Nature takes us from our delusional state and shows us that we are indeed animals, if not in shape in spirit and behaviour. I explore this further in a chapter of my book Interstellar Epiphany, where I expose what influences the nature of man, and among these influences are the animals.

We are what I call “amenable animals.”

Indeed, we spend our lives acting as any docile animal does. The only difference is that we think, but our thinking gives us little but a glimpse of our reality and what we are as a species. Therefore, we go through life acting and reacting like a monkey, a parrot, a donkey, a dog, a pig, a dove, a mule, a rabbit, a horse, etc.

The lion is not amenable but is by far the most admired animal. We all want to be lions. However, in most cases, the path we follow is that of the lion counterpart, the lioness.

The lioness gives birth to the lion’s cubs. There is no way around this, which is obvious. But a lion can be the lioness’s lover and her worst enemy. If the lion that fathered those cubs is absent and another lion appears on her horizon, the new lion will kill her cubs. She may fight, but the new lion is more powerful, and in the end, she accepts her fate once the new lion kills her cubs. As soon as this tragedy happens, the lioness becomes amenable, gets pregnant, and gives birth to the cubs of the new lion. And life goes on.

So, how do humans follow the path of the lioness instead of that of the lion?

Figuratively speaking, we do so when confronted with a problem (a lion) that kills our cubs (our hopes, dreams, or future). After a brief struggle with ourselves, we accept our fate, and so, we live happily ever after regardless of the problem, even if it challenges our hopes, changes our dreams, or destroys our future.

Yet we are not lionesses. So, how can we break this vicious circle and stand up with our will and courage to defend our hopes, dreams, and future against a problem, no matter how powerful it is?