Yes, I watch some TV just like you do! The other day, I was curled up on a scatter rug just outside of Isabel’s kitchen watching “Animal Kingdom.” Suddenly, the screen exploded with the moving image of thousands of Zebras stampeding in an African desert, being chased by several hungry lions on the hunt. My thoughts rose above the carnage, and I thought, ” . . . and which of those Zebras is the most special of all?” the answer came abundantly clear to me as the animal world provided its own answer to my question. The lions had the answer all along. In the world of the predator, the most attractive Zebra, (at least to the lions) is the slowest, weakest, or youngest Zebras running at the rear of the herd; one of those having difficulty keeping up.
In the animal world, the word “generic” has real meaning. Due to inbreeding and natural selection, most members of a given species of animal – usually look alike. Take a gaggle of geese, a herd of bison, or a flock of ducks, and inevitably, you will conclude that, within their species, “they pretty much all look alike.”
I have found human beings to be an exception to that generalization. Like snowflakes, every one is unique and different. From the day we are born we are defined by others. Our self image is often built by other peoples’ words (or deeds). So, even though we are born and move into the new house, it has virtually already been designed for us, not by us. We, of course can make changes in that “house” in the future, but we are what we are.
Princes, princesses and kings are easy to design for, and their “house” becomes their home with very little modification or “make ready.” they merely step into the mold that has already been cast for them and their destinies play out like familiar ballads. But what about the more “generic” among us? Not quite so easy! Maybe the “Heinz 57” stands a better chance than most.
Like a snail, when we die, we leave “our house” and go home to be with our maker. But, did our house ever truly become our home? Or, did we just occupy it for life’s short duration, as a transient trying to adapt it to what we truly are (or were) inside? Most of us look into a mirror and don’t see beauty; instead, only the markers and flaws that the world conditioned us to recognize. We are more quickly taught to recognize flaws, than we were to seek out and recognize the subtleties of goodness and beauty.
Zebras
(Not sure if this is related to the above which mentions Zebras. -editor)
A herd of zebras run across a plain
Which one is beautiful? To us, They all look so alike.
Believe it or not, under close scrutiny, all of them are special and beautiful
Maybe to many, or maybe to just one.
We live in a world defined by genetics and stereotypes
Each of us occupies a house; but few of us make it our home
A house is not a home until we live comfortably in it and embrace it
People who can truly love generally feel comfortable in their own skin (their own home).
People who can truly give of themselves are proud and secure in who and what they are.
Liz Taylor was beautiful to many, but was she ever beautiful to the right one?
If you are truly beautiful to just one, the right one, you are beautiful.
