Things we can learn from spiders

When I was around six or seven, my father used spider as an example to teach me a lesson. I had given up on something, saying I couldn’t do it. My dad took time and effort to look for a cobweb with a spider, and we sat observing it for almost half an hour while he told me the story of King Robert Bruce of Scotland. The story is as follows:

King Robert Bruce was brave and fought many battles against the English to free Scotland, but he was repeatedly defeated. After one such defeat, he fled and hid in a cave. One day, he saw a spider hanging by a thread. It slipped and fell repeatedly but kept trying to climb the web. On its tenth attempt, it succeeded. Inspired, Bruce thought that if a spider could overcome its struggles, so could he. He emerged from the cave, rallied his army, devised a plan, and ultimately defeated the English. Whether the story is true or not, we know that the spider exemplifies determination.

I sat watching the spider in awe. My dad asked me what I learnt from the spider. I then listed the following as my learning:

• Determination
• No pains, no gains
• Try, try, and try until you succeed
• God helps those who help themselves.

Years later, I did the same with my daughter when she felt she couldn’t achieve something. After all, seeing is believing isn’t it? Spiders, though often overlooked as creepy insect, offer a wealth of lessons for humans through their unique behaviors and abilities. Here are some ?valuable lessons we can learn from spiders:

1. Determination and perseverance: A spider never gives up spinning its web. No matter how many times it falls or its web gets destroyed, it climbs back up and starts all over again, even without resting. The lesson here is to never give up, be determined and maintain perseverance regardless of obstacles. There will be hurdles along the way, and external factors may break you and your believes, but you must believe in your ability to rebuild, time and again.
2. Patience and persistence: Spiders are masters of patience. They spend hours meticulously building their webs. Then they wait, sometimes for long periods for prey to get caught in the web. This teaches us that achieving our goals often requires time, consistent hard work, and persistence. In India, we are taught "??? ?? ?? ???? ???? ??I"
3. Precision and attention to detail: Building a web requires incredible precision and attention to detail. Spiders meticulously place each strand in the right place to ensure the effectiveness of the web and maximizes their chances of catching prey. This attention to detail is essential in many aspects of life, from professional tasks to personal projects, where precision can lead to greater effectiveness and success.
4. Creativity and innovation: The intricate and varied designs of spider webs showcase remarkable creativity and innovation. Spiders adapt their web structures based on their environment and prey. Similarly, humans can benefit from thinking creatively and being open to innovative solutions, whether in art, technology, or daily problem-solving.
5. Resourcefulness: Spiders use their silk for multiple purposes, including web-building, trapping prey, creating shelters, and even protecting their eggs. This resourcefulness demonstrates the importance of making the most of available resources and finding multiple uses for the tools and materials at our disposal thus fostering a mindset of efficiency and sustainability in our personal and professional lives.
6. Resilience: When a spider’s web is damaged, it doesn’t give up. Instead, it repairs or rebuilds it. This resilience is a powerful lesson in facing setbacks. Rather than being discouraged by failures, it teaches us to recover from setbacks, persist despite challenges, learn to rebuild, and keep moving forward. In life, whether facing personal failures or professional obstacles, resilience helps us bounce back stronger.
7. Self-belief and independence: Have you ever seen a cluster of spiders? Probably not! Unlike ants, spiders walk a solitary path. They don’t have a colony to rely on. Most spiders are solitary creatures, relying on their own skills and instincts to survive. From the moment they hatch, most spiders are on their own, having to create their own opportunities without anyone to bail them out. This teaches us the value of independence and self-reliance encouraging us to trust our abilities and take initiative in our lives. Their traits of patience, creativity, resilience, and resourcefulness stem from their strong sense of self-belief. Cultivating self-sufficiency and trusting our abilities can lead to greater confidence and success in various aspects of life.
8. Cleanliness and hygiene: Spiders often clean their webs and remove debris to ensure their traps remain functional effective. This practice highlights the importance of maintaining cleanliness and order in our environments, which can improve health, productivity, and mental well-being.
9. Adaptability: Spiders adapt their web designs and behaviors to different environments and prey. This adaptability is crucial for humans too, as it enables us to navigate changing circumstances, whether adapting to new technologies, shifting job markets, or different social situations.
10. Strategic planning: Spiders strategically place their webs to maximize their chances of catching prey. This strategic thinking can be applied to human endeavors, such as setting career goals, planning business strategies, or even organizing personal projects. Thoughtful planning and strategic decision-making can lead to more successful outcomes.

By observing spiders, we can glean valuable insights into patience, creativity, resilience, resourcefulness, and more; ultimately enhancing our personal and professional lives.

Note: However, there are times when if you don't succeed at first, try a few times, then quit. Move on to something else while there's still time. Be persistent, determined, and patient, but not foolish.