Animals Have an Advantage
Have you ever seen geese or other birds fly in a V-formation? It’s an amazing sight. They demonstrate such perfect alignment and know precisely when to turn. I’ve never seen the geese referring to instruction manuals, and they don’t rehearse the choreography every day.
How do they know what to do?
After all, we human beings are the ones who have the developed brains. You mean you don’t need a highly developed brain to execute these incredible maneuvers?
Animals live mainly by instinct. God (or the force of Nature) seems to guide animals so that they know exactly what to do.
They know when to sleep, when to eat, and how to find food. They know when and how to mate without taking any sex education courses and without having any awkward discussions with their parents.
Bears know when to hibernate even though they don’t own a calendar. Scientists tell us that bears hibernate because it would be difficult for the bears to find food during the severe conditions of winter. In the months before hibernation, a bear will gain up to 40 pounds of fat per week! How does the bear know when to start gaining this weight? Or just how much to gain? The bears will “wake up” and come out of hibernation in April or May when food is available again. How do the bears know when to wake up? Do they own alarm clocks?
Let’s get back to the birds flying in the V-formation for a moment. If these birds had the “advanced” brain that we have, they’d be thinking things like this:
“I wonder if I’ll be able to sleep tonight, knowing that we’re flying in formation tomorrow.”
“I don’t look as strong and steady as some of the other birds in our group.”
“What if the other birds criticize me if I make a wrong turn?”
We know that if the birds could think those thoughts, they wouldn’t be able to fly as effectively as they do. They rely on some incredible guidance system that is not “contaminated” by judgments and worries.
Certainly, there are some advantages to having an advanced brain. I never saw a squirrel knitting a sweater or a group of birds that could build an automobile. Animals don’t create beautiful paintings or write poetry. Yes, we do have the upper edge in those areas. The human brain is an amazing instrument.
But perhaps we “over-use” our brain. We use this brain to doubt ourselves, to worry and to judge ourselves and others. When the thoughts are raging, we often lose our concentration and perform at less than our maximum. Our minds are working against us.
If a member of the bird flock dies or is killed, the other birds don’t grieve for days or months, and they don’t say “it shouldn’t have happened.” Instead, they are able to quickly get on with life. And they don’t start wondering, “If THAT bird died, I could die, too.” They don’t get trapped in their thoughts and become distracted.
Who has the advantage, and who has the disadvantage?
Yes, you could give me so many examples of things a human can experience that other creatures can’t. That’s true.
But I can’t help but envy animals that are so connected with Nature that they live perfectly in the flow of life, having their next activity communicated to them by instinct. Nature or God takes care of their needs and when it’s time for their existence to end, their existence ends.
One thing perplexes me. Why would God develop a system where animals are led perfectly by instinct, but humans (who are supposedly a “higher” life form) have to use their own brains and fend for themselves in this tricky universe? Why aren’t we the beneficiaries of this magnificent guidance system that communicates with the animals and lets them know exactly what to do - and when to do it?
Perhaps humans DO have this direct pipeline to God or Nature.
Maybe our lives could flow smoothly if we learned not to over-use our minds. The incessant mind chatter seems to block our guidance system.
So many religions and spiritual disciplines recommend that we surrender our thoughts and desires, and calm our minds. Then, we can begin to access the magical way that God communicates with us.
Something tells me they are right. We can access this guidance system and live in a more effortless flow. But it won’t happen until we learn when to use our mind - and when to stop using the mind to block the natural flow of wisdom that emanates from the Creator.
At this point, you probably want to know how you can quiet your mind. Please don’t settle for anything my “developed” brain could tell you about that. Find your own way to quiet the mental chatter. I know it’s not easy. However, if you want it badly enough, you will receive guidance - from the same source that tells the bears to hibernate and directs the birds to fly in that perfect V-formation.
– Jeff Keller
© 2008