Pansies (Lawrence)/Self-Protection
SELF-PROTECTION
When science starts to be interpretive
it is more unscientific even than mysticism.
To make self-preservation and self-protection the first law of existence
is about as scientific as making suicide the first law of existence,
and amounts to very much the same thing.
it is more unscientific even than mysticism.
To make self-preservation and self-protection the first law of existence
is about as scientific as making suicide the first law of existence,
and amounts to very much the same thing.
A nightingale singing at the top of his voice
is neither hiding himself nor preserving himself nor propagating his species;
he is giving himself away in every sense of the word;
and obviously, it is the culminating point of his existence.
is neither hiding himself nor preserving himself nor propagating his species;
he is giving himself away in every sense of the word;
and obviously, it is the culminating point of his existence.
A tiger is striped and golden for his own glory.
He would certainly be much more invisible if he were grey-green.
He would certainly be much more invisible if he were grey-green.
And I don't suppose the ichthyosaurus sparkled like the humming-bird,
no doubt he was khaki-coloured with muddy protective coloration,
so why didn't he survive?
no doubt he was khaki-coloured with muddy protective coloration,
so why didn't he survive?
As a matter of fact, the only creatures that seem to survive
are those that give themselves away in flash and sparkle
and gay flicker of joyful life;
those that go glittering abroad
with a bit of splendour.
are those that give themselves away in flash and sparkle
and gay flicker of joyful life;
those that go glittering abroad
with a bit of splendour.
Even mice play quite beautifully at shadows,
and some of them are brilliantly piebald.
and some of them are brilliantly piebald.
I expect the dodo looked like a clod,
a drab and dingy bird.
a drab and dingy bird.