Fable of the porcupine
It was the coldest winter ever and many animals died because of the cold.
Some porcupines, realizing the gravity of the situation, decided to group together to share warmth.
This way they were better covered and protected ; however - the quills of each one wounded their closest companions.
After a while they decided to distance themselves one from the other and soon after they began to die, alone and frozen.
So they had to make a choice: either accept the quills of their companions or disappear from the Earth.
Wisely, they decided to go back to being together.
They learned to accept the little wounds that were caused by these close relationships, in order to benefit from what their companions offered.
It was this way that they were able to survive and thrive.
Moral of the story:
The best relationships are not ones that bring together perfect beings, but are instead ones where individuals learn to live with the imperfections of others and can still accept the gifts they have to offer.
Thanks to Doug.
UPDATE CORRECTION: According to HelloAdorable, the pictures above are baby hedgehogs and not porcupines. Further, according to HelloAdorable:
You'll be happy to know that their spines are not barbed and do not come off in self-defense like porcupines.
Oh dear! What to do about my post?
I couldn't bear to remove the pictures of the adorable baby hedgehogs, but below is a picture of a baby porcupine, which is also cute, but not, I think, as adorable as the baby hedgehogs.
Thanks to Susan S.
Imma thinkin' a baby porcupine's quills are pretty soft though!
ReplyDeleteAlternative moral: In order to survive you will have to learn to live with a few pricks.
ReplyDeleteSOOoooo cute. Is that a porcupine or a hedgehog?
ReplyDeleteHow very cute! I honestly have never seen a baby porcupine, and I think they are so precious!
ReplyDeleteSquee! Oh, the cuteness!
ReplyDeleteIT, I searched around, and the same pictures are labeled baby porcupines and baby hedgehogs. I don't have a definitive scientific answer, but I'm leaning more toward hedgehogs at the moment.
ReplyDeleteI believe that what we have pictured in the post are baby hedgehogs. Check out this website.
ReplyDeleteAdorable!
ReplyDeleteActually the last image is a porcupine, I believe. The others are European hedgehogs.
ReplyDeleteIT, the baby porcupine was added in an update.
ReplyDeleteHedgehogs, unanimously regarded as adorable, are a better choice for the purpose anyway. In one of the very earliest syndicated appearances of Pogo, the incomparable possum discusses things with Porkypine:
ReplyDeletePog: How do you porkypines hug your children?
Pork: Don't hug. [beat] Porkypines don't like anybody enough to hug 'em.
This is clarified the next day:
Pog: Don't you sometimes roll over at night and poke yo' own self?
Pork: YES! [stands up, slams fist into his hand] And serve me right!
[ambles off] Don't like *anybody*.
If my name weren't Porlock, I think it would be Porkypine.
Porlock, do you think the fable works as well with hedgehogs? Their spines are not barbed and do not come off in self-defense.
ReplyDeleteIf my name weren't Porlock, I think it would be Porkypine.
It's not too late to change. :-)
Lovely pictures. We have these in our garden.
ReplyDelete