Are You a Zebra or a Peacock?

Zebras, close relatives of the donkey, are a lot like people in some ways. The famous stripes of the zebra don’t do much for him when he’s out in the open. However, when a zebra is sensing a threat, he will move in closer to its herd. Once he’s surrounded by other zebras, his markings break up his shape and silhouette, making it harder for a predator to identify a single animal. The zebra hides by blending in and looking like all the other zebras around him. He seeks safety by being inconspicuous. I think a lot of us act much the same way.

A peacock, on the other hand, does the exact opposite. Instead of blending in and trying to stay hidden in the face of danger, the peacock will courageously emerge as conspicuously as possible, with colorful feathers in full display. He does this to distract the threat from the other birds and give his family, the hen and the chicks, a chance to escape and flee to safety. He understands his mission and heroically executes it. There is no room for blending in and remaining inconspicuous.

As a zebra tries to blend in to the herd during an attack, he is essentially diluting his personal risk evenly among the herd. While this may mitigate his own danger, in doing so he compromises the safety and security of those around him. The peacock, in contrast, as he boldly steps out into the open to command the attention of the would-be assailant, greatly increases his own risk to ensure the safety of those around him. This world is full of striped jackasses; be a peacock.

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