Everybody knows that Java is probably the most fertile place on Earth. And what makes it so Fertile is not only the weather and rainfall, but the Volcanic Ash which regularly rains down on the island, enriching the soil.
Some of Us Rhinos have lived on Java for a long time, and nobody much likes Volcanic Fallout. Still, once things settle down, plants go berserk. Salad Galore.
The Rough with the Smooth, a Rhino Fact of Life.
We want to remind our Readers that for every day of Human History, Rhinos have been here as a family. Plus, in one form or another, another 50 million years or so.
Happy Times and Less Happy Times.
Speaking of Climate, Rhinos used to deal with Cool Circumstances. Nature, always thoughtful, helped Us out with fuzzy outfitting, which was Appreciated. And still is.
Just how We managed to find food has gotten lost in the shuffle. Or the system has been shelved for Future Reference, should things get chilly again. Which they will in time. Naturally.
No. We did not have toboggans. They did not figure into our assignment at the time.
Temperament is not predictable, one Rhino to another. Some of Us are more Demure than others, some are more full of Tabasco.
But often, Rhinos of a defined Disposition assemble in a locale and Social Expectations shift, at least in that region.
Must everyone conform to that norm? Generally speaking, no.
Aging has its drawbacks, as anybody who has tried it can tell you. The gears get rusty. The rhythm section slows down.
However, it’s good to recall that many Rhinos never get a chance to try it out.
In the Wild, there is no Complaint Department. Complaining is virtually unknown because Nature calls the shots. We Rhinos do our best, but live with whatever turns out.
We do a lot of adjusting. Rhinos use the ingenuity Nature provides to navigate to tomorrow.
M. Jules Oppert (b.1825) was a famous linguist and translator , dealing with Mesopotamian cultures. He is known for his work deciphering Sumerian Cuneiform clay tablets, some of the earliest known writing. These messages were achieved with a stylus in damp clay, then hardened.
In case your Cuneiform has gotten rusty, the sample shown says, roughly, “Rhinos are mighty fine critters”.
Thank you for your good work, M. Oppert.
RTots are a notoriously impatient crowd. Rhino Moms must often field questions about when a forbidden activity will be allowed, like jumping off a cliff or picnicking with lions.
The standard reply, a classic in its own right, is: “When you can lay an egg.”
So far, this snappy response has gone unchallenged. For 50 million years.
The young Rhino who refuses to heed Motherly Advice often has to learn those lessons from The World.
The World is happy to provide that education.
Each Rhino is navigating the Great Questions of Life, minute by minute. Many decisions, each with its own unforeseeable consequences.
Some timid critters might quake in the face of so many options. Even We take pause and consider what looks good, or at least looks better. What is for sure is that We do not Know what’s ahead, no matter what We choose.
We chug onward; Rhinos are made for Adventure. Anchors Aweigh.
Your Inner Rhino 