Occasionally We give way to Melancholy, but not often. Let’s face it: sometimes things stink.
Nature’s ways are pretty cut and dried. Death can trip Us up, but why fuss about it? Woe seems a bit like an overstatement, like a distinction from Everybody Else.
Our solution to troubling thoughts is to keep chewing and improving ourselves. Those are our assignments. We have to do what We can do.
Hamlet is a pretty good play, all the same.
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.
Some critters hold onto Tradition, assuming it will see them through. Looking backward mostly means ignoring the present. So, though We are utterly proud of our RhinoPast, We are geared primarily to see how the present is changing to accommodate tomorrow- which is on its way, like it or not. Or at least, it always has been up to now.
In the Wild no Rhino dies of Old Age. We live each day upbeat, perfectly aware that our individual part of the project may be done at any time. We don’t let that idea make us blue. But We don’t forget it either.
The trickiest part of the Rhino’s span is Adolescence, the time when We strike out into the world, full of Spunk and unrestrained by Experience. That said, any of Us can go at any time of life, and the dragons We face may arrive at any moment.
These dragons are Famine, Disease, Competition, Confrontation, and Greed. These are not the Deadly Sins, these are the Facts of Life- in the Wild. We do not fret over the matter; We’d get depressed. We strut along, enjoying the time We are given. “Tra la la”, that’s what We say. Feel free to quote Us.
In the Wild, nobody really sleeps the way you all seem to do. If We allow our sensors to shut off completely, We wake up with some strange critter chewing our ankles. Or worse. This is especially true for those of Us that just plop down on the ground at naptime. So although We may appear to be comatose, We are just reinvigorating ourselves for the next round of activity, most likely chewing. And cogitating.
We mostly sleep when We feel like it, both day and night. Sometimes more, sometimes less. Sometimes standing.
Babies sleep soundly, but they are relying on Mom to confront any problems. Moms know how to do that. Moms know everything.
We are reliably informed that this is how you think of us, roughly speaking. Big, Gray, Stolid.
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.
The ticking of a watch may be comforting to you, but its regularity sometimes gets on our nerves. We prefer the natural idea of the sundial. We are not interested in the hour anyway, and the sundial is relating to the sun, so We like that. We are mostly on duty to one degree or another 24/7, even when asleep. No great reason to be particular about one hour or another.
For Us, the issue is simple; is the sun up yet or not? Day or night dictate which playmates will be active in the Wild. Many critters only get going at night or by day. Not We. We are ready to chew and make profound discoveries, around the clock… as it were.
For those of you who are wondering, our model here is a Sumatran Rhino, which explains the hairiness. There is a long tradition of hairiness among Us Rhinos, though only one family is embodying that distinction at present. Who knows what’s on its way? Next year We may all be awash in fuzz, striped or spotted. Nature has a unique sense of humor; why fight it?
Each of Us has a floating range of possibilities during our time on Earth. But in adolescence, as We prepare for independence, one Choice seems to weld itself to the individual Rhino’s Willpower, seeking and demanding expression and investigation. Exactly how and why this happens, nobody knows. But between other mundane assignments each of Us concentrates Awareness on that individual focus. No two Quests are alike, no framework is defined for the Quest. It simply calls out for attention, and the call is answered gladly. What one Rhino finds stimulating mirrors what every other Rhino experiences, in some cosmic interconnection.
What makes the entire solo investigation so fulfilling is the certain knowledge that the fruit of the project enhances All Rhinos. Each of Us is made more complete by the efforts of every other member of the Rhino Community.
And the answer to your next question is: Yes, enhancements last through Time. Each of Us is enriched by each relative, living or past. Daunting, right? The concept of the Quest is mysteriously linked to RhinoHeart. Which of Us would not be eager to pitch in?
Your Inner Rhino 