From the tiniest bug on the sidewalk to the mighty lion roaming the African savannah, animals of all kinds can teach us valuable life lessons.
If we really pay attention, other animals can teach us many important lessons that we may have forgotten in the haste of our normal daily lives. Just by interacting briefly with other creatures, we can take away valuable knowledge that we can’t always learn from our fellow humans.
Even your own pet can teach you new things every single day without you realizing it. We live in such a fascinating universe that constantly gives us opportunities to learn.
Open your eyes and silence your mind to take in all the lessons our amazing animal friends can show us, including these ten.
10 Things Animals Teach Us About What Matters Most:
1. Live in the present moment.
Humans often bounce around from one thought or place to the next without fully immersing themselves in what’s happening around them. Other species, on the other hand, don’t have much else to think about other than searching for food, water, shelter from the elements, and their next mate.
Take a deer, for example – they peacefully flow from one activity to another, searching for berries, fresh water, or just enjoying their surroundings. If you get the chance to observe this graceful creature in action, you will surely forget about everything except the present moment.
2. Love unconditionally.
When people think of animals that show unconditional love, dogs usually come to mind. These loving, cuddly animals never withhold their desire to offer support and understanding to their fellow human friends, and even if you get mad at them, they will still be there for you.
Dogs are called man’s best friend for a reason, because of their undying loyalty, faithfulness, and respect for human beings. We can learn a lot about how to treat one another based on how our furry canine friends treat us.
3. Smile no matter what.
In Australia, you can find a tiny, cute animal called a Quokka scurrying through the trees…and stopping to take selfies with humans if they’re not too busy. Recently, people have been posting their pictures with this amiable, cheerful creature, and the first thing you will notice about them is their infectious smile. They seem to live out their days without a worry in the world and keep a positive attitude through it all.
So, even if you’ve had a bad day, think of how the Quokka would handle it, and you will instantly break out in smiles.
4. Work together.
Ants, in particular, are a shining example of this in action. They carry tiny specks of dirt underground to form complex tunnels and living systems, tackle prey as a team, and help each other carry leaves back to their colony to use as mulch for raising fungus, which they eat to survive. They work harder than many species just to get through each day, and they do it as a team. No one gets left behind, and no one carries all the weight while others just sit on the sidelines.
What can we learn from them?
To value one another, collaborate, and work together to coexist instead of competing with each other for resources.
5. Make time to rest.
Let’s face it – humans tend to work way too much, and rest way too little. Other species don’t overwork themselves; they enjoy every moment of downtime they get to re-energize and relish in life’s beauty. Look at pigs – they roll around in the mud all day, eat, and lay around until they get hungry again.
While they might seem lazy, we could actually learn a thing or two from them about learning to relax once in a blue moon.
6. Be brave.
More than any other animal, lions represent courage, strength, and resilience. They don’t back down from a challenge and must hunt aggressive prey for their tribe. They don’t just lurk in the shadows – they make their presence known and pick themselves back up every time they fall. If someone says you have the heart of a lion, consider that a compliment; it means you show incredible strength and bravery in the face of extreme adversity.
Humans tend to let fear stand in our way, so channel your inner lion next time…your fear will quickly step to the side.
7. Follow your own path in life.
Horses tend to live pretty independently, and often stray from the pack when they get an itch to explore on their own. While they have a majestic, fanciful appearance, they also have a fierce, stubborn side that takes them into uncharted territory and allows them to pave their own path.
Be like the horse and run freely into the wind without thinking of what the consequences might be – just let your heart take the wheel and drive you where you need to go.
8. Listen more, talk less.
Dolphins actually communicate with one another via high-pitched whistling noises, and each one makes a distinctive sound that other dolphins can immediately recognize. They have very advanced communication techniques that rival our own, in some ways, and must listen in order to understand each other’s location in the vast ocean. If they all whistled at once, none of them would be able to find one another – they have honed their listening skills in order to function best as a group.
Humans can especially learn from dolphins that listening to another person, rather than always needing to talk, can actually benefit relationships much more in the long run.
9. Get silly!
Bunnies have very silly, playful personalities, for the most part, and can teach us to let our guard down and have a little fun with life every once in a while. They hop and run around, lick our feet when they want our attention, and never sit still for too long. Some consider them as hyperactive, annoying little creatures, but they just like to enjoy life and express themselves in a way only that they know.
10. Practice forgiveness.
Unfortunately, elephants often fall victim to poaching or other violence inflicted by humans, and they usually lose family members in the process. Elephants possess great intelligence and feel complex emotions just like we do. Many organizations take in orphaned elephants who have watched family members die or get injured at the hands of humans, yet these elephants allow their new caretakers to rear them anyway. Elephants can teach us to forgive in any situation, even if we can’t always understand the other person’s actions.
