philosophy

Animal Zen Masters: The Earthworm

Gerard S. HoffLeave a comment

Nature delivers the greatest Zen masters in learning how to live in the now.

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Earthworms have a major impact on the soil structure. When we walk the earth, billions of worms dig tunnels and break down plant material, making the soil airy and healthy.

The most amazing thing about earthworms is their power to regenerate their body.

Segments of their body can be detached and then simply re-formed again. Even from internal organs it is known that the nervous system can regenerate.
Imagine.

To grow in life is to detach,
the soul will regenerate.

Animal Zen Masters: The Baby Giraffe

Gerard S. Hoff1 Comment

Nature delivers the greatest Zen masters in learning how to live in the now.

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Giraffes spend most of their lives standing up; they even sleep and give birth standing up. That makes the birth of a giraffe baby, one of the most violent births in the animal kingdom. A drop of 2 meters, right off the smoothing womb.

The giraffe calf can already stand up and walk after about an hour is able to run the first day. Within week, it starts to collecting its own leaves.

Wisdom begins in wonder – Socrates

Animal Zen Masters: The Spider

Gerard S. HoffLeave a comment

Nature delivers the greatest Zen masters in learning how to live in the now.

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The web of the spider is an ingenious object. One sticky thread after the other creating the base and then weaving the circles until it’s finished.
It takes a day to make.

After it’s finished the spider retreats in a corner out of sight and waits. All flies have seen him making the web, so avoid being near it. But the spider waits and  waits until the flies forget and one gets trapped in the sticky threads.
Then it moves.

Patience may be one of the largest bases for success

Animal Zen Masters: The Anglerfish

Gerard S. HoffLeave a comment

Nature delivers the greatest Zen masters in learning how to live in the now.

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Perhaps not the most attractive fish in the ocean, but definitely an interesting one. Its luminescent organ, called the esca, is lit by symbiotic bacteria that dwell in and around it.

The organ lures a prey in dark, deep-sea environments. The beak, that stretches over the complete width of the fish, falls opens up while sucking in the water.
Including the prey.

The esca also serves to call males’ attention to the females to facilitate mating.

At all time
it is I who can decide
who to be.

Watch the first anglerfish on camera here.

Animal Zen Masters: The Caterpillar

Gerard S. HoffLeave a comment

Nature delivers the greatest Zen masters in learning how to live in the now.

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A caterpillar starts eating the day it is born from his tiny egg. Green leaves and fresh grass is paradise, all you can eat, especially on a sunny day.

It’s also the fastest growing organism on the planet. Up to 10.000 times its birth weight within 20 days is the record. A caterpillar moults up to 5 times during its short life, as it literally bursts out of its skin.

Imagine the face of the caterpillar, after all this eating, when it finds itself trapped in a cocoon. What am I doing here?

Now imagine the same face after breaking out of it. As a butterfly.
Life of a caterpillar is pretty amazing.

Any stage
is a stage to grow
into something more beautiful.

Animal Zen Masters: The Cheetah

Gerard S. HoffLeave a comment

Nature delivers the greatest Zen masters in learning how to live in the now.

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The hunt of a cheetah is almost like a gracious dance. It moves synchronic with the gazelle it wants to catch, making sure he’s not seen, getting as close as possible and find just the right time to attack.

Although it can accelerate 4 times faster than Usain Bolt and and has a top speed of  100 km/h, it’s only capable of running 500 meters like that. 20 seconds.

Life is about timing
and taking your time.

Animal Zen Masters: The Turtle

Gerard S. HoffLeave a comment

Nature delivers the greatest Zen masters in learning how to live in the now.

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I was watching a turtle on the beach who spotted a juicy green leave of lettuce about 200 metres in the distance and he started moving.

After 45 minutes he still wasn’t there and I could see he was getting tired because he was moving even slower, so he rested for a while. Then he carried on. Bridging the last 50 meters or so, still took another 15 minutes. Finally he got there and I have never seen a turtle indulge in a piece of lettuce that much.

Even at the end of your strength, there’s still power within you. Find it, use it and you can achieve amazing things.

Animal Zen Masters: The Mole

Gerard S. HoffLeave a comment

Nature delivers the greatest Zen masters in learning how to live in the now.

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A mole sleeps standing up with its head between its paws.
That same paws he uses to dig deep tunnels and holes in the ground. He then pushes the dirt walking backwards from deep underground, creating molehills.

With most mammals, the hair is placed in a particular direction, usually backwards, but the mole can turn the fixation of its hair in the skin. As a result, moving forward is just as easy as moving backward.

Move smooth, leave the past behind.
Embrace the gift of today, that’s why it’s called present.
The future, is unwrapping the present.

Animal Zen Masters: The Giraffe

Gerard S. HoffLeave a comment

Nature delivers the greatest Zen masters in learning how to live in the presence.

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A giraffe must be an happy animal, as it can eat the best and juiciest leaves from the top of a tree. No other animal gets that high. At the same time, the advantage of a long neck is a disadvantage when drinking. Still, it is mathematical, symmetrical piece of art.

Celebrate your strengths and your weaknesses seize to exist.

Animal Zen Masters: The Gold Fish

Gerard S. HoffLeave a comment

Nature delivers the greatest Zen masters in learning how to live in the presence.

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Imagine being a shiny goldfish, same bowl, same circle, same room, same miniature castle at the bottom and and every time I am there, it looks at me with fascination. As it was the first time I was passing the bowl.

Observe with wonder.

Look up from your smartphone and observe nature, look up at the sky at night when a full moon is out or smell the air after rain on a sunny day. The world is a pretty cool place when you just take the time to observe it with wonder.