by Elvis Newman
The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the materials in this book.
Life Lessons From Nature
Life Coach, Military Strategist, Political Advisor, Scientist & Engineer, Foster Parent
All Rights Reserved.
Copyright © 2014 Elvis Newman v3.0
Cover Photo © 2014 JupiterImages Corporation. All rights reserved – used with permission.
This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
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Ours is essentially a tragic age, so we refuse to take it tragically. The cataclysm has happened, we are among the ruins, we start to build up new little habitats, to have new little hopes. It is rather hard work: there is now no smooth road into the future: but we go round, or scramble over the obstacles. We’ve got to live, no matter how many skies have fallen.
Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D. H. Lawrence (1885–1930)
Foreword
One day Isaac Newton sat thinking in his garden, when an apple fell. Then he realized. The direction the apple fell, along with every other object on this round earth, was always toward Earth’s center. It wasn’t just that the apple fell, but that it tried to go to Earth’s center. That was Newton’s Eureka Moment. He realized that Earth had drawn the apple to it. He realized that every object in the universe draws every other object—probably in proportion to its mass.
Siddhartha sat beneath a sacred fig (Ficus religiosa), known ever af- ter as the Bodhi Tree, and settled into meditation. After countless days and nights, one day, as the morning star rose in the sky, Siddhartha Gautama realized enlightenment and became a Buddha.
Mother Nature has given us tremendous inspirations since the ad- vent of man. Philosophers, writers, intellectuals, scholars, scientists, and religious leaders always have a very special relationship with na- ture—that of profound discoveries and realizations. Nature offers the precious opportunity even to people who are trapped in their egos of loving and being loved unconditionally. The author realizes that Mother Nature can tell us even more things if you care to know about the hid- den messages. Give Yourself completely to the act of listening, observ- ing, and experiencing. There is something greater to be understood. When we get lost in a maze of compelling world problems, we should know where to turn to; when we have forgotten how to be ourselves, to be where life is in the here and now, we should know where to turn to.
When you develop a profound love of nature, of animals, of hu- mans and all life-forms, Mother Nature will provide you with thought- provoking metaphors for your personal motivation and inspiration. In an age of moral and practical confusion, the best self-help book that has the best redesign and rehabilitation must come from nature. She
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examines the great issues of life, including money, work, society, tech- nology, science, the military, politics, and the desire to alter nature for the better!
The author hopes that after reading these pages, the reader can develop new understanding and perspectives on Mother Nature’s con- tributions in different fields of human endeavors. The resultant global awakening of human faculties of understanding will usher in a golden age of mankind, with Mother Nature in the pivotal role. We will be- come the living inspiration that Mother Nature has always wanted us to be. The shining example of her intricate and fabulous design.
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Table of Contents
Foreword .................................................................................... v
Part 1 Personal Motivation .................................................. 1
Chapter 1 Motto .......................................................................... 2
Case A Do Things with a Sense of Urgency, Because, Just Like the Mayfly, You May Not Have a Tomorrow ............... 2
Case B Cicadas: “Today I am a disaster, 17 years
later I will be a master” ................................................ 3
Chapter 2 Equipping Yourself ...................................................... 6
Case A Bird’s-eye View / Kazakh Golden Eagle Hunters
in the Altai Mountains................................................. 6
Case B How to Swim with the Sharks and Stay Alive............. 10
Chapter 3 A World of Various Temptations ............................... 12
Case A Stoat Kills Rabbit Ten Times Its Size by
First Mesmerizing the Rabbit .................................... 12
Case B Mice in Mousetraps ................................................... 14
Case C Examples of Pheromones Used by
Insects and Spiders..................................................... 15
Chapter 4 Out of Sticky Situations............................................. 17
Case A When You Are Ambushed
by a Pride of Lionesses ............................................... 17
Case B When the Weather Gets Stormy, the Buffalo
Charges and the Cow Cowers .................................... 19
Case C Hamsters Facing Cyclical Changes of
Life on a Wheel ......................................................... 21
Case D Stupendous Crabbing Interferences .......................... 23
Chapter 5 Bring Out the Greatness in You ................................. 25
Case A The Real Ugly Duckling:
Hans Christian Andersen ........................................... 25
Case B Indoctrination of the
Young Elephant in the Circus .................................... 28
Case C Fred the Flea and the Glass Ceiling ........................... 30
Chapter 6 No Risk, No Gain ..................................................... 32
Case A The Dangerous Journey of the Serengeti Migration ... 32
Case B The Adventurous Monkey Is a Well-Fed Monkey....... 36
Case C Prime Minister’s Rat Race .......................................... 38
Chapter 7 Towards Peace and Harmony..................................... 40
Case A Nature’s Hanging Gardens of Babylon: The
Old-growth Redwood Tree Canopy Ecosystem .......... 40
Case B The Dam—Legacy of the Beaver................................ 43
Case C The Aquarium of Your Comfort Zone........................ 45
Part 2 Nature’s Military Strategies ..................................... 48
Chapter 1 The Epic Battle of Honeybee versus Hornet............... 49
European Honeybees versus Mandarinia Hornets ...... 49
Chapter 2 The Rise of Germany and the Schlieffen Plan ............ 53
1870 Germany........................................................... 53
Chapter 3 Killer Whale, Killing Move / Orca Crosses a
Dangerous Natural Barrier to Hunt Seals................... 57
Chapter 4 Napoleon, Charlemagne, and Hannibal’s Strategies ... 59
Chapter 1 Young Virgin Queen Bees Seek Out
Virgin Queen Bee Rivals to Kill Them ....................... 63
Chapter 2 Contenders for Political and Leadership Positions...... 65
Chapter 3 The Notorious Cuckoo and the Parasitic Wasps ......... 67
Chapter 4 Stolen Elections, Democracy in Disguise, Etc. .......... 70
Part 4 Nature’s Scientific and Technological Prowess ......... 74
Biomimicry / Biomimetics ......................................... 74
Part 5 When Animals Foster Man ...................................... 77
True Stories of Feral Children .................................... 77
Index .................................................................................. 81
Part 1 Personal Motivation
8
The extraordinary strategies our planet’s animals and plants have de- veloped to face the challenges of life as individuals and as species are nothing short of mind-blowing. The miracle of life is also a story of the beauty, the power, and the wonder of life. It is also a story worthy of our admiration and study.
Chapter 1 Motto
8
Case A Do Things with a Sense of Urgency, Because,
Just Like the Mayfly, You May Not Have a Tomorrow
The mayfly is a unique type of insect. In its adult stage it feeds, flies around, finds a mate, lays its eggs, and then dies. Basically it accom- plishes its life’s goals all in one day!
People have always complained that they do not have enough time to do the things they want to do.
Too often, we are not doing what we need to be doing. Too often, we are regretting what should have happened.
Too often, we hear of stories of people dying too early and unable to finish their goals.
Too often, we are caught up with the fast pace of unfolding events and do not act.
Par t 1 Personal Mo ti vation
Too often, we are at a loss of finding priorities in life until it is too late. Too often, we think we have plenty of time and before you know it, we
are about to die.
Here is an animal that lives life to the fullest in the short span of time that it has here.
Let’s aim to do the same.
Let’s live each day as the last day. Let’s make the most of every day!
Let’s do things with a sense of urgency, because, just like the mayfly, We may not have a tomorrow!
Case B Cicadas: “Today I am a disaster,
17 years later I will be a master”
Cicadas are not locusts. The more northerly periodical cicadas
Life Lessons f r om nature
emerge every 17 years, but several southern species have a 13-year life cycle. Most of a cicada’s life is spent as a nymph that hatches from an egg deposited on the twig of a living tree. The nymph falls to the ground, where it burrows down to spend its assigned years sucking sap from tree roots. Finally, its internal clock tells it to emerge, climb a tree, shed its exoskeleton, and become another noisy adult for its few weeks of remaining life, just long enough to mate, produce eggs, and start a new cycle.
Biologists believe they hide underground for 13- or 17-year periods to keep predators from adapting to their life cycle.
The cicadas tell the story of perseverance and consistency of purpose. For 17 years, they do not let a major disappointment leave them
discouraged.
For 17 years, they work towards their dreams.
For 17 years, they continue learning the soil temperatures, the ground temperatures; no single climatic change will go unnoticed.
For 17 years, they slowly grow, get more influence, and get more ideas, gaining more positive perspectives on the future.
For 17 years, they prepare and work towards future accomplishments.
And no time is spent reflecting on past glories.
For 17 years, they are gearing up for the final metamorphosis from which they will emerge as the darling of the forests, and no time is spent regretting the current predicament of being trapped in the dirty soil.
For 17 years, their mentality is always changing towards learning more to prepare for the future and less and less time is spent relying on the limited ideas of the past.
After 17 years, they reach the climax of their existence and peak their accomplishments. Many inventors, explorers, and famous people had once been relatively unknown until their findings were thrust into the
Par t 1 Personal Mo ti vation
limelight. Many people have worked diligently over long periods of time to finally be accredited by society or in their field of work. It is often said that all masters were once disasters. They managed to endure long periods of hardship to become what they are today.
Chapter 2 Equipping Yourself
8
Case A Bird’s-eye View / Kazakh Golden Eagle
Hunters in the Altai Mountains
The ancestors of Kazakh living in the Altai Mountains in Mongolia were once formidable soldiers of Genghis Khan. Today, some of the de- scendants of Kazakh live in this barren landscape that is considered one of the most remote places on Earth, far, far away from any civilization. They cannot be farmers because of the barren nature of the landscape. Hunting is nearly impossible in the open wilderness without shrubs or trees. The Kazakh know that they have to get the help of the top preda- tor, the golden eagle, to help them survive or hunt anything.
The domestication of the golden eagle has to start early—as early as when the young birds are just ready to leave their nests. These baby eagles are stolen from their nests when the parent eagles are away.
Par t 1 Personal Mo ti vation
They are taken to the homes of Kazakh and trained for about half a year. They are also nourished and groomed as family members of the Kazakh. During this time, emotional bonds are developed between the host and the domesticated. During this time, the golden eagles also grow up to be the best hunters on Earth—the great bird of the Altai— hunting down everything at the whim of their master.
Eagles have a visual acuity many times more powerful than that of humans and can spot prey several kilometers away. From high ground, the golden eagle has the perfect vantage point to spot the slightest movement of any fast-moving prey. Afterwards, its natural hunting in- stinct will take over, as it swiftly and effortlessly grasps the shocked and surprised victim on the ground.
For centuries, the Kazakh have depended on the golden eagle for their livelihood.
Today, countries, corporations, families, and individuals are going through significant changes and turmoil with what often appears to be continual restructuring, reshaping, and regrouping. All entities from the largest organization to the single individual are learning to be com- petitive in this time of crisis and opportunities.
Create the reality that your vision forecasts
Just like the golden eagle of the Altai, we must constantly develop the visual acuity to perceive incoming dangers and opportunities. As you proceed through the visioning process, you will often wonder what the next appropriate step is. Will it be successful? It won’t always be. It is a risk. However, we must have the grand vision of the future to travel the path that will be most rewarding to us. For the individual, vision amounts to career aspirations, personal dreams, and relation- ship goals. For the company, vision is the picture of what your orga- nization can or should be; it requires that you fulfill the unmet needs of your customers. For the country, vision is the GDP projections,
Life Lessons f r om nature
development projects, and investments in infrastructure. It’s a world that is fast changing whether you like it or not. Not all of today’s jobs will even exist in 10–15 years time, and it’s fair to say that all of our current technological devices will be redundant and irrelevant much sooner than that, so it’s important
that we keep moving or we’ll be left out. Are you on the constant lookout for opportunities? Where others see a problem, do you see a chance to find innovative solutions? Is every interaction another opening to put your best foot forward? With our goals, we need to constantly check to make sure that we are on track. Before you make a decision ask yourself, is this going to take me closer or further away from my aims? Once you’ve made that decision, take action, ensuring that you are building mo- mentum and moving towards your target. The difference in mindset is significant and will impact your potential to move forward in life with audacity and purpose.