The Power of Transcendence

We should refuse to be victims. We should be survivors. I would even go further to say we should be victors. As a shepherd boy I have always wondered about the difference between human beings and animals of the African jungle. Animals rely primarily on instinct for survival and they seemingly do better in overcoming or transcending adversity as opposed to the human victims who rely primarily on intellect for survival. A case in point is the African mongoose. For purposes of this article we need to look at the impossible odds faced by the African mongoose when victimized by a snake, moving from victim to survivor and paying tribute to the heavens.

The Impossible Odds

At a certain time in the history of the great struggle for self-preservation, the African mongoose was like an ordinary mouse that constantly fell victim to the ferocious and bellicose cobra. The routine was for the African mongoose to always freeze and get eaten while the unprovoked snake destroyed and destabilized the families of the mongoose society. It seemed impossible to change the status quo.

From Victim to Survivor

One particular mongoose of long ago Manneheng decided that things had to change. This mongoose bargained with her creator for some retrofitting in order to take charge of her destiny. She needed to feed her babies and ensure their survival as well as leave a legacy of an indomitable life to the descendents. As the medicine women narrated the story to me, she did exactly that.

Her first line of attack was to analyze the brutal ways her foremothers and forefathers had been almost wiped out by the cobra in the same way that the great African American boxer Muhammad Ali analyzed the fighting sequences of his opponents before stepping into the ring. She discovered that, despite his fearsome stature and lethal fangs, the cobra was too slow and if she improved on that she could destroy him like a lightening bolt.

On a particular day she was traversing the grasslands of her African motherland when the cobra puffed his hood. This was a different day because she had put herself through the grueling physical and mental training that gave her the necessary preparedness to fight back. One interesting observation is that she seemed unimpressed by the cobra's hood. As the snake made the usual aggressive overtures, the mother mongoose respectfully maneuvered on the treacherous grounds. In a sudden move like a lightening barrage she jumped on his fearful hood and destroyed his crown. The African mongoose had changed the course of history. Not only did she move from victim to survivor, she went a step further to be crowned a victor.

Paying Tribute to the Heavens

She gathered all her babies and members of the extended family around the mountain of Matamong. Interestingly, it was the sentinels of the mongoose tribe that broke the news. At that point the mongoose looked to the heavens and as if to thank the Creator she bowed in what appeared to be a grateful curtsy. She was paying a deserved tribute to the heavens and the Creator.

Conclusion

It seemed outrageous for the ordinary mongoose that got eaten like a mouse victim to ever entertain the idea of fighting back. The impossible odds were stacked against her but trusting her instincts helped change the course of history. Today the cobra wets its pants when it sees the African mongoose. As humans we should take a page from the indomitable African mongoose.