“A fight between grasshoppers is joy to the
crow” …Lesotho Proverb
A grasshopper is a
common prey to the crow. Just as rats are to cats, so also are grasshoppers to
crows. There are few things we may learn from these two wonderful creatures
today.
A grasshopper is an
insect that has the natural ability to fly while a crow is a kind of bird that
also has the natural ability to fly. If you've ever tried to catch a grasshopper, you know how far they can jump to flee danger. If humans could jump the way grasshoppers do, we would be able to easily leap the length of a football field. How do these insects jump so far? It's all in those big, back legs. A grasshopper's hind legs function like miniature catapults. In preparation for a jump, the grasshopper contracts its large flexor muscles slowly, bending its hind legs at the knee joint. A special piece of cuticle within the knee acts as a spring, storing up all the potential energy. The grasshopper then relaxes its leg muscles, allowing the spring to release its energy and fling the insect into the air.
Because grasshoppers have such powerful jumping legs, people sometimes don't realize that they also have wings. Grasshoppers use their jumping ability to give them a boost into the air but most are pretty strong fliers and make good use of their wings to escape predators. So it takes a smart and clever crow to chase and catch a
grasshopper.
Our ancestors believe
that when grasshoppers fight, they will be distracted and pay little or no
attention to the presence of their chief enemy which is the crow. So, the crow
would rejoice because the grasshoppers would be too easy to catch.
This is also
applicable to us as human. There are some people who are constantly after our
downfall, they see us as their competitor, they are usually envious of our
success as we progress in life. These set of people may be our relations, colleagues
at work, business associates, neighbours or people that are superior to us.
Just as it takes a smart and clever crow to catch a grasshopper, our enemies
strive hard every day to pull us down. Many of them try several tricks to
ensure that they get ahead of us but our survival lies in our hands.
When there is discord
within us, we get distracted and lose focus on the main goal which keeps us
ahead of our competitors or enemies in life. Hence, we fall easily and cheaply
in their hands. When we fight, we exert and burn energy that could have been
used for something positive. It is always good to remain calm and peaceful even
when things start falling apart. As from today, always stay away from trouble;
you don’t need to fight before you can prove a point. At times, silence could
be the only weapon to win a battle that could have ruined a generation of
people. Beware, your enemies are waiting for your mistakes, don’t give them the
chance to rejoice over your downfall. As we step out today, may we never make a
deadly mistake.
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