It is only occasionally we spot a wood pecker in our garden. I stayed home yesterday to attend to some pending repair work and was delighted to watch the habitat of different birds in the garden.
It was when I heard the rustling of leaves on an adjacent tree, I turned to notice a wood pecker being chased away by two squirrels. I have noticed three pairs of squirrels who frequent the garden to feed on the honey from the banana flowers. The foliage of the tall trees provides them a setting for romance and so they multiply.
The wood pecker was finally exasperated and settled on a far away tree trunk.
The avians teach us a lot about jungle life. It is survival by outwitting, avoiding, and escaping. It is highly competitive and turf driven. The birds establish their turf and hold on to it fiercely.
Although they are primitive instincts of behaviour, humans have retained them, although we claim ourselves to be civilised.
One of the flourishing businesses in the towns near to where I work is imaging services. Most doctors receive a commission from the imaging centres and the imaging centres compete among themselves to attract more imaging requests by increasing the payment of commission to the doctors. As I listen to such stories from families who visit for consultation, I realise that human behaviour is beyond any legislative control. No law on ethics can dissuade us from our habits.
But examples of living by conviction can help in influencing others to think and behave differently. The auto driver who takes us to work, when we do not want to drive to work, is a dependable and careful driver. He told me that his mission has been to restrain his co-auto drivers from drunken driving. He has almost succeeded with all of them by his example and persuasive influence on them.
I wish, many of us would regard human formation as a mission in our life!
M.C.Mathew(Text and photo)
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