The Lion, The Shark and The Eagle Part 1

The animal kingdom can be divided into;

1.      The Marine World

2.      The Terrestrial World

3.      The Kingdom of the Aves.

The worlds we live in operate in the principle of energy conversion and succession, which means that everything is about energy flow. In the animal kingdom, energy is what propels the activities that take place therein. The most common and predominant is the food chain.

Food chain is the graphical representation of the hierarchy that does occur in the feeding habits of the animal which commences with the primary producers and terminates with the secondary consumer. In the animal kingdom, we have lots of secondary consumers like lion, tiger, man, shark, whale, falcon, eagle, etc.

In this essay, we will be looking at some of these animals and their connotations to the human society.

1.      The Lion – The lion is considered the king of the jungle. This is because of its attributes. When the lion roars, its echo can be heard at the distance of at least 3km away. Of all the predators in the wild, the lion is the one that do hunt games that are much larger than it like the elephant, giraffe, etc

The hyena which is one of the scavengers in the wild is a menace to all the predators in the wild. But it dreads the lion.

The hunting tactics of the lioness is a mathematical feat, they hunt in pride. Whenever they go out to hunt, they will position themselves at some strategic positions. One of them will go and launch a chase, separating the targeted weakling from the fold and chasing it towards a perimeter where the lionesses are hiding. When this is achieved, the entire lioness will join in the chase and hunt the game down. If the prey is too big for them, the lion will now come in.

In our society, we see ourselves choosing to play varying roles, either the predator or the prey. The law of the pyramid states that the population at the base of the pyramid is far more numerous than the population at the peak.

In the food chain, the preys which is a step up in the pyramid from the base is more in number than the predators which are at the apex of the pyramid.

Our society have been described by a lot of people as a society ‘where the rich are few and the poor numerous’. I am not here to criticize or affirm the notion but we know that one of the fundamental characteristics of energy flow is that it obeys the pyramidical arrangement, where the numerous are at the base and the few are at the peak of the pyramid.

The lion, according to a program I watched in Natural Geography channel is said to preserve the ecosystem i.e. it eliminates the weaker ones of specie thereby preserving the passing of the viable traits which aids in the adaptation and the survival of specie.

2.   

   The Shark – In the marine world, the shark is considered as the alpha predator. It is a predator that preys on any fish that comes its way. According to the pyramidical arrangement of energy succession in the food chain, the shark is placed at the apex of the pyramid. Shark has a highly developed hunting skills that helps it to hunt both in the light and in the dark, its sense of smell can detect the smell of blood for up to a distance of 1 km, its speed is enormous in fact it was made to kill.

3.

      The Eagle: In the kingdom of the Aves, eagle is seen as the alpha predator. The eagle’s mode of hunting is both instinctual and ingenious. When the eagle is about to hunt a prey, it will wait until the wind is blowing in the direction of the prey. It will then gauge the time it will take to reach the prey. If the prey is in motion, it will calculate the time it will take it to reach a particular position, and the time it will take it to reach that position. Then it will dive towards that determined point. The eyesight of the eagle is so sharp and keen that it can see a prey as small as a rabbit from a distance of 1km and above. Looking at the eagle, you will see that nature designed it to kill.

TO BE CONTINUED...

The Lion, The Shark and The Eagle Part 2

In the part one of these series we looked at the hunting abilities of the 3 alpha predators of the various animal kingdom. In this concluding part, we will be looking at its connotation to the interactions that goes on in the human society.

We have explored the hunting behavior of 3 alpha predators of the various animal kingdom; lion, shark and eagle.

Now what is there connotation to our society; past, present and future?

Psychologist has shown that a bully is a bully because there is a victim that is ready to be a victim. Talk of the Law of Duality. The bully can be considered as a predator while the victim is the prey. We may see the bully as committing a social crime/injustice while in the actual sense; the bully is providing a need that the victim desires, both consciously and unconsciously – the need to evolve, to grow and to be strong. The victim is also satisfying the need of the bully to evolve, to grow and to be strong. In the animal kingdom, when a prey challenges a predator, the predator will succumb and will let the prey to be.

In our wider society, we have some big corporations, institutions, groups and individuals that may be termed as predators. It seems that they are bullying and victimizing people, that they don’t have respect for human dignity. We see these organizations and individuals as the epitome of evil. Evil have been the badge people have ascribed to these big corporations, institutions, groups and individuals.

Yes, you may say that they are evil. I rather say that they are predators;

Ø  They are at the top of the pyramid making them to be very few,

Ø  They have specials skills and abilities which makes them to be efficient hunters,

Ø  Their victims/prey is the weak in character, the weak-willed and the ignorant.

These set of people, i.e. the weak in character, the weak-willed and the ignorant are seen at the base of the pyramid. They are more numerous.

The same law of pyramid that occurs in the animal kingdom is the same law that operates in the human society. The only difference is that we have the ability to choose, either to be a predator or a prey.

It is worthy of note that the lion, shark and eagle aids in the preservation and fitness of a specie by removing the weaklings and the unfit in the specie thereby affecting the perpetuation of a gene pool that aids the species for survival.

We can either be predators, preys, scavengers or primary producers. It is a choice we make, both consciously and unconsciously. It is our choice to be in any part of the pyramid for a reason best known to us. Our position in the pyramid is dynamic and fluid in nature but for any interaction that goes on between two entities in the human society, you are a predator, a prey, a scavenger or a primary producer.

The Lesson of the Butterfly Part 2

 In Part 1 of this series we discussed the first two stages in the metamorphosis of the butterfly. You can still read the The lesson of the butterfly Part 1 in our website archive.We will now proceed to the last two stages; 

1

The Pupa Stage (The Stage of Inactivity)

At a point in the life of the caterpillar, it will start to form a cyst or cocoon about itself. The caterpillar after having fed enough to withstand the encystment period will now look for a secluded place where it will form a hard-like dry substance around itself in which it will remain till it is ready to emerge.

Inside the cocoon, the pupa will be growing and transforming at the same time. The pupa will continue to grow to the point where its size will now break open the cocoon. That is when the young adult butterfly is ready to emerge.

What significance does this stage portray in our life? We know that hibernation is a natural phenomenon that rejuvenates nature and gives it fresh strength and vitality.

Winter is a period of hibernation

Sleep is a period of hibernation

Pregnancy is a period of hibernation, etc.

The major characteristics of hibernation are inaction, dullness and inert-like nature of life.

We all know that every idea generation, work and mission always reaches a point where it seems that everything and everybody tend to come to a standstill. It can be so frustrating and confusing. But the thing is that during the pupa stage, you have little or no control over what is happening at the ideas, works, missions and what have you. God, Nature, Universe or whatever you call it has taken charge of the development.

Then in order to protect you, he will form a hard crust around you and induce in you a deep sense of peace and tranquility in preparation of the emergence of the Adult Butterfly.

Wonder why everywhere is covered with ice during the winter.

2      The Adult (The Stage of Struggle and Responsibility) –

The emergence of the adult butterfly is not a smooth process. When the pupa is inside the cocoon, it is busy growing and expanding in size. At a point, the cocoon will no longer contain its size and it will crack. Then the young butterfly will start to emerge.

Due to the fact that the cocoon is made up of hard, elastic substance, the young adult will have to force its way out of the cocoon.

I will use an experience to illustrate my point.

I am one that one of my hobbies is watching and observing people and nature. It makes me feel alive.

So one day, I was just sitting outside when I saw a butterfly that is struggling to emerge from the cocoon. It seems as if the cocoon is tightly strapped to the thorax of the butterfly. The butterfly was struggling so hard to set itself free from the stronghold of the cocoon and the cocoon is reluctant to lose its hold.

While I was watching this drama, I felt pity for the suffering of the butterfly, for as it was struggling to come out, it was also struggling from not being eaten by the ants. It was such a struggle. In order to make it easier for the butterfly, I took the cocoon - strapped butterfly and use a small scissors to break off the cocoon from the butterfly.

Wow! I have set the butterfly free.

But wait a minute! The butterfly is no longer struggling and the butterfly cannot fly. It just lay there till the hungry ants came and carried it to their hole.

What have I done?!

Did I help the butterfly or did I arrest its development?

I was filled with anguish and regrets. This propelled me to do a research on the development of the butterfly.

And this is what I discovered.

When the pupa is still inside the cocoon, some of its body was developing with the exception of the wings. When the butterfly is emerging, the cocoon that was strapped at its thorax is a mechanical process which sends a signal, causing chains of chemical reactions inside the butterfly that leads to the activation of the enzymes responsible for the formation of the wings.

This emergence can last for hours depending on the specie of the butterfly. When it finally emerges, the butterfly will seek out a dry and secluded place where it will rest till its wings get dry.

That is when I learn't that struggle accompanies the emergence of anything, whatsoever and it is very vital to growth, just like squeezing an orange release the juice.

IN CONCLUSION

The lesson of the butterfly, like all other lessons of nature, is inexhaustible. But one thing we have to bear in mind is that;

Whatsoever we are looking for

Whatsoever we are experiencing

Whatsoever question we have

Whatsoever answers that we seek

All have been provided for, IN NATURE.

The Keys Of Life

Life can be likened to a magnificent palace that has a lot of doors. The keys to the doors are already available, it is only left for us to continue seeking in order to continue finding.
Each door is unique and only a specific key is needed for each door. Nevertheless all the door leads to one palace - LIFE.

Some of the Keys to Life are;

1.      ENERGY – This includes food, money, sunlight, moon, stars, water, organic and inorganic fuels, electromagnetic waves, etc.

2.      CERTIFICATES – PhD, MSc, M.A, BSc, Diploma, Licenses etc.

3.      INFORMATION – via Internet, Television, Radio, Newspaper etc

4.      TALENTS AND NATURAL ENDOWMENTS

5.      PRAYER AND MEDITATION.

It is worthy of note that you can be at the right door with the right key. But the wrong or improper use of the key cannot open the door. If perchance the key breaks at the key hole, then the door remains permanently locked. Awww!
We know that bunch of keys are held together by a key holder
The key holders are KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING.

The reason why we have a lot of unfulfilled dreams is because we focus on particular types of keys forgetting that every individual key are not the same.
Again we spend a major portion of our life acquiring and molding keys without ever using the key to open a door; The Door of Life

What use is a key if it cannot open a door?

What use is a key if the door is not in view?

Keys are meant to open doors.

Acquire your keys

Mold your keys

Arrange your keys in a key holder

But for Life’s sake put your keys to use, open the doors to LIFE.