By Jonah Achumi
Let me share this little narrative of what happened inside the Yellowstone Park. In the year of 1995 fourteen wolves were reintroduced inside the Yellowstone National Park but no one expected that the wolves would bring a miracle. It all began by the wolves hunting the deers which led to the population of deers rapidly decrease. The wolves presence also made the deer avoid the areas where they were an easy prey. But then the deers absence made the plants grow again in those areas. Beautiful aspen and willow trees began to flourish. That’s when things really began to happen. Along with the trees and bushes came more berries and bugs too. Thanks to the various species of birds which came back to the park. But with the increase in the population of trees, it also started attracting different species of beaver which was earlier extinct in the park. Their dams then attracted otters, musk rats and various reptiles. The wolves also killed coyotes as a result the mice and the rabbit population grew. This attracted red foxes, weasels and badgers and hawks to the parks. Even the population of the bald eagle arose. But here the most interesting part is the wolves changed the direction of the rivers too. With the better balance between the predator and the prey came the possibility of other species to survive also. The increased vegetation growth made the erosion decrease and the river banks were stabilized. Channels narrowed and more pools were formed. And then the rivers remain more fixed on their course. So the wolves not only give the Yellowstone Park’s huge eco system a new balance but they also changed the park’s physical geography. This all happened at nature’s lap. Do we learn something from here?
Let’s have a look at what we can learn from the little lesson above. Wolves are often considered as wild beasts and deadly predators. They are known as ferocious and untamed animals lurking around the wilds always looking for some prey to pounce upon. Deers are considered as meek, innocent and harmless creatures. But we have to remember that deers inspite of all these docile qualities, we know they have a playful nature, are pleasure loving and can be also kept in captivity very easily. Their habit of being lost in themselves while grazing is their most common trait, which makes them an easy prey for the predators prowling nearby.
Colorado Aspen trees do not grow alone. They are found in clusters or groves. The reason is that the aspen sends up new shoots from the roots. In a small grove, all of the trees may actually be connected by their roots. Giant California redwood trees may tower 300 feet into the sky. It would seem that they would require extremely deep roots to anchor them against strong winds. But we are told that their roots are actually quiet shallow so as to capture as much surface water as possible. And they spread in all directions, intertwining with other redwoods. Locked together in this way, all trees support each other in the wind and storms. They need one another to survive. In this again we learn another strong lesson from this on how we all need one another inspite of our shortcomings and fallacies.
The aspen and the willows represent our moral fabric and the ethical structures which surround a conscientious society. Bushes and berries represents the easy comforts and luxuries that are found around in plenty which are often swarmed by bugs that can be referred as little disruptions which happens in our careless indulgences when we leave our moral and comforts unguarded and thrown carelessly thus attracting the other wicked habits to hover in our midst. The predatorious wild wolves killing the coyotes shows us that our more bigger vices and forces overtakes our little vices and which as a result the bigger evil becomes more visible and apparent in all spheres of where it overtakes the little ones. The small vices no longer have any effect on us and are wiped out in our mundane dreary habits of our regular twisted and warped shady misdealing. Red foxes, weasels and badgers represent our cunningness, malevolence and misdemeanors etc. The bald eagle represents the rare courage under fire and wisdom to foresee the dangers above us seen when thunder and lightning are striking our societal structures and those harmful deterrents harming our coming generations. The rivers represent the current of life flowing social norms through the sands of timeless ethos and priceless pathways springing from the spirit of forgiveness which becomes more vitriolic and emphatic when a balance of ambition and our aspiration are maintained from within and outside. The increased vegetation means that once our moral fabric and ethos are destroyed for our short-sightedness glory, our bounden duty in the interest for our generation is destabilized and annihilated. The erosion of morality and our crumbling edifices of our ethics get consolidated in the fertile soil of instability and insanity by our gregariousness and gullibility. All progress takes place behind our comfort zone. Only a crisis, real or perceived produces real change. Change does not take only time but it also takes a great commitment and sacrifice. Constantly working on one dimension and trying to gain for self at the cost of generations will never yield any blessings for the land or its people.
The wolves through their hunting down of the meek and the docile deers protected the nature’s bountiful blessings. The deers were living a very easy life, comfortable life but what they ever did was eat and wander around aimlessly which they finally lose all when the predators wolves came suddenly. By their nature of creation, they were way too weak to fight against them and stand for themselves. We need to fear those tendencies in the human mind that make for obtuseness. We need to fear the destructive influence of the hostile exploitative forces. We need to fear the physical, mental and emotional distortion that this corrupted age has wrought on the lives of the society. We need to greatly fear our own tired, confused, apprehensions ever ready of saying we cannot do it and surrendering ourselves even before the battle starts. We would be wiser if we assume control of the uncertainties and make them into certainties so as to contribute to our best potential, to get a new grip on ourselves and for our descendants.
Still waters, you know, run deep. Let me also say that deep waters run without din. When the river is very deep, there will not be half so much noise as when it is but shallow, and therefore rattles and raves over the stones which it scarcely covers. Only fools are said to test the depth of the waters with both their feet. Yet standing forever on the banks of river will never make us to reach the other side unless we either make a boat to sail across or swim across it.
Many a times, friendships are forged and with people who we had never met or would never. We should be particularly wary of the siren song history. George Santayana famously said.’ Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it’. Our history as a separate nation with a mind on its own was always been our pride but now honour on the edge. Let us rebuild our glorious past once again. In the elusive search for bliss and fortune our honours are sacrificed at the altar of vanity and easy money.
Let’s climb together and fall together as a people. A progressive society races against time to keep itself stable and secure everytime. Unless we provide ourselves our own roadmap we will tend to get lost midway. It has proved to be a calm misdemeanor .It is important to accept the hard truth and harsh realities otherwise one’s vision becomes clouded with misplaced patriotism and false expectations. Throwing out the baby instead of the bathwater will result in only our own folly and lost. But we have expediently adopted the short-sighted cavalier and expedient stop-go approach. Those timeless truths and ageless determination still create waves and is wind beneath our winds. Feats and fears that broke the conventions and mindsets of divisions will only increase. The issue here is not of legality or corruption. It is one of perpetrating a culture which is eating into the entrails of the psyche of the populace. Despite greater development and empowerment we are providing a false sense of entitlement so that they sit at hoping that those who stand and wait also serve.
Aping other cultures by the younger lot is one sad thing. This is the reason why we are in the midst of losing our identity because we are imitating others when we don’t even know our true self. Maybe we suffer because we lack faith in ourselves and lack moorings in our faith. Building the inclusive approach and emphasizing cooperation and building mutual trusts and understanding with the fringe community sentiments is the need of the moment. Otherwise it will lead us to live on the margins as in the past. The present times seems like a gathering storm in the heartland but majority of ours is a concern fraught with pushback, perils and politics. If the Naga ship of unity is ever to be sailed let it not be dashed on the rocks of narrow domestics differences and divisions. Speculation is always weaker than invective. With the total system collapse and completely in shambles we need to pick and start from the scratch. Changing perceptions and the emerging concerns may always happen but whatever we do or wherever we may go, we will always circle back to ourselves. The sense of fore-bonding pervades our socio-political environment which has slowly crept into masses mind has now galvanized to work towards a transformed society fuelled by changed mindset of young minds yearning for a change.
We blame the leaders but the system we have created ourselves have got us in this lurch. We have been psycho-conditioned and so comfortable with the lies and so fooled that there is no other choice. Change should start with ourselves first then only can we bring change in every sphere.
So are we going to be the wolves or the deers? The choice is ours. May we be enlightened today for a better tomorrow.
