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Animal World

Zeyneb’s World of Animals

Who is the smartest animal in the world and why?
    Stop and think for a bit before reading on...
    Your chances of finding the right answer among so many animals is highly low.

“Of course it's us, humans. Ha ha ha!”
Or you might say “The chimpanzee...” Or go on with other animals like “Dolphins”, “Whales”, “Parrots”, etc.

But my answer would be none of these. Let me do you a favor and give you a clue. For that matter, I can even put your choices down to two. So that your chances of getting the right answer would be 50 %.
    In my humble opinion, the intelligence of an animal should be based and appraised on its behavior during winter. Under the circumstances, our two options are:
a) Bears
b) Birds

Now let's analyze these two answers and weigh them one by one to decide which one of two is smarter:
    The bear seems like a smart animal; after all, it's not a bad idea to sleep in a warm bed instead of going around in cold weather... However, if you go hibernating because winter has arrived, your life is wasted.
    On the other hand, what's the use of putting life to good use? We have a finite time, it's an ephemeral world.
    Mah, this is too pessimistic.
    Okay then, let's do some mischief and let's nudge the sweet bears all together saying “Wake uuuuup from your winter sleep, life is fleeing...”

As for the poor birds... Their name has been involved with a phrase which is used as an insult for humans: “Bird brained.” Thus, they are regarded as stupid animals. But what is the birds' fault? They might have small brains but they themselves are small anyway. First you need to compare their brain with their size, and then speak up.
    By the way, did you know that the weight of the human brain never stays constant? First it enlarges to three times the size at birth, at adulthood it reaches 1,400 gr, but in the next 30 years it loses more than 30 grams.
    I had previously mentioned that the decisive factor for animal intelligence was their behaviors in winter. Of course, it would be smarter to engage in travel which involves movement rather than sleep which is a symbol of laziness.
    As you might have guessed, my correct answer is b. The smartest animals are the birds... They migrate to warm lands when it gets cold where they are.

I am not so smart. But I have a head on my shoulders and I migrate like these smart migrating birds. Far away lands call me to their arms and I am charmed. I do not have wings, so I get on a plane. In other cases, I go by land. Or the sea... It's not so important how you go, the important thing is to go. As much as the bus and the train, going on horses, donkeys or camels are alternatives. Ah, roaming on one's own feet is the most seductive:

I'm a camel.
    I've been made for the roads. I may not be strong, but I am durable. I store up fortitude, sleep and food in order to survive the long, tiring roads. I can go without sleep for days; after all, I make up for it afterwards by sleeping in. If I eat my fill one day, I can make do with a few crumbles of bread for a week. Unfortunately, as I don't have humps I cannot stock up on water like camels. I necessarily make up for this imperfection (or if you wish to say shortcoming) of mine by always carrying half a liter of water in my backpack.
    In all modesty, I am the most well-behaved and spirited, the most loved camel of the caravan.
    My pain threshold is high; I don't complain, I don't moan. Especially if I am on the road, I never do these. At most, I grumble to myself, and that accompanied by laughing at myself. The road, in spite of all its travail, hardship and trouble, is a space to be happy. (It's the) Roads who have taught me that everything in life is transitory. I know that once it's over, once the trying situation I am in is over, when I have taken a warm shower and a good night's sleep, and I have my stomach full, life will be all sunny again.
    I also know, that -like most pain-, the beauties and happinesses are transitory as well. That's why I don't want to delay the things I wish to do in life: To live in the moment I wish to live, as much as possible. But I'm not in a special hurry either:

I'm a turtle.
    I move slowly but I take firm/unfaltering steps.
    I carry my house on my shoulder, I do not like accumulating stuff. For a road-tripper, it's a burden to carry an unused item, be it a 100 grams. After you walk 500 meters with your pack on your back, it weighs on you. I don't like weights, I don't like excesses. “Travelling light...” sings Eric Clapton.
            “Travelin' light, just let your mind pretend
            We can go to Paradise”

            Or the Tindersticks sing:
            “There are places I don't remember
            There are times and days they mean nothing to me
            I've been looking through some of them old pictures
            They don't serve to jog my memory”
             ........
            “I can't pick them out, I can't put them in this saddle bag
            Some things you have to lose along the way”

I'm the nomadic turtle.
    I don't want more than I can carry, more than I can use. My philosophy is to live at the minimum. But a simple life is not only living with less stuff. The important thing is to achieve simplicity in the mind and heart; to purify from internal conflicts: The key to serenity lies here.
    It's impossible to pass a life without any problems, but the turtle has the art and genius to resolve conflicts in a short time. I like entertaining the idea of being old and wise like him.
    It's fun to live like a turtle. Both to carry your home on your shoulder and to live slow. To lead an unhurried and stuffless life... I also strive to be carefree, light-hearted, easy-going, laid-back, happy-go-lucky. I fall into one of these adjectives spontaneously when I'm on the roads.

I'm a duck.
    You see in the cartoons... A duck is walking, at that moment something is falling from above on its head, the duck is unawares... Ah, that duck is me!
    Yes, the piano or the fridge is about to fall on the duck's head...
    ... What happens in the end? The piano falls right behind her, in the place she raised her foot a millisecond ago, our duck has not noticed it; it goes on walking and singing happily.
    Other scenarios go like this:
    Shot 1) The duck, while walking at the same pace, stops all of a sudden, and the piano falls in front of her. In this situation, a bewildered look appears on our duck's face.
    Shot 2) A “savior” runs up from behind the duck and catches the piano in the air... That is, again, nothing happens to our duck, no harm done to its hair.
    Well but not always good things or miracles happen in this world. Now buckle up, I now am about to play you the worst-case scenario: The piano falls on the duck's head!
    Then what happens?
    Nothing... Our duck is like an egg that has jumped out of the pan and splashed on the pavement. She gets up, straightens herself and walks on as if nothing has happened.

These are our nomadic animals. As for when I am home,
    I am a kitten.
    Give me a ball of string... Leave a bit open on one end... I'll tug and pull and play for days. I find a topic that weighs on my mind or twists my brain, I pull it this way and that, I labor with it until I give it a good shape.
    Once in a while, I wish for a friend next to me. Not to lay claims to, but to play with.
    Let him hug me when I rub in his legs, let us have a bit of fun together; then I go back to my corner. It's enough for me to know his existence.
    True, I live nonchalantly. I do not ask for more.

I'm a peaceful child. Give me a pen and a paper, I write such pieces and entertain myself/ With no care in the world.