This green female Blue Manakin is entertained by a chorus line of males, all eager to impress her. They all show off, waiting for her to make her selection.
It is humorous seeing this behavior among creatures of bird brain fame. But among human males in a room with one female, not so much.
Animals work to find their food and share it with their loved ones. Then their love ones find their own food and do the same. No one able to work will be fed. Graduation in the animal world means you are responsible to get what you need yourself.
The reward for being responsible is often more responsibility. This may cause dismay, but it need not. Being responsible also means that you are trusted and because that is so, more freedoms and privileges follow.
It is said that "With great power comes great responsibility." If this is true the opposite is true: "With great responsibility, comes great power.
The next time that you receive a gift, take a moment and look past the object presented and try and see what it means to the one giving it.
There are those of us who share what we love with others, yet somehow the recipients of our gifts don't always feel the love the gift was intended to convey. It's a shame that our good-intentions aren't appreciated.
Be gentle with a well-intended gift giver and you will get better gifts. Be harsh and you will train them not to give at all.
They are called dumb animals, but not everyone can figure them out, even those who are intelligent enough to master complex technology. Take, for example, an animal as well known as the reindeer. Training people to herd them has proven difficult for some Alaskan pilots, who are skilled and intelligent in their use of tech. "helicopter herding requires a sense for the herd and the animals. “To drive them you need a cowboy sense and you need to know how to direct the animals, so that you don’t drive them to exhaustion,” he said. He added that...
"... it is easier to train a knowledgeable herder to fly a helicopter than to train a pilot to get a feel for the reindeer."
It is a little sad when someone longs for a house full of loved ones, but fills the void with cats instead. Sadder still is when they have to make the cats themselves.
On the other hand, the house will be a lot cleaner, less noisy and smell much better. So, OK, go for it.
Myths, legends and horror stories abound with the terror that some animals evoke. But few consider the toll a night of terrorizing takes on those who maurade by moonlight.
Not every animal can make the grade either. For every werewolf, there are many more unaware wolves. They never made it into the legends. But a lot more of them have survived and are still with us today.
This cruel invention, a cat and mouse door knocker, made me realize that not everyone is inspired in a positive manner by contemplating animal relationships.
The mind of man can find both the noble and the morbid to dwell on. But what we observe and celebrate does not leave us unaffected. We are formed by what we focus on.
Art does not leave you unmoved. It is either uplifting, or it takes you in the other direction. Be careful to focus on the positive and uplifting, if that is what you want to become.
I like using my pets as sermon illustrations, but when I get too spontaneous and stray too far from my sermon notes, sometimes it doesn't go over so well.
There are plenty of challenges in life that require maturity, focus and experience to do them well. The problem is that, when we are new at everything, we have none of those things. That is OK, if we are willing to grow.
Practice patience with yourself and others in the beginning of a thing, but also be careful to pursue progress. Being playful, unfocused and mistake prone can be amusing at first. But later on, not so much.
It is easy to accuse other people of over-reacting. But then again, we don't always get to see what they were reacting to. We might be even more extreme if we faced what they faced.
When you see an impressive display like this, at first it is easy to see who should get the credit. But on second thought, everyone had to cooperate to make this happen.
Credit should also be given also to those who allow a plan to move forward. Without their help, impressive results will only exist as creative ambitions.
Snarky sayings might also come from my lips when health Nazi mocks my diet sins. I don't feel a lot of warm fuzzy feelings then, except maybe for the pizza.
Dogs are unencumbered by diet restriction, except those imposed on them. But then again, they don't live all that long either. Maybe we should exercise some restraint, like only eat half of a pizza at a time.
I respect this dog. His self-control and self-discipline levels are amazing.
I am afraid the animals in the lower video are more an example of most people's powers of self discipline, including my own.
Remember those Tootsie Pops, a lollipop with a Tootsie Roll candy in the center? I had a hard time slowly licking those until the candy center showed. More often than not, I would start out with some patience, but somewhere along the line, I would lose it and I would crunch that thing to bits trying to get at that candy in the center.
When a person achieves this level of self control and discipline, they can be trusted with anything.
If you can't, don't put yourself in charge of the lollipops.
Apparently, I am not the only one with this difficulty.
Certain people find they have great courage and a powerful wit when they mock others behind their backs. But when they come face to face with the object of their mockery, somehow all that courage and wit suddenly evaporates.
Somehow, behind the back bravery doesn't translate well into face to face courage.
Where does altruism come from? True altruism is where one gives a benefit to another and receives none in return. Mutualism and symbiosis are relationships that mutually benefit different species, but when there is a benefit to one species and none to the other, what kind of mechanism would drive that behaviour?
Helping another creature and receiving nothing in return does not come from evolution. True altruism would only be possible if there existed an Altruistic God whose character traits are seen in His creation, though imperfectly now, because of our sin and our mismanagement of God's creation.
The closer we move toward Him, the more of this kind of behavior we would see. The farther away we move from Him, the less.
You are never safe from moochers. Sometimes you are prepared for them and can send them on their way. But the moment you let your guard down, you are in danger.
Go ahead and enjoy you victories. But keep a close eye on your prize. In your moment of pride, a moocher may take it away from you.
This little dog, Nala, visits the sick and brings them love and good cheer. The Doctor says, "She is here for a purpose. She is doing God's will. "
We are here for a purpose also. Maybe we could learn a lesson from this little dog about helping others. I would like someone to say that I was doing God's will also. Especially if it was God.
There is a passage in the Bible that touches on how God feels about those who visit people in need. Nala can't read it. But she doesn't need to. She is already doing it. But it it wouldn't hurt us to take a look at it. Here it is:
Matthew 25: 34 "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." I hope that we can follow Nala's good example and help others. She deserves the praise she receives. We can get a "Well done" from our Master also, if we would just do what Nala does.
Food tastes so much better when you eat it with someone you like. Eating alone may fill the stomach, but a eating with a good friend satisfies the soul.
Chinese police dogs are trained very well. The amount of time, intellegence and the degree of patience to produce this level of training is truley impressive. But I can't help but feel a bit sorry for these dogs.
They remind me of little Oliver Twist, waiting in line with the other orphans for his bowl of gruel. I think that disciplined behavior is great and all, but there are times when we should lighten up a little bit. A little bit of freedom and disorder, within certain boundaries, may be tolerated without a loss of essential discipline and it may make everyone a lot happier.
For small vermin, a small cat is fine. But when the vermin get large, you need a bigger cat. Small efforts are ok for small problems. But when the problems get bigger, you need to get bigger too.
You don't hear about them very much now a days. Even so, there seems to be a lot more monkey business going around. I wonder what ever happened to them? Sadly, there are reports that the group formerly known as "The Three Wise Monkeys" has entered the world of politics.
Why is this so? As many a well educated tech nerd has discovered, relationships between individuals prove to be more difficult to manage and maintain than the most complex technology is to master.
When you see an impressive display like this, at first it is easy to see who should get the credit. But on second thought, everyone had to cooperate to make this happen.
Remember those Tootsie Pops, a lollipop with a Tootsie Roll candy in the center? I had a hard time slowly licking those until the candy center showed. More often than not, I would start out with some patience, but somewhere along the line, I would lose it and I would crunch that thing to bits trying to get at that candy in the center.
