Humans are flawed in so many ways. The majority of us insist on believing that we are superior to the rest of the inhabitants we share this planet with and yet, our species alone is responsible for its constant, increasing state of destruction. Natural disasters do a brilliant job of slapping us down to size when we begin to get too big for our britches (so to speak). Once in a while, though, our less-evolved cohabitants flex a little muscle, as well.
Many years ago, my brother Trav received a BB gun as a gift and immediately began seeking out targets on which to test his new toy. In a moment of cruelty, he aimed – and hit – a passing crow. The crow fell from the sky, stunned but not badly injured. It sorted itself out and flew away somewhat awkwardly. Moments later, the mostly empty sky filled with hundreds of crows. They seemingly came out of nowhere, some alighting on nearby trees while others circled our house menacingly. One after another, they began to dive-bomb my brother, who was left no choice but to run into the safety of our home. Now, I’m the oldest of six kids, and including my mom, seven different people came and went at any given time of the day. All of us were able to go about our business without a problem, but the second Trav set foot outside the door, those birds were on him without hesitation, noisily letting him know of their distaste for his actions.
The crows stuck around for two whole days, ready to attack Trav at a moment’s notice. Once they realized that he’d been sufficiently discouraged from showing his face, their numbers gradually decreased until our yard was once again crow-free.
Newsflash: our opposable thumbs make it easier to send text messages, wipe our asses, and create nuclear bombs, but they DO NOT give us the right to feel such a strong sense of entitlement. Every living thing is significant and insignificant in its own way.
“But Britt,” you might counter, “What about our deliciously evolved brains? Surely that gives us the right to claim ownership of Earth and everything on it!”
I may be smarter than your average bird, but I will say this: if someone slighted me in some way, I would not have three hundred friends at my side two minutes later, ready to take a bitch out. Respect.
Illustration by Britt Warner
