Peace

If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. ~Romans 12:18

When intelligence is measured in animals, effectively we are considering how closely they reason like humans. So perhaps we should not be surprised to find bickering, quarreling, and violence so prevalent among animals we consider more highly intelligent. Or at least on land, because whales are surely gentle giants. The reason for the difference would appear to be the availability of resources. Land animals find themselves fighting for survival through defending territory, boundaries, and hierarchies; things that are not issues in the sea.

Corvids, the crows, ravens, and jays, are consistently considered the most intelligent family of birds. These birds regularly communicate in loud, raspy voices, often to establish dominance. The fact that it sounds like they are shouting certainly doesn’t detract from that impression. One way to find a perched raptor is to look where a noisy mob of crows are diving. Typically, this will be a Red-tailed Hawk, though Bald Eagles or Great Horned Owls are sometimes the ones being harassed. If you see crows in the air ganging up on what appears to be another crow, take a closer look since chances are that it is actually a raven.

Sometimes the tables are turned. Crows are omnivores, so they will take advantage of smaller birds by snatching nestlings. The very thing they try to prevent larger predators from doing is what earns them the group attack of other species. Nature is indeed red in tooth and claw, rather far from the peaceable kingdom imagined by the prophets. But this is the time of year to witness a remarkable event in the world of crows. You may notice, just before dusk, that crows begin to move in every increasing numbers toward a single destination. This starts slowly with small local groups, then increasing to a steady stream of dozens of birds flowing by. If you follow them to their ultimate meeting place you will discover not hundreds, but thousands of crows together in a roost. At first, it will be a cacophony, but ultimately, these birds settle in for the night, finding rest in establishing a peaceful community.

Perhaps it is because we are quick to anthropomorphize, this gathering can feel eerie, even ominous, because we find it hard to imagine humans being this cooperative. But therein lies the lesson. If we want peace, we can only find it together. Peace cannot simply be the toleration of a truce, we need a treaty of cooperation among all to know true peace. Imagine the comfort of being able to sleep in complete safety not despite, but because you are surround by others. This all begins with small groups of kin expanding and expanding to more and more inclusion.

Prayer: Divine Gatherer, through the noisy clatter of our own making, we hear your call to live peaceably with all. Amen.