Even in the common affairs of life, in love, friendship, and marriage, how little security have we when we trust our happiness in the hands of others!
William Hazlitt
1778 – 1830
Several years ago, we moved into a house with a wonderful backyard. It was spacious, with mature trees and a hearty squirrel population. The squirrels took refuge in the trees and lived off their fruits; one of the larger trees produced small red berries that seemed to be a staple of the squirrels’ diet.
One morning I observed a daredevil squirrel climbing an extremely small branch to get berries. The branch was very thin and pointed down, so the squirrel climbed head first, his rear paws wrapped around a connecting branch while he stretched to reach the berries. As soon as he could secure a clump, he’d scurry back up the branch to a safer spot before he sat and ate.
As I was watching, he bit off a clump of berries, but he didn’t have a good grip on them. My eyes tracked the fruit as it fell. Then I had to laugh, because another squirrel was on the ground below, feasting on fallen berries. The next day I observed the same thing: the daredevil was back, performing acrobatic maneuvers to secure his food, while the other squirrel was content to wait on the ground and eat the berries that fell.
While the scene was hilarious to watch, I couldn’t help but think how the behavior of the squirrels was so much like that of people. Some people take all the risk, while others are content to sit around and wait for crumbs to fall so they can eat. Some people go out on a limb and make things happen while others are willing to wait for whatever fruits are easily caught.
The squirrel on the ground was totally dependent on the actions of the squirrel in the tree. How many people in the world are totally dependent on the industry of others? One of the basic human desires is to be free and independent, yet we often give up our freedom and base our financial well-being on the efforts of others.
Are you one of those people who makes things happen, or do you let others take risks and then settle for whatever falls off their plates? Do you actively watch for new opportunities, or do you settle for whatever drops in your lap?
Don’t leave yourself open to the whims of fate. If you really want freedom and independence, sometimes you need to go out on a limb and take action to ensure your own well-being.
Whoever then wishes to be free, let him neither wish for anything nor avoid anything which depends on others: if he does not observe this rule, he must be a slave.
Epictetus
c. 55 – 135 AD
Copyright © 2016 John Chancellor