If there is one idea We dislike more than most others, it is the idea of creeping up and delighting yourself by taking Us unawares. Words fail Us in describing the Violence of our Natural Response. Our Every Nerve is instantly frazzled, and our Circuits detonate themselves. All our delicately modulated Inner Rhino goes into hyper-drive and We experience Hysterics. Please do not, at a later date, from a hospital bed, say nobody told you.
There is some territory between Dreaming and Imagination, though the borders are none too clear. We can go there (wherever that is) whenever We like. It’s a place where We can communicate with one another, though it doesn’t work like a telephone. It has more to do with Intuition, but it seems to be foolproof. And has worked for a Really Long Time. It isn’t a predictable business; We just flip that mental switch and Whoever tunes in, gets our attention. Somehow the right Rhino always gets the Right message; pretty Swell System.
Here is a challenge which Faithful Readers should be equal to. Where are We? No, no, not at a carnival, but where are We?
This picture speaks to an Ancient Truth about Humans, namely, you see what you expect to see. Otherwise, the assumption seems to be, the unobserved doesn’t exist. We have used this peculiar limitation for a Long Time. We can go anywhere, and have, without being noticed. We can go into the stadium for a big game and nobody sees us. We fly, We sail, We locomote with impunity. No disguise, just invite ourselves along.
In this instance, the crowd are busy looking for a bathroom, hunting out a hotdog, and wondering where Uncle Hiram has got off to. One child has seen Us, but that is our typical audience. Children don’t know We are invisible. It does not matter though, as Nobody will believe We are there. FYI, We are and have been to oh-so-many places.
“Rhinoceros?!? Don’t be silly, Sweetheart!”
For a Very Long Time, Way Back Whenever, We assumed that rain made Us grow. Not just plants, but Us as well. Today, We are not entirely certain. Way Back When it rained a lot more than today. Maybe We were wrong since today We keep growing even when it is dry. How it works is murky to Us… Anyway, We do like rainstorms. That’s one thing We do know. Rain makes you dance.
In Asia, there is a good deal of rain, but in Africa, rain is iffy and a special treat. The air gets weird and rattles our chain. Makes Us wiggle. (and maybe grow)
Rain is why We are such accomplished dancers. Or at least one of the reasons.
We are aware of your concepts of the interior body, but Science is not a system We embrace when pondering what goes on inside Us. We have a team of tiny specialist colleagues, all busy analyzing the various sensations We encounter. There is plenty of room for everyone to compare notes, evaluate and set up responses, as needed. Everybody has one goal, namely the successful perpetuation of the Rhino in question. We are always in the Best Hands: Nature’s.
Our system works well for Us; possibly it’s passed along by our parents, as no RhinoTot comes along without this understanding in place. Who else is inside there directing matters, We ask? Clearly there’s entirely too much going on for any one specialist to comprehend.
When something goes awry, We always blame “Ernie”. We say Ernie is taking a nap, or We’d be hunky dory. (No, Ernie is just what We say, not a real guy.) Gotta blame somebody when We get the hiccups. When RTots get funny, they often scream, “Ernie made me do it!”. Then everyone squeals with laughter. RTots are silly, which is just how We like them.
You are attached to the idea of five senses. We recognize a number more than that, though We don’t count, so We don’t have a total to report. The point here is that We usually think of Taste and Smell as one sense. We are designed to relate to every delicate variation of Scent, first for data, second and third for Sensual Delight. And fourth.
And this is how it feels to be Us, from the insides. Exciting and effervescent and revved. The wonder is that We don’t exhaust ourselves, feeling so dynamic.
Whereas your concept of beauty is often defined by Sight, our primary mode of communion with the Planet is by Inhalation. Every living thing has an aromatic footprint, so We are continually awash in stimuli, delivered from every quarter, a theme We will return to all the time. It would be grand if We could hit on every aspect of this topic, but alas, it cannot be.
As was mentioned previously, Scent does not transfer electronically with any hope of accuracy. There is no tone, no reverberation, no nuance, no mood that Scent does not embody, envelop, and enhance in the Wild. The connections are infinite, individual, and inspiring. What a privilege it is to have a Nose! Makes us weepy when We think about it.
This is what it is to have a Feeling Heart.
We eat vegetables, grasses, green stuff- nothing else. A lot of plants. We cannot do without them, and what is truly astounding is that Nature provides enough for all of Us. A few bad years, occasionally, but…
The Five Families live in five different locales, so We eat what is available where We are. We are nothing, if not versatile. Run short of one thing, move on to another, wherever it may grow.
We are diligent chewers. We work a big bunch of hours a day, locating and munching vegetables and grass and fruit and leaves. We are built to thrive on it, and We have- for 55 million years. Some track record, right? For both Us and the vegetables.
Your Inner Rhino 