The Courage of a Hamster
I recently bought a hamster, something I have never done before and a pet that I have no idea how to take care of. After a long conversation with the clerk, I decided to just wing it.. But hamsters are pretty scaredy creatures, and for the first few days, I really wanted my hamster to like me but alas, his nature as a prey animal makes him difficult to trust people.
The first few days, he created many new holes on my hand and it was clear that he was very scared of me.
For the first few days, everytime I got close, Kevin (my hamster) would freeze and follow my movements carefully. When I got too close, may
be I was refilling his food or water, or I was arranging his little cage, he would pounce and bite whatever part of my hand he could grab. I was really expecting a pet that I could pet or play with, so for the first few days, I was kinda sad and I started questioning why Kevin doesn't like me or maybe I don't have talents to take care of an animal.
Then, I started digging through the internet, finding informations about how to take care of Kevin. I found that Hamster are a naturally fearful animal and they are easily agitated. They bite not because they hate us, but because they're scared of us. It was not until a week later that he slowly warmed up to me and he even climbs on my hands willingly.
To take care of hamsters, one thing I came to understand is, I was a stranger. His cage and his little house were unfamiliar territories and everything in my room is new. And given a hamster's natural temperament as prey animals, their first response is FEAR. Kevin feared everything, especially this big ugly giant who started talking to him and acting all chummy out of nowhere (me >_<). He was scared that I would hurt him, so he bit me.
After a few days watching him, while he started to trust me, a thought occured to me.
Even when he was scared of me, he still jumped at me just to bite me.
What do we humans usually do when we're scared. For many of us, our first response would be to be scared and to escape. Many of us, when faced with a challenge or danger, would choose to flee, to save our lives, and to ensure our survival. That is not a mistake! It is very natural to do that. And I would have understood had Kevin chosen to hide inside the little house I bought him instead of attacking me. But facing this titan who is far beyond his size, he jumped and tried to take me down or at least make me back off. Well of course, you cannot compare a human to a hamster in terms of intelligence but think about it. I could just as easily smack him down or crush him with my palms. In the face of this giant, little Kevin felt scared, but he did not cower.
Many times in life, we face obstacles bigger than us, or at least we perceive them so. Many of us would become intimidated and back off. Many chose to surrender and to never face them again. Many chose to fight but then failed, and then they became broken and never wanted to try again. Many times, we choose to hide and cower behind our own safe zones instead of removing the obstacles and claim that space for ourselves.
Kevin was scared of me, and I am sure he thought of my hand as a predator that would easily harm or even kill him. With that logic, being scared, being intimidated, and feeling fear is a very normal thing to do. But what's important is, what we do after that. When we are faced with a problem or a stressor, being afraid is a normal human response. But what we do next would determine our course in life. Do we choose to flee and let the problem be or we choose to fight it, knowing that it won't be easy and there are always a chance that we will be destroyed.
My hamster Kevin fought my hand, without realizing that I have no desire to harm him. I just wanted to take care of him. But unlike, my hands, our problems and obstacles in life are not always so kind. Some obstacles are designed to make us grow while others exist simply to hold us down or destroy us. When facing with problems ten times beyond what we thought we're capable of, know that running from your problems rarely results in the disappearances of obstacles or the solving of problems. Many times, the problems would actually get bigger if we choose to ignore it.
There is never a guarantee of success in every struggle but if we do not face our obstacles and problems, there is a guarantee that they will never disappear. Though different in forms, problems will always find us until we decide to face and defeat them. We may suffer, we may even fail after torturing ourselves. Sometimes it feels like we're wasting energy without getting anything in return, but when we decide to face our problems instead of running away, a chance of success will appear. Only in the facing of problems and effort to overcome obstacles would there be a chance of success. Running may delay stress, but stress will always appear, in different forms.
Hamsters are fearful animals. But at the same time, I find them very courageous. It is not easy to decide to face a giant far bigger and stronger than you especially when your logic tells you that there is a good chance that you would lose. You may not defeat every obstacles and you may not find the solution to every problem. But know that the small courage you show when you face your problem, don't lose them. Because even if you cannot defeat this giant, you may defeat the next giant!! Your courage will not be in vain!!
The courage of a hamster, though small and may seem insignificant to many, is still a mighty thing indeed.
The first few days, he created many new holes on my hand and it was clear that he was very scared of me.
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| Kevin likes to eat Pop Corn |
be I was refilling his food or water, or I was arranging his little cage, he would pounce and bite whatever part of my hand he could grab. I was really expecting a pet that I could pet or play with, so for the first few days, I was kinda sad and I started questioning why Kevin doesn't like me or maybe I don't have talents to take care of an animal.
Then, I started digging through the internet, finding informations about how to take care of Kevin. I found that Hamster are a naturally fearful animal and they are easily agitated. They bite not because they hate us, but because they're scared of us. It was not until a week later that he slowly warmed up to me and he even climbs on my hands willingly.
To take care of hamsters, one thing I came to understand is, I was a stranger. His cage and his little house were unfamiliar territories and everything in my room is new. And given a hamster's natural temperament as prey animals, their first response is FEAR. Kevin feared everything, especially this big ugly giant who started talking to him and acting all chummy out of nowhere (me >_<). He was scared that I would hurt him, so he bit me.
After a few days watching him, while he started to trust me, a thought occured to me.
Even when he was scared of me, he still jumped at me just to bite me.
What do we humans usually do when we're scared. For many of us, our first response would be to be scared and to escape. Many of us, when faced with a challenge or danger, would choose to flee, to save our lives, and to ensure our survival. That is not a mistake! It is very natural to do that. And I would have understood had Kevin chosen to hide inside the little house I bought him instead of attacking me. But facing this titan who is far beyond his size, he jumped and tried to take me down or at least make me back off. Well of course, you cannot compare a human to a hamster in terms of intelligence but think about it. I could just as easily smack him down or crush him with my palms. In the face of this giant, little Kevin felt scared, but he did not cower.
Many times in life, we face obstacles bigger than us, or at least we perceive them so. Many of us would become intimidated and back off. Many chose to surrender and to never face them again. Many chose to fight but then failed, and then they became broken and never wanted to try again. Many times, we choose to hide and cower behind our own safe zones instead of removing the obstacles and claim that space for ourselves.
Kevin was scared of me, and I am sure he thought of my hand as a predator that would easily harm or even kill him. With that logic, being scared, being intimidated, and feeling fear is a very normal thing to do. But what's important is, what we do after that. When we are faced with a problem or a stressor, being afraid is a normal human response. But what we do next would determine our course in life. Do we choose to flee and let the problem be or we choose to fight it, knowing that it won't be easy and there are always a chance that we will be destroyed.
My hamster Kevin fought my hand, without realizing that I have no desire to harm him. I just wanted to take care of him. But unlike, my hands, our problems and obstacles in life are not always so kind. Some obstacles are designed to make us grow while others exist simply to hold us down or destroy us. When facing with problems ten times beyond what we thought we're capable of, know that running from your problems rarely results in the disappearances of obstacles or the solving of problems. Many times, the problems would actually get bigger if we choose to ignore it.
There is never a guarantee of success in every struggle but if we do not face our obstacles and problems, there is a guarantee that they will never disappear. Though different in forms, problems will always find us until we decide to face and defeat them. We may suffer, we may even fail after torturing ourselves. Sometimes it feels like we're wasting energy without getting anything in return, but when we decide to face our problems instead of running away, a chance of success will appear. Only in the facing of problems and effort to overcome obstacles would there be a chance of success. Running may delay stress, but stress will always appear, in different forms.
Hamsters are fearful animals. But at the same time, I find them very courageous. It is not easy to decide to face a giant far bigger and stronger than you especially when your logic tells you that there is a good chance that you would lose. You may not defeat every obstacles and you may not find the solution to every problem. But know that the small courage you show when you face your problem, don't lose them. Because even if you cannot defeat this giant, you may defeat the next giant!! Your courage will not be in vain!!
The courage of a hamster, though small and may seem insignificant to many, is still a mighty thing indeed.
hehe hebat bisa relate masalah hamster dengan masalah setiap hari
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