Lessons from Nature: Protector

          It terrified me! Yes! I was frightened by a rooster that was not even one-fourth my size. It was a sudden unanticipated attack.

      There is always food left over, and kitchen waste in abundance but keeping a pig in a densely crowded educated metropolitan surrounding was not possible, thus we bought chickens. We have a pretty large campus with grounds, gardens, halls and a lot of free space. The chickens are kept in a huge fenced area. To add to the variety on our little farm we also have ducks and geese.

       It’s almost a month now that we have our pet chickens adding to the beauty of our campus with their vibrant presence and sometimes irritating clucking. Being very fond of animals I spend time with my pets, and I did nothing different with the pet chickens too. Every time I observe them I’m in awe to see them and learn from them. One afternoon as I went to feed our noisy poultry something unusual happened. I entered the fenced area with a bowl of rice as I generally do. This is the time I feel good, I feel connected to nature, and I feel like Noah from the Bible. When the fowls follow me, it reminds me of the pictures in the Bible storybooks depicting numerous animals following Noah to the ark. 

        As I moved around, I dropped the rice in three different places so that everyone gets enough and enjoys their treat without fighting. A few bold chickens even dare to eat directly from my hands. As I was feeding two of the chickens I decided to pat them. No sooner did I touch a hen than the rooster just charged towards me and almost pounced on me. I stood up and tried to scare him away. Now as I put words to this incident I laugh, but at that moment I almost suffered a minor cardiac arrest.

      This incident may seem very futile but it made me reflect. I was reminded of an incident that occurred a few months back. Two elderly women were fighting, and instead of separating them people were taking videos, and photos and enjoying the sight. They were causing harm to each other but nobody moved an inch, including me. Comparing these two incidents I felt ashamed of myself. The rooster who is so small in size and so defenseless, without worrying about itself came to protect the other chickens. This little incident points out the harsh reality of how some of us live cowardly life and do not bother about protecting or helping those in need. We are just so indifferent to things around us. We are not bothered until and unless someone does something to us directly.

Moral: Protect your own, and be courageous not for a reward but because you ought to.