THE OPTIMIST: Fight like an Impala

I recently watched a documentary in which an impala fought for its life against a cheetah and won. I immediately learned that in life, the battle is not necessarily to the strong but to those who give it their all.

I was amazed by the tactic of the impala. When the cheetah sprang on its neck, there was a lot of flexing, but as it discovered it was weaker for the bigger cat, it crouched on its knees and seemed to have given up the fight.

The cheetah then made the mistake of trying to get a better grip of its prey’s neck. It was a mistake it must still be ruing, for in that instant, the impala plunged and pinned the predator to the ground with its rough horns, and jagged with all its might. The cheetah panicked and released its enemy who then leaped to safety, leaving the cheetah nursing a bloody a gush in its side.

It was a memorable battle that reminded me of the common analogy that it’s not the size of the dog that matters in the fight, but the fight in the dog. That little, vulnerable-looking impala was nothing compared to its foe, but my God! what a tough heart it had. Wherever it is, that little impala deserves a medal for varlour extraordinaire.

It taught me that in the jungle of life, those that survive, those that make it, are those that keep pushing, keep fighting no matter the pain. Those that are willing to fight to the point of death are the ones that have greater chances of winning, not those that give up quickly.

Remember all of us have crosses to carry. Some struggle daily against poverty, others against rejection and others battle very painful sicknesses and so on. Even those that seemingly have it all often are battling deep emptiness and try to find solace in alcohol, women and drugs.

It’s very rare to find someone to whom everything is alright. There are battles of the flesh and of the mind that every human being wrestles against. Some give up the fight and commit suicide; others stop fighting and wait to die.

It’s those that keep fighting that test the glory of winning and give life its meaning. It all comes down to choices really. And I choose to be that little but indomitable impala that wrestled with a vicious cheetah and won.