Normal vs Differently normal

[JUSTIFY]I have been thinking about writing this snippet since the last two days. Actually it was a film I saw Saturday on Discovery Channel that made me want to write about this topic. Add to it, the present discussion on this forum about people who are differently oriented accentuated (to me) the stark difference between human beings and animals.

Well, while this one is not about this particular category of people, it certainly is about people who are differently abled, differently oriented as well as those who look different from the "normal".

The film focussed on the progress made by a white lion cub born in a litter of normal lion cubs, a light coloured alligator as well as a baby monkey. These animals were born white due to a mutation in a gene which coded for their colour. The question was whether they would survive in the wild. For one, their colour deprived them of their advantage of camouflage, which they would have otherwise have had. That would make them easy prey to their predators. The second one was whether they would be able to find a mate and reproduce.

Interestingly enough, the lion cub was accepted unquestioningly by the rest of the pride. It learned to play with its siblings and to stalk and capture prey on its own. Within a few years it had found its mate who accepted him in spite of his colour. He was no more or less successful than the rest of his sibs. Reminded me of the story of the ugly duckling (though the furry, white cub was by far the cutest of the lot ).

The crocodile baby even more interestingly was the only one of the clutch that survived. He learned to devise different tactics to capture prey (where even other "normal" crocodiles managed to be spotted by the prey before they attacked). Not only that, he too got a mate who had no objections on grounds of colour or lack thereof.

The little monkey died of a fall when his mother and other monkeys in the family were trying to escape an attack by some other bigger animal. (It was heart rending to see the mother refusing to accept that he was dead and carrying him around for 3 days and 3 nights).

This made me really think. We claim to be the most intelligent, most highly evolved species in the animal kingdom. We arrogate to ourselves a "civilization" which claims to "cater" to and to protect the interests of the weakest sections of society. We presume ourselves to be the most sensitive of all living beings.

Yet we are unable to accept people who are not "normal" like us, people who are not as "good looking" and "fair" like us. We consider ourselves to be superior to our "less fortunate" brethren. (Who said they are less fortunate or less capable? Every being is endowed with a will to live and to survive the severest odds. They would survive without our help or should I say in some cases in spite of our help). The lions did not discriminate against the white cub. The monkeys did not abandon the different baby. We not only abandon people who are different, but kill even "normal" females, only because their gender is different from that of males.

We have so much to learn from others beasts and animals before we evolve to their level of civilization. We have miles to go before we sleep.

[/JUSTIFY]

 

Thanks JAG. BTW, I love your new avatar. It's so cute.