The Wisdom of Bunnies

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost

The Road Not Taken

The world is a tough place for bunnies.  They’re a great meal for a hawk, a fox or numerous other predators.  They all eat green leafy things and green leafy things aren’t out all year, nor is the temperature habitable in all four seasons. Because of this, bunnies make a lot of babies to ensure that some scions will create the next generation of fuzzy long-eared leaf munchers.

We recently moved into a house, and low and behold, my dog found the remnants of a bunny nest.  All the bunnies had left, there was just fluff and twigs, but it was fairly clear that our verdant yard had been seen as a fertile nesting ground for a litter of bunnies.  From there, I had an incredible education into the idea of a crowded and dangerous market vs an open and safe market.

Bunnies are in danger during the day.  Besides cars, prodding kids and pets, hawks and other diurnal animals are on the prowl for food.  Yet, in the morning and the evening, while it was still light, I still saw bunnies outside. There was one important factor however, the bunnies that were outside in the light were small.  The adults learned to only come out at night where it was safer, while the young had to learn this.

As time goes on, I see fewer and fewer rabbits during the day.  There could be many reasons for this, however I like to think that part of the reason is that the rabbits are learning to avoid the crowded market of the daylight and gravitate towards the open market of the night.

Be like the adult bunnies. Learn not to follow everyone else. Learn to forge where others do not. Find new markets.  Innovate.  And…always eat your vegetables.

-Jacob Eberhart

Industrial Designer

“The only person who is educated is the one who has learned how to learn and change.”

― Carl R. Rogers