Recently I was watching a show on the animal planet about animals that normally would not get along…getting along. There was the sleepy lionesses after a kill, lounging in the sunshine covered in pesky flies and their trusty friend the lizard gobbling them up. There was the great white shark and scores of other fish using his rubbery skin to exfoliate themselves from barnacles. Each needing the services of the other and easily prey to the other if the opportunity arose. Aren’t we all just a little like these animals?
How many times have you witnessed such kindness in nature? You expect the shark to gobble up the fish and the lion to lash out at the lizard when in fact as sure as they know who and what they are; they also are capable of capitalizing on opportunity. They are not as “animal” as we make them out to be. Humans are not so different actually either. In an office where there are high producers there will always be people perfectly happy to lap up their scraps. They are interested in survival and not in accomplishment. That is an interesting take on looking at life.
Let’s flip it then and look at yet another behavior this time where there is hunting and mating involved and the males in almost; if not every species; will and often do fight til their death against their same species. Blood is desired and winning is everything. It’s not a peaceful sight given any animal….especially our own.
Have you ever been treated like that? Has someone ever challenged and engaged you by pivoting themselves in such a way as to provoke you making a stand? Recently I was minding my own business and doing “me” in my lane. I like to stay there since by all means I have carved out quite a lot for me to do. There’s really no time in my life for anything non- productive and I quite like it that way… although apparently it breeds discontent amongst a few. In particular one, and I am quite sure that you know who you are. Anyway… back to the story. There I am minding my own business and living my own life when I get this swing from the left that I recognized immediately as bullying maybe a little taunghting. The words questioned my accolades and breeds jealous discontent. After playing nice and being the recipient of a continued and very unbecoming banter I restated the facts and wished her well… and blocked her.
For years I have written about bullying and uplifting others and the importance to make a positive impact on all that you touch. Folks… not everybody is happy for us when we achieve. They are not like the lizard or the smaller fish wanting to get along and see if somewhere in this thing called life we can all help each other. They want to, and most often it is between the same species, start a fight. There was a day a few years back that had this encounter happened I would have reacted completely differently. I would have made sure in no uncertain terms that I won the argument. I would have done what any shark or lion does when provoked.The challenge today though is met with quite a different response…that of disappointment. I am glad that I have grown enough into my own to not be like the fellow lioness and reciprocate with more of the same. That is the difference between animals and us and in fact the key to getting along.
Take Care of YOU!
~Alisa Murray
