Listening to public radio this morning, I happened to hear a wise Native woman discussing human prejudices against the royal canis lupus--more commonly known as the wolf. That big, bad wolf-- nemesis of forest dwelling people, ranchers and grandma throughout history. One of the theories presented for this stretch of hatred, was that wolves remind humans of their own worse qualities...
Of course they do!!! Everyone knows that wolves are obsessed with pack behavior--while humans conveniently overlook their own obsessions with discrimination, tribalism, rotary clubs and cliques!! And what about bullying? Wolves would love cyberbullying if only they had access to iphones! Imagine the poor omega wolf getting all those facebook posts: "go away stinky omega, find your own pack... loser....!"
Wolves also tend to hunt in groups and have been observed attacking neighboring wolf packs to obtain their territory (my goodness!) Ever hear of war? A game us "evolved" humans happen to engage in on a regular basis...?
The way I see it, there is no shame in being just like the wolves. Because for every brutal quality they may exhibit--there is also incredible tenderness. Like their efficient system of raising pups as a family pack (must have read Hillary C's 'Takes a Village'...) "Aunt" and "Uncle" wolves willingly babysit, while the alpha wolves go off to explore and hunt. And nobody questions their intelligence or playfulness. Probably should also admire their loyalty--howling to one another in order to locate fellow pack members, then joyfully greeting each other upon return!
Maybe the "wolf mirror" doesn't only reflect what we don't want to see, but also the qualities we think we could use more of?
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