Beaver Parenting And Wisdom
Photo by Tim Umphreys on Unsplash
How Do We Make Changes For Our Future Well-Being?
by Eric Elkin
“Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen.”
Beavers stand out for their amazing parenting skills in the animal kingdom. Most people tend to think about their work ethic. In our culture, we reference active and productive people as being “Busy as a beaver.” They are busy, but all their work is centered on parenting and family.
Both beaver parents are intimately involved in raising their kits. The dad takes over primary parenting duties when the mother is ready to wean her children. He teaches them how to eat grasses and plants. Once the kits know how to eat solid food, they move outside and start a 2 to 3-year process of learning life skills.
Life within a family colony of beavers is tender and loving. Then one day, without warning, everything changes. When a kit reaches maturity and can live independently, the parents will turn on them. The adult child will approach a parent expecting a hug and get attacked. The parents will chase their children away until they know not to return.
Beaver parents know the land can only be productive for so many beavers. If the adult children remain, there will not be enough food to sustain the family. Once the shock of rejection is over, the adult children roam until they find a new location and a mate. When they have settled, they occasionally return to their original home to help.
“Like winds and sunsets, wild things were taken for granted until progress began to do away with them. Now we face the question whether a still higher ‘standard of living’ is worth its cost in things natural, wild and free. ”
Beavers are intelligent creatures, but their brains are not on par with humans. Despite not being a wildlife biologist, I feel confident in saying this as a fact. As far as I know, no beaver colony has figured out how to build a computer or design an automobile. Yet, even creatures of lesser intelligence know the land can only handle so many people.
We live in an advanced culture full of laser-guided missiles, artificial intelligence, self-driving cars, and cell phones. But somewhere along the way, we lost the wisdom of our ancestors. Even Abram and Lot understood the land could not handle overpopulation. Yet, here we are, building larger and larger cities. Around the globe, more and more people live on less and less land. How long can it last?
As I reflected on this issue, I wondered, how do we make changes for our future well-being? The question I ask about change is directed at something other than individuals or the 8 billion people inhabiting the planet. My question is for family colonies of all shapes and sizes. Can we let go of the things starving us from abundant life? Can we move to embrace long-term, future health?
Abram and Lot made a mutual decision. Their decision was rooted in a mutual affection for each other. Beaver aggressively force decisions. Regardless of the method, the decisions they make all produce spiritual benefits. What changes do your family colony need to make? And, how can you make them?
Click to read Genesis 13
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