A Monkey Does Not Wish to Be a Cat
- Karenina Fabrizzi
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
In the animal kingdom, there is a quiet wisdom that asks for nothing and proves everything. A monkey does not wake up wishing to be a cat, nor does a giraffe envy the wings of a bird. A lion never doubts its roar, and a deer never questions the grace of its steps. They are born into what they are, and they remain faithful to it. Their needs are simple: shelter, food, safety, and a sense of belonging within their tribe. They live as presence itself, grounded in instinct and truth.
Animals do not compete to be more than they are. They do not compare their fur, their size, or their speed in an endless attempt to prove worth. They exist, and in that existence, there is harmony. Their beauty comes from alignment—being deeply connected to their nature without resistance or doubt. There is no performance, no mask, no constant negotiation with identity. Just life, unfolding as it should.
And then there is us.
Humans, gifted with consciousness, imagination, and immense creative power, often turn these gifts against themselves. We compare, we envy, we compete. We wish to be someone else, somewhere else, living a different life. We spend years trying to escape who we are, believing that fulfillment lies in becoming something entirely different. And the more we distance ourselves from our essence, the more we applaud ourselves for it, mistaking self-betrayal for success.
We build identities based on external validation, chasing approval, status, and superiority. We measure our worth against others, as if life were a race with winners and losers. Yet in this race, no one ever truly arrives. There is always someone ahead, someone richer, someone more admired. And so the hunger continues.
But if we pause—if we dare to slow down and face ourselves with honesty—we begin to see something extraordinary. Beneath the fear, beneath the comparison, beneath the noise, there is a unique being. A being with talents, sensitivity, intelligence, and gifts that no one else can replicate. We are already remarkable, not because we outperform others, but because we exist as we are.
Festive seasons often amplify this disconnection. What could be a sacred pause becomes a frenzy. Compulsive buying replaces presence. Stress replaces gratitude. Time slips through our hands while we chase perfection, appearances, and expectations.
We forget that rest is a gift, that stillness is nourishment, and that love grows in attention, not excess.
Perhaps it is time to learn again from the animal kingdom. To remember the dignity of simplicity. To honor who we are without comparison. To understand that we do not need to be better than anyone else—we only need to be true.
In that truth, we return home.
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