The View from My Study 28 March 2025
Humans can learn a lot from the animal kingdom. Emperor penguins, for instance, forego their own warmth and food to protect their eggs. The male keeps it warm on his feet for two months in freezing Antarctic temperatures, and during this time, he doesn’t eat at all. What a sacrifice!
Bees take it up a level; when a bee stings an enemy to protect its hive, it dies afterwards because its stinger is torn away. So it loses its life in order to keep the rest of the colony safe. The mother octopus has the same mentality; she lays thousands of eggs and does not eat for months while guarding them. Eventually, she becomes so weak that she dies soon after they hatch.
Sacrifice doesn’t have to be fatal though. African Wild Dogs let the weakest and youngest members of the pack eat first before the stronger ones. And dolphins are well-known to support sick or injured members of their pod, helping them stay afloat so they can breathe.
The point is that, every day, we encounter situations where we have a choice between putting ourselves or others first. For children this is a hard concept to appreciate and the younger they are the more self-absorbed they tend to be. This is why school is so important – for children to learn how to interact, listen, share and compromise.
It is vital they understand that while they seek personal development, they are also part of a team and sometimes doing things for the team is more important than doing things for oneself. As we approach Easter with the theme of sacrifice in the minds of many, I hope that all Biltonians have the mindset that, when it really counts, serving others is the best form of compassion, love and teamwork there is.
As we hit the end of term, I would like to say thank you to everyone for another wonderful few months of purpose, hard work and, in some senses, sacrifice. This is a good opportunity to wish Miss Branston and Mrs Lansdale all the best for the impending additions to their respective families. Also to wish a happy retirement to Jill Lewis who has supported the Science Department for the last nine years. We wish all the best to Tom Hudson-Law who is moving on to pastures new and we say thank you and good luck to Patrick and Ele Staddon Davis for everything they have done as they embark on a new adventure in Namibia. Thank you to them all for enriching the BG community.
