still manage to live life to the fullest.
Now here’s a rub. I started wondering... why doesn’t that also pertain to humans? As adult humans, we seem to have adopted an entitlement perspective on life as opposed to an opportunity of an individually self responsible life. Boy now, you reckon that idea will toss a cherry bomb into the hornet’s nest in some circles?! I thought about it for a long time. How would our society be different if we believed that only children had a right to life while adults had the right to the opportunity of an individually self responsible life? As parents, our job would be to raise kids to a point that they were ready, as adults, to embrace their opportunity to an individually self responsible life – no more handouts.
The more time I spend in the woods the more I come to believe that the Creator’s design is perfect in every way. It is completely fair to all. It is beautiful, warm, fun, and loving and it is brutal, cold, and unforgiving. Ultimately, it is indifferent toward individuals. It is the process that prevails – the cycle of life. I reckon the further this society gets from the Creator’s design the more convoluted our lives become. But hey, don’t pay no mind to me – when you study squirrels you’re bound to be a little nuts! So says the One-Eyed Hillbilly.
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