Perspective

The Perspective of a Fox

‘I think, therefore I am.’

‘Be wise as serpents…’

‘Know yourself!’

These are some of the sayings of humans that my old pops taught me. He said he learned from his dad, my grandpa. They say that these were the sayings that had been handed down from one generation to the other, and that each generation had added their own saying that they learned from humans from the time they were created on the earth.

Pretty cool, right? I mean, as a fox, as a creature that lives on this very earth, I always wondered about humans, so much so that my old pops had to restrain me from going any closer to a human home. I don’t know about homes: I mean we foxes live in dens. Which reminds me of another saying that I heard that my very, very great grandpa had learned from some guy in Geneva back hundreds of years ago, 

‘Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but….’

Sorry. I can’t quite remember what came after that. But I have a feeling that I’ll know what it is someday, and that someday is quite soon. As I walk on this bridge that humans made, I have to wonder if they’re happy. Whenever I peek into a human’s home, I get two mixed reactions: One family looks like they’re having the fun of their lives inside a decent, cozy home, while another family are angry at each other, but they seem like they’re all cool. But they live in what we foxes would say a luxury den. It’s a really grandiose place that they have, and whenever I pass through that mansion, I do wonder, we have dens, and when I talk to my friend, a bird, she says that she’s cozy in her nest. I too, know that my den is the best place to be. 

I ever do wonder though, why humans are so unhappy in such a big place. I mean, I saw all sorts of gadgets and whatevers in their homes, helping them to talk to someone living in another state or another country! Those shiny, bright screens they have let out all sorts of things: I saw some people fighting each other, some people were sitting at desks and talking, I saw some people cheering over wining money. 

Shouldn’t that be fun and happy? I certainly think that if I was a human, that I would enjoy everything…. But I always feel that I’m better off as a fox. Humans call us crafty and sneaky, and to their credit, we are…. To survive. 

But when I look at some other houses, I hear some conversations of people stealing stuff, and people committing some unjust acts with the greasy line, 

“Honey, I never thought you were so sneaky. Isn’t your husband going to come home soon? You’re like a fox!” 

Save it. Do you really think us foxes are sneaky to commit acts like humans? If you think that, you’re in for a surprise. I would never leave my husband away, or my children. I think that humans don’t know themselves that much. They don’t know how sneakier they are, nor do they consider the fact that they were the ones to shatter the world. 

By the way, that phrase I mentioned at the top about being wise as serpents? I remember what comes after that:

‘…and as innocent as doves.’

You’re telling me. I mean, those are two very opposite things. But unfortunately, the humans who are kind to my kind are both, while those who aren’t have an ulterior motive. I’m not one to judge something or someone. However, if I can, I want to say that I pity humans sometimes for misusing sayings, or misunderstanding, and sometimes bending stuff to their own desire. Bashing, hurling insults and violence… It’s amazing how humans live with all of this, and as I was walking around the neighborhood, it was soothing and comforting to find a home that was peaceful. I hoped that this family wasn’t the kind that looked happy on the outside, but at odds at each other on the inside. When I sneaked towards the home, I could hear the sound of laughter. 

With some courage, I went one step towards the home, and it was just so happy… It felt nothing like what I’ve heard in various homes, and I was curious, the conversation went like this,

“Dad, you know that Amanda is going out with Jin, the new kid! They say that he’s from Japan!” 

“Really? Amanda, you never told me about this…”

“Come on, Rich! You promised to not say anything…!” A girl exclaimed. 

“Is anything the matter? Amanda, congrats.” Another mature voice of a woman’s came into the conversation, flawlessly, and I concluded that it was the mother of the family. They seemed… so happy, that even though I was a fox, I was glued to the spot. 

I knew that I needed to sneak back into the woods, but I couldn’t help it… They seemed so happy, and I was happy for them to, as a fox that was created from the start of time. Some time had passed, and I heard that someone was reading, and that was when I had solved the puzzle, 

“Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

It seemed like the family was talking about this saying, and even though I couldn’t catch everything they were saying, I had a feeling that this family was different. They talked about paying a cost, how foxes and birds have it good (Thank you!). 

I was about to return to the woods, until I heard silence, and crying. The mother and father of that family were murmuring, 

“We don’t know anything… please help us…. We humans are weak, and we are shattered, please help us…” 

Well, that was fun…Humans who actually knew themselves. I knew it was time to go back to the forest, but I was stricken with fear as the door opened. The son, who looked very warm, put out a plate with things to eat, “Here, fox. I hope you have some, and it’s okay if you don’t. By the way, I envy you, pal!” 

The son went back in the house. Putting aside that I’m a female, I was truly touched about this family as a fox. I hoped that they truly made a world that us foxes (To a bigger extent, nature) and humans could live together. They really touched a soft part of my heart, as I happily went back to my home of a den, knowing that my family were waiting for food… and perspectives of a fox.