Once upon a time, there were two brothers. They loved each other. They believed in the existence of an Almighty God and they also loved Him a lot.

One day, to prove their love to their God, they decided to sacrifice something for Him. One brother gave up an Animal from his herd, and the other brought some crops from his farm. Both sacrifices were left on a mountain-top, where it was believed the accepted sacrifice would be devoured by a fire.

It so happened that the animal was accepted as a sacrifice. The brother who had given up the crops was infuriated. Overcome with anger and jealousy, he killed his brother.

Soon after the murder, a raven landed by the jealous brother’s feet and began pecking at the ground. Seeing the raven scratching the ground, the brother was overwhelmed with regret and shame and cried out, “Oh, woe to me! I can’t even be like this raven, which is showing me that I must bury the body of my dead brother to hide the crime I have committed!”

For all we know, the bird may have just been pecking at some insects on the ground. It is what the brother inferred from it that matters. Who knows; maybe this is how mankind began burying the bodies of the dead!

It doesn’t matter whether it is a drop of nectar or the wide expanse of skies above; there are lessons to be learnt from nature. From a spider weaving its web to a cat stretching after a long nap: there is a little something for everyone. Your duty is to observe and draw parallels from these gems to your own life.

Here are a few animals we could take some lessons from!

Ants

Huge advocates of teamwork and dedication, Ants are extremely hard-working. They are focused and goal-oriented, and collective action is their biggest strength. They were into the division of labour before classical economists made it cool; Adam Smith was probably watching a colony of ants before he wrote The Wealth of Nations. Ants also have a proactive approach to their tasks and if they encounter any difficulties, they communicate with each other to sort the problems out.

Cats

Ah, cats! Worshipped in Ancient Egypt and cherished to this day, the cat is a fascinating creature. So what can you learn from these versatile animals? It’s okay to relax once in a while. But after you’re done relaxing, make sure you stretch every single muscle and get moving again: your next meal depends on how well you hunt after the nap! Hey, it’s okay to be antisocial at times. In fact, it may even be necessary. Alone time can be fun! Be hygienic: a cat is kind of a clean-freak. For example, if you pet a cat, it will scurry off to a corner and begin bathing itself to get your scent off.

Honey-bees

Ever heard of ‘as busy as a bee’? There is truth to this statement: bees are tireless workers that, like ants, teach us about teamwork and cooperation. They seek out the cleanest flowers to eat nectar from: hence, we are taught to seek out the purest forms of gaining our livelihood.
60,000 bees; 55,000 miles; 2 million flowers: all of this for one pound of honey! What dedication!

Lions

Amazing. Where to begin with these wondrous Kings of the Jungle? Shall we point out the lion and lionesses’ support of each other and their cooperation in maintaining the pride (the lion guards the territory and the cubs whilst the females hunt for food)? Or should we talk about their social lives, which are well-balanced and properly handled? Or perhaps we must discuss the family-love amongst the Great Cats of the Savannahs. I know what we shouldn’t talk about: what happens when another bunch of male lions takes over a pride of lions. That is a topic that will not be broached. (Spoiler alert: there is bloodshed involved)

See? Nature is so beautiful. It pays well to take some time off to smell the roses and watch the butterflies. Because heaven knows you will not find lessons like these in the documents you staple and the E-mails you check.