11/03/2025
WHY THE BAT IS NEITHER A LAND ANIMAL NOR A BIRD
Not until a woman remarries will she ever appreciate her first husband; and a child that cannot control his appetite for meat will one day eat the chameleon. It is always greener on the other side of the river, and there is no remedy for a lack of contentment.
In the olden days, when animals talked and reasoned like humans, the Bat was a special sea creature. He was smarter than all the fishes in the sea and had a special skill of communicating with every animal; yet, he was not satisfied. One day, at the shores of the sea, he met the Pig and wanted to become like the Pig.
‘Pig,’ he called him. ‘What is it like to be a land animal?’
To his question, the Pig laughed. ‘There is nothing better than being a land animal. You will be free to eat anything, get yourself dirty and sleep all day.’
‘Can’t you see me,’ the Pig went on. ‘I have no farm but I eat whatever I desire.’
The Bat could not sleep that night. He told the fishes that he had no desire to be in the sea again. All the fishes begged him to stay, but he gave deaf ears to their plea. He called upon God and started complaining.
‘You shouldn’t have created me as a sea animal. Can’t you see I am smarter than all the fishes?’
‘You are fine here,’ God told him. ‘The sea is always cool and every creature here celebrates you. Better a place where you are seen as a king than a place where you will become a slave.’
But the Bat would not listen. 'I am tired of being celebrated here,' he replied. 'I need somewhere better, somewhere I will be free to eat anything, get dirty and sleep all day.'
‘Are you sure that is what you want?’ God asked.
Without hesitation, the Bat answered, ‘Yes!’
‘Be it unto you as you wish,’ God declared. ‘I will come back in a month’s time and will give you the grace to become a sea animal again – if you wish.’
The next day, the Bat woke up with no fins. He automatically became a land animal. Unfortunately, it was not what he expected. He discovered, though it was too late, that the Pig was a 'low-lifer', and there was no real joy on earth. The jungle totally lacked brotherly love. Animals ate one another to survive. The lions ate the wolves, the wolves ate the pigs, the pigs ate smaller animals and so on.
The worst part was that no one celebrated him. No one saw him as an important creature. He felt deceived by the Pig and confronted him.
‘Why did you lie to me, Pig?’ he asked.
‘I did not lie to you,’ the Pig replied. 'I eat anything, I get dirty, and I sleep all day. No animal indeed likes me, but a rejected man should not reject himself. I am made a land animal and I have to accept my fate.’
From that day, the Bat could not sleep. He started regretting his decision and wished he could become a sea animal again. ‘I will wait for God to come, and I will revert to a sea animal.’
While patiently waiting for God to return, he met the Vulture eating the carcass of a dead lion. He called on him, saying, ‘Vulture, what is it like to be a bird?’
To his question, the Vulture laughed. ‘There is nothing better than the freedom of flying, eating from the treetop and touring the whole sky.’
‘Can’t you see me,’ the Vulture went on. ‘The animals fight to feed me. They kill themselves and provide meals for me.’
Again, the Bat could not sleep. He waited till God came.
‘How are you, Bat?’ God asked. ‘Are you ready to become a sea creature again?’
The Bat said, ‘No, I want to be a bird. Flying is the real deal: the freedom of flying, eating from the treetop and touring the whole sky.’
‘Are you sure that is what you want?’ God asked.
Without hesitation, the Bat answered, ‘Yes!’
‘This will be your last chance, Bat. Don’t be in a haste to take this decision.’
‘I am sure of what I want,’ the Bat screamed. ‘I want to be a bird.’
‘Be it unto you as you wish,’ God declared.
The next day, the Bat discovered he had automatically become a bird and could fly. But it was not a blessing either. For in the world of birds were many brilliant creatures: the parrot could talk, the hummingbirds could reproduce any sound, the robins had the best voice in the world and the eagles needed no friends.
No bird wanted to associate with the Bat. To them, he was ugly and had no real talent. As the days went by, the Bat became withdrawn. He went to the sea and saw how happy the fish were but he had no fins to survive in the sea. He went to the land and saw the animals running around and looking so happy, but he was not accepted anymore on the land. He got stuck in the air.
Then he went to the Vulture and started whining. ‘You lied to me, Vulture.’
'I did not,' the Vulture replied.
'You told me that it is fun to be a bird.'
‘But I did not advise you to be a bird, Bat,’ the Vulture replied. 'Even though other birds do not like me, I like my fate. I still believe that it is fun to be a bird.'
‘But you would have told me that the birds are full of themselves,’ the Bat shrieked.
To this statement, the Vulture replied: ‘Bat, you did not ask. I see the good side of my abode but you are insatiable. You are not comfortable with who you are and should not blame anyone for your woes.’
The truth mocked the Bat and in shame, he hid from the public and only came out at night. And up till this day, he is still confused. He is not a bird, neither is he a land animal nor a sea animal. Just like every insatiable animal, he became a depressed creature.
When next you see a bat hanging upside down, know that he is regretting the choice he personally made.
