Wolves have always had a complicated reputation often misunderstood but they are very interesting creatures. They are usually the villains in many folktales and myths usually portrayed as creatures of darkness, impunity, danger and destruction. However, in real world wolves live with a discipline, balance, social cohesion and unity that many human societies seem to be slowly losing.
Ironically, humans have labeled them as wild but based on our deeds it is us who often act in ways that are more reckless, selfish, greedy and destructive or rather wild. Look around at our society now and you will identify a troubling pattern of dishonesty, corruption, greed and disconnection at the guise of self-upliting.
These are not just problems found in politics, schools or any other social setup but also in churches where people are supposed to get spiritual nourishment and guidance. We have become more concerned with personal gain than the well-being of those around us. We have normalized corruption and glorified shortcuts that usually hurt those who can’t corrupt the system we lie to get ahead, bribe to avoid consequences and exploit others to be at the top. But if we pause and look at how wolves live, we might find in them a quiet wisdom, a natural order that reminds us humans of what we have forgotten about being human.
A pack of wolves is not a place of chaos unlike human lives sometimes. It is structured, disciplined, organized and deeply social. Every wolf has a role to play and contribute to the survival and harmony of the group. The alpha wolf who is their leader rules with a sense of responsibility unlike many leaders in our society guided by self-interests. When traveling, the alpha often walks at the back of the pack, watching over the young and the weak, ensuring that no one is left behind. This is leadership defined not by status but by true selflessness and service.
After a successful hunting wolf unlike human in positions of leadership will share the little food, they get with the injured, the sick, the old and the young regardless of the size of the hunt. In our society, we rarely see this kind of loyalty or compassion. Human’s neglect, abandon the vulnerable, the old and the sick usually leaving them on their own suffering in our society where we have normalized survival for the fittest and only the strongest are to service.
We have become desensitized to the suffering around us too busy chasing our own survival. The wolves have mastered the art of understanding their survival depend on each other and only way to thrive, what if we humans lived the same way and we rediscover importance of mutual responsibilities, shared purpose and importance of being communal just like our African traditional societies.
There is also something to be learnt from how wolves teach the next generation. The young learn through observation but also instruction. They watch how the older wolves hunt, care, protect and behave. Human children do the same. They learn more from what they see than from what they’re told by adult. If the old and those in leadership lie, cheat or abuse power, they will grow up believing that this is how the society works. If we model respect, honesty, integrity, discipline and compassion they will carry those values into the future thus creating working systems, nations and a peaceful world unlike what we are seeing now.
We often speak about freedom, especially in modern life. But wolves show us that true freedom comes not from doing whatever we want but understanding when to act, when to wait, when to lead and when to serve. They show us the importance of both solitude and togetherness. Some wolves break away from the pack for a season to explore, grow and learn.
But they usually return stronger, wiser and ready to contribute more to the park. We too must find time to reflect, grow and rediscover ourselves without losing connection to the people and communities that give our lives meaning. In our country we must learn when to campaign, when to deliver services and when to end politics which we find difficult to, leaders must understand they play a greater role in ensuring the stability and the growth of the nation.
Human were given the power to build, create, nurture and lead. But somewhere along the way, many of us have used that power not for good but for self-interest and wealth gain. Whether in politics, religion and education or at home, we’ve seen too many people use their positions not to serve but to exploit and to create more wealth for themselves. If a so-called “wild” animal the wolf can live with purpose, loyalty, integrity and care what excuse do we have, when will we start to carry humanity and compassion.
It is time we look to nature as something that can still teach us. Maybe, in the quiet strength and selfless cooperation of the wolf we can find the wisdom to become truly human again, to reexamine our ways, to care more for all in the society, to live with intention and when not sure of our action ask ourselves what would an animal like a wolf do if in that situation. We should also draw some leadership lessons from the alpha in the wolf park for betterment of human lives and improve the quality of leaders we elect.
