“I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself.” D.H. Lawrence noted that a small bird would drop frozen from a branch without a trace of self-pity. Wild creatures live free from boredom and depression. They can feel ferocity when hungry or threatened. But wild things, both animal and human, don’t indulge in feelings beyond the sensations of pain and pleasure that go with life.
Brooding moods are the domain of domesticated animals—humans most of all. People practically make a religion of self-pity. Popular music and films wallow in the stuff. Therapy, social media, and small talk abound with stories and tones of self-centered obsession.
Are we the victims of our own success? Have our creature comforts weakened our wills and spoiled our strong, resilient natures? Has the good life filled us with impossible expectations? Is life really so terrible as the stories we spin over gourmet coffee in luxury restaurants?
In actual fact, life is wonderful for those who escape domestication. Teachers and role models programmed you to suffer in the face of exquisite beauty and love. Yet you can throw off the shroud of sorrow and find your way back to your wild, sweet nature by making the choice to live as you choose.
Your career choice is important. But the most valuable life skill is the ability to transcend pettiness and to merge into team spirit with your business, herd, pod, flock, or pride. Living in harmony with your inner savage makes life vivid.
When you find your true calling you will lose sympathetic friends in the process of recruiting other adventurers. In the company of gentle, wild creatures your sorrow will dissipate like the morning dew under the bright sunshine. Nature appears in all its glory. Your human nature glows with warmth and affection, even in times of great trouble.