Man The Wise

As humans we luxuriate in the fantasy
that among nature's creatures we are
truly exceptional, so we named ourselves
'man the wise'. Nature may not have chosen
humankind as her favourite among all her
creations, for she favoured sea urchins,
tortoises, whales, sharks, trees, clams
mussels and sturgeons with longevity far
more robust than ours. Others of her
creatures have the facility to grow new
limbs and organs when originals have failed.
Even the humble frog can withstand a
frozen state to be regenerated and none of
these attributes were invested in humankind.
Did nature consider us among her lesser
creations, think of us as ultimately disposable?
Ah, but humans are capable of creative thought
and the ability to alter their environment as
none other of nature's creatures do...and now
we have evidence that this is not entirely
appreciated by our creatrix. We have, over
the ages invented novel ways in which
objects can be made to our service and their
use has enhanced the quality of our lives.
We think. We have possession of that most
valuable of facilities; free will. And as anyone
whose home is also home to a companion
animal can attest, so do they. They moreover
bend us to their will. We acquire their company
in the belief that we have mastery over them
when in truth the reverse is true; we adore
them and invest in pleasing them. How wise
are they? A flicker of discontent distresses us.
And while we order our lives in a timely
manner, they have no need of a clock to watch
time flee; their flawless internal clock knows
when dinner time arrives, when time is right
for their walk, and when they must insist
it's bed time. While we attempt to 'read' the
messages they convey, they have no need to
exert the least effort to understand us.