Life is filled with Ups and Downs, Rhino life no more nor less than any other critter. Our general aim is to enjoy the Ups, and do what We can to short-circuit or endure the Downs.
Good and Better are common. Bad and Worse are inevitable. Two sides of the same coin.
One thought to hold onto is that Worst will come to Worst only once. By comparison, the rest looks pretty good.
We Rhinos relate to the world primarily by nose. A panoply of identifications, intimations, specifications, associations and calculations, all twanging our receptors like a crazed harp.
The stimulation is Too Tremendous for many and most critters.
That’s how you know that Rhinos have Stamina.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a fine play, genuinely funny. Puck is a free Spirit, independent, rambunctious, unpredictable, and cagey: entirely likable.
These traits are common among Rhinos, so We gravitate to characters who know about Mischief first hand.
Admittedly, Rhino understanding of Convention is somewhat limited.
In 1883, Krakatoa, a gigantic volcano, erupted. The blast was heard 3 thousand miles away, literally. The ash clouds affected Earth’s weather for years. The tsunamis were dreadful. The violence was equal to four thermonuclear bombs.
Krakatoa sits between Sumatra and Java, which have given their names to two extant Rhino Families. That any of those Rhinos survived this singular event seems incredible.
Over 50 million years, our Family have witnessed many catastrophes, yet here We are, discussing it. Rhinos are here by Nature’s grace.
Rhinos are not always the last to get it. Sometimes somebody else misses the point before We do.
Where are the decisions made about who gets it first? Who’s in charge over there?
We would like to know, maybe.
In 79 AD Mount Vesuvius blew up, marking a Monumental Disaster for all the witnesses. Almost nobody survived the lava, and more importantly, the ash and gases. Towns were obliterated, wiped from sight. Pretty horrific.
When Nature pushes the button, no critter or crowd can do anything but get out of town. With all due haste. If possible.
There were no Rhinos in residence at the time, so that’s one relief, among a meagre handful.
We Rhinos are all about fair play. One thing We like is that when it rains, it rains equally on everybody. Everyone gets wet.
There’s plenty for everybody.
What more could We ask?
Having money seems to depend on putting it someplace safe until later. Then you go get it and use it.
At YIR the whole question is hypothetical, as you probably knew. Rhinos do not own money or mattresses.
The Natural System is to have nothing. It has worked for Us for 50 million years.
‘Hurrah’ for Aubrey Beardsley, the 19th c. illustrator, is what We Rhinos say. His eccentric vision, combined with his distinctive composition and pristine linework, is mesmerizing.
It delights all Rhinos to see anyone find a self-expression so dynamic.
‘Wow’ is what We also say. Loud and long.
As a general rule, Rhinos do not tramp around in the ashes of Yesterday’s disappointments. Like a Phoenix, We like to leap from the cinders and skip around, making the most of Today.
Rhinos don’t really get dressed up, but our intention to make the Best of things is so self-evident that the association comes to mind.
In rough translation, that would be “Yabba Dabba Doo!”
Your Inner Rhino 