The bats have several
unique and unusual features and habits. Students of basic biology often wonder
whether they are birds or terrestrial animals. There is a legend about the
peculiar nature of bats.
In early days, the land
animals and birds lived in peace and harmony
in the forest. A severe summer caused an intense drought in the forest.
The trees and plants withered. There was a severe scarcity of food and water.
In the struggle for survival, the birds and other animals fought against each
other in their attempt to capture the available resources. Many animals and
birds perished in the struggle.
Finally the Lion King initiated a
mediation between the warring groups. He put forward definite guidelines for feeding
by the birds and other animals. The birds were to consume only the resources
available on the top of trees. Whatever was found at lower level was reserved
for the land animals which could not fly. The arrangement was accepted by the
birds and other animals.
The bats came to the birds
and pretended friendship. They said, " We are flying animals like you. We
reside on trees and have a body
structure and wings resembling the birds. Let us join and enjoy the resources
on the trees." The birds readily agreed.
The
bats then secretly approached the land animals and said, "Friends, look at
our face. We are just like you. We give birth to young bats and suckle and nurse our children just like each of you. We wish to join your group and feed on
the resources at lower level." The animals agreed.
The bats now enjoyed the resources available
in every part of the forest. They fed on the flying insects and also the
crawling creatures. They fed on the fish, frogs, lizards, small rodents,
scorpions and other insects like the animals. They captured and ate the flying
mosquitoes, moths, beetles, moths and small birds using their superb skills of
flying like the birds. In between they relished on flowers, fruits, pollen and
nectar. No one disturbed them.
Later the birds and other animals realized
their error. They discovered that the bats were
cheating both the groups and breaking the rules of the agreement on
feeding. They were eating every available resource, enjoying their special
status of dual citizenship. The bats were dismissed from both the groups. They
were prevented from enjoying any resource in the forest. The hungry and
abandoned bats were forced to stay away from feeding during day time as most of
the birds and other animals were chasing them away. They decided to fast and
rest by day and secretly seek their food by night, when other animals and birds
are in deep sleep. The animals did not let them rest on the ground and drew
them away. The birds did not let them rest on trees as the birds did. So the
bats practised to hang upside down from branches of trees and sleep during daylight.
This story reminds us that one
cannot be a member of two contradictory groups at the same time. He has to
identify himself with one of the opposite groups. Jesus Christ said to his disciples, “No one can be a slave of two masters; he will
hate one and love the other; he will be loyal to one and despise the other. You
cannot serve both God and money”
.......................................................................................................................
© By Dr.
Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine
Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India, Prof. Mrs.
Rajamma Babu, Former Professor, St. Dominic's College, Kanjirappally and
Leo. S. John and Neil John, Maniparambil, Ooriyakunnath, Kunnumbhagom,
Kanjirappally, Kottayam-686507, Kerala, India.
For more
moral stories, parables and anecdotes for students kindly visit our web-site:
This is
Story No. 128 in this site. Please
click ‘Older Posts’ at the bottom of
a page to read previous stories and click 'Newer
Posts' at the bottom of a page to read newer stories in this site. Please
click on a word in the 'Story Themes'
to read stories on that theme
No comments:
Post a Comment