Did you know that for every 100 birds born only 25 reach adulthood?*
That reminds me of when I went to work for the Post Office in 1968. We (new hires) had a few days of indoctrination. On the first day about 100 of us met in a big room. An administrator gave us forms to fill out. A couple others spoke. One was a sophisticated courtly old gray headed guy named Andrew Jackson. I don’t think he could speak without being inspirational. Another guy, the head of operations, I think, told us flatly that they hired us 100 because they need 50. He said about half of us would not make it – they knew that by previous statistics.
That was a comforting thought – one out of two of us would not make it. Opps! What did I get myself into?
Getting back to the birds: Did God or Mother Nature arrange the environment so for every bird needed to carry on the nature business of scattering seeds and whatever else three are born?
I think all four of the birds are needed. One to reach adulthood to mate to keep the cycle going – for every 4 birds they reproduce one will reach adulthood… on and on.
And the three birds that didn’t make it – that died young died for a purpose: usually to be food for other animals.
That is what some animals do. They have to eat other animals to survive. They have to eat sweet little cuddly things so they can live and carry out their purpose to keep life going on and on.
I suppose you could even say animals who die of a disease gave their lives for the continuing survival of tiny little germs so they could go forth and multiply too.
Never mind all those bloody cruel thoughts. Go ahead and eat your breakfast. What are you having this morning – eggs and bacon?
*Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader Almanac
6 comments:
NOPE, I had cereal.....LOL
To everything there is a purpose, Eddie.
Judy,
All part of the grand plan (or scheme).
I had bran muffins this morning 'cause I been eating too much pork, lol!!
Since you retired from the P.O., you musta been one of the survivors (or was that "sir"vivor, hehe :)
Carolyn,
Well, I ate oatmeal - those poor little oats!
Actually I got to be in both groups. In my second week I was fired by the man over the Atlanta carriers for having a wreck in a postal vehicle and rehired as a clerk as the man over the Atlanta Mail Distribution.
We - and the birds - are such miraculously complicated and sophisticated critters that it is a wonder than any of us are born with all of our parts working fine. Birds can not take care of any of their flock that are not quite right. We can. So their infant death rate is miserable. Plus, Mother Nature is a bitch - when she is in a good mood.
Si,
I agree, even at Mother Nature's best she is a headstrong bitch that kills innocent things just to make the overall ecological world to keep going around.
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