Who is Better? The Solitary King or the Social Giant?
#intothewildwithrufus
I’ve always loved connecting with wildlife for the enriching life lessons they teach us without being preachy in any way! 😊
Yes! Just by paying attention to their life and living, we can gain invaluable insights for our own life and living, thus making our own life and living all the more meaningful!
That’s hence, Wordsworth, in his inspiring, call-to-action poem titled, ‘The Tables Turned’, asks of his readers to abandon “barren” books and study the natural world! He believes that, nature possesses such immense wisdom, acting as a guide, a nurse, and a guardian that could teach more about humanity and morality than books or formal education can do!
Come forth into the light of things and let Nature be your teacher,
he exhorts us! That’s because Wordsworth firmly believed in the innate spiritual power of nature to teach us and to heal us! This he feels, can help immensely in fostering a great sense of creativity, imagination, and emotional growth in us!
I should gladly admit that, Wordsworth’s “words” are indeed “worth” their weight in gold and assume a lot of significance and relevance in today’s context.
Also, I’ve been able to experience first-hand this therapeutic power of Nature as Teacher! So every time I pay attention to a bird, a bee or a butterfly, an elephant, a tiger or a bear, I should humbly admit that, I have been able to gain invaluable insights and enriching wisdom for an entire life!
Well, with this backdrop let’s now go straight into our blogpost!
If you were to ask me what my favourite animal is, the majestic tiger will always take the top spot. But the elephant is a very, very close second. What fascinates me the most about these two magnificent creatures is how they represent entirely different ways of thriving in the wild! 😊
On an aside, I wish to reference a very insightful blogpost done by one of my best students ever – Ms. Shree, who is also the ADO of our College now, on “From a Dog Person to a Cat Person”. This post owes its inspiration to her post. You may want to read it HERE on her vibrant blog.
Well, it was such a deeply insightful blogpost. I am sharing it here with her consent! 😊 She starts her blogpost by saying that, “Cats are lovely and independent. They don’t belong to anyone”.
In like fashion, the tiger is the ultimate individualist! For all ye cat lovers, as ye know, the awe-inspiring tiger is really just a supersized cousin of the great grand feline family! 😊
Yes, the tiger is a solitary hunter who “relies” more on itself! Self-reliance! The elephant, on the other hand, is profoundly gregarious. They are the ultimate socialites of the jungle, relying on deep family bonds, communication, and a sense of community to survive!
This beautiful, social nature can be seen in the simple, everyday life of any elephant herd.
Quite recently, I had the blessed chance of witnessing an elephant family having their quiet family time deep into the forest, amongst the tall grass.
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| Act I, Scene 1 | Done with his Eating! :-) |
As you can see here, in this first snapshot, the little one is completely done with his eating. You can almost see for yourself the exact microsecond the drowsiness hits him! The baby’s trunk (I was told by our accompanying naturalist, that the baby elephant is just two weeks old), goes weary, and he starts to sink into the grass!
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| Act I, Scene 2 | To Sleep or Not to Sleep! :-) |
In the second photo, the baby looks like, he’s contemplating the good ol’ Hamletian double bind - To sleep, or not to sleep? 😊
Added, the temptation of the soft, green grass bed is just too much to resist.
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| Act I, Scene 3 | Feeling Drowsy! :-) |
Now the dilemma [or the double bind] is over! In the third photo, the lullaby has had its effect! The nap-mode is about to takes over!
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| Act I, Scene 4 | Snore Mode Activated! :-) |
And... in the fourth snap, we have a lovely snorer of sorts! 😊
The baby is, as you can see here, now fast asleep and lost in his dreams!
But the most beautiful part of this scene isn’t just the sleeping baby - it’s the elders around him! – hope you noticed how they both stand tall, ears alert, and trunks ready!
This peaceful scene indeed taught me more than I could ever imagine!
Both the elephants, here, believe in sharing the burden of raising their young ones. Both mom and dad (and often aunts, sisters, and grandmothers) stand together as a united front, keeping a silent, loving watch over their little ones.
However, that’s not the case with a tiger mother, who – although she is fiercely protective of her cubs - she bears that burden entirely alone. She is a single guardian in a vast forest!
It is a powerful reminder that while the the deep, communal bonds of the elephant commands our respect, the fierce individualism of the tiger captures our hearts!
One lovely lesson I garnered from this snapshot I had taken, is that, whether you are fiercely independent like a tiger or thrive in a close-knit group like an elephant – cheer up!
You’re on the right track!
There are moments in life where you need to be in a close-knit group like an elephant’s, to need your dose of encouragement, love and support! But that’s a minimal 1 or 2% of our lives.
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| That fierce look he gave us, when I was busy trying to tune the ISO to get the best shot! :-) |
At the same time, there are times in life, when intentional solitude helps us sky-high – sometimes even to a whopping 99%!
While humans are inherently social creatures (like the elephant), leaning entirely on the “herd” can sometimes cause us to lose our individual identity! On the other hand, embracing the spirit of the tiger in us, offers us invaluable, powerful lessons for our own lives.
At this juncture, allow me dear reader, to bring in Soren Kierkegaard, the famed Danish philosopher, who famously wrote that, “The crowd is untruth!”.
To Kierkegaard, when we surrender our individuality to a group, we lose our personal accountability, our moral courage, and ultimately, our authentic selves. The crowd provides comfort, but it demands conformity in return!
Looking at this lovely scene through Kierkegaard’s lens, the contrast between the tiger and the elephant takes on a much deeper, existential meaning then!
A tiger does not view being alone as a weakness or a source of loneliness; solitude is its natural state of power. In our modern, hyper-connected world, we are constantly surrounded by noise, opinions, and the constant demands of our “herds” of all hues!
That’s why channelling the tiger in us helps us lots! It means we learn to value our solitude. Spending time alone allows us to recharge, process our thoughts without external influence, and discover who we really are!
When a tiger hunts, it cannot rely on the herd! It must obviously trust in its own instincts, and its own strength. In our lives too, there are moments when the support of our “herd” may not be quite enough to carry us through a challenge! That’s where we go ahead confidently with the gut feeling within!
Added, a tiger knows exactly what its territory is, and it defends those borders fiercely. Very often, we might struggle with saying “no” or letting others encroach on our time, energy, and peace of mind. The highly independent tiger reminds us that it is healthy - and very important for us - to establish strong personal boundaries and protect our emotional territory all the time!
So now for the takeaway –
Ultimately, then, the most fulfilling human life requires us to strike a balance – to embrace both of our favourite animals. We need the elephant within us to build our relationships, nurture our friendships, and create a safety net for those we love.
But... at the same time, we absolutely need the tiger within us to maintain our individuality, stand on our own two feet, and walk our own unique path with confidence.
With Donne - and let me requote him –
We in us find the elephant and the tiger!
So yes! give space for the elephant in you to help you grow, but remember to allow the tiger in you to make you bloom and to bear fruit!
You may want to tune in for some boomer-time with this blogger, as part of a lecture on Existentialism, six years ago, on some of the concepts discussed by Heidegger and Kierkegaard on ‘crowd’ism and ‘individual’ism, on the Queen Mary’s College Vlog HERE.
PS: All photos © this blogger’s. However, please feel free to use it, even without acknowledgement! 😊
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