Humilitia

On a field within a stadium covered in patches of fur walked Humilitia the bull. Humilitia was the last bull standing amongst creatures of many lands and many phenotypes. His massive horns rolled into his heavy, veiny exterior, which was tightly hugged by his spotty, long, and torn fur. Humilitia’s eyes were wide, and his head bobbed calmly up and down as his heavy feet gently walked amongst air that hosted the cheers of a crowd.

Crowds of birds, elephants, alligators, bulls, cheetahs, and even ants had gathered amongst Greek pillars adorned with champions of old. Warsome, the great lioness and Cropitia, the deadly crane and many more on a list so long it would take several minutes to list, and several thousand years to sufficiently explain. Like many champions, Humilitia was bred for this. He descended from thousands of generations of champion bulls who had been forced into stadiums and crowded streets for amusement. Soon, Humilitia would bring pride to his forbearers by joining the scarce ranks of the champions of old, which the crowds who had gathered viewed as immortal.

Together it was the birds, elephants, alligators, bulls, cheetahs, and ants who roared for Humilitia. In truth but unseen, Humilitia’s mind was racing with shame and in parallel, serotonin. The cheers hit Humilitia’s eardrums like a bomb hits a city. Victory is felt alongside disaster, and the weight of hypocrisy is placed upon those left standing.

Those creatures that had gathered continued their cheers until Humilitia reached a silver microphone on a podium of red and black. In that moment silence escaped the fallen competitors yet gripped those lively creatures that had gathered.

“I am filled with nothing but shame. You praise me for my accomplishments, yet my need to be here is unfortunate and my performance could have been better in many instances.” Humilitia said to the crowd.

It is one thing for a crowd or a person to be gripped with silence. Amongst many possibilities, they may be focused on learning or on experiencing a story as it sequentially unfolds. It’s another thing for smiles to turn to blank faces as their consciousness stalls and realizes it is not where it thought it was.

“My name is Humilitia the bull. I am praised for my humility and militia-like devotion to competition and victory. Yet, you consume what is obvious and leave behind what is true. I fight for your entertainment to feed my family, and with hopes of inspiring greatness.”

Humilitia looked to the crowd and saw an elderly alligator wince at Humilitia’s words of inner truth. Alligators do not weight the ethics of a situation and the progression of animalistic society as they go about their days. Plainly, they stalk and kill. In reading the crowd and feeling the turnover of energy, Humilitia contemplated leaving the microphone. But as a couple of elephants sat down in front of the alligator, Humilitia noticed the alligator’s daughter eagerly anticipating another sequence of words. Humilitia recalled his own daughter observing his training and meditation. As the alarm bell rang, Humilitia had pushed further into his training despite his exhaustion.

In this juncture of space and time there was a realization. There is hope in all things, poetry in some, and manifestation in few. If the future is to be better than the past, Humilitia must be better than himself. Notably, he realized he must be better than the part of him that sought to flee from the microphone, for fleeing from the microphone was not simply that. Fleeing from the microphone would have been hypocrisy, an avoidance of the call to greatness, a hatred for all the positivity that manifests from truth.

“It is a blessing that there is water in the fields for us to return to. That we have life and a society for which we can celebrate. But I ask you this: How can we celebrate competition without celebrating ourselves? How can we overcome mediocrity without seeking to understand that which perplexes and haunts us?”

Humilitia looked to the fallen competitors. It was not disease that took them, nor old age nor a decision to leave this life early. It was Humilitia who stood on this planet we call Earth. Contemplating the state of reality and growing pains, Humilitia wept.

“A future lacking violence and full of love is all we can ask for.”

Humilitia backed away from the podium, laid down, snorted, and rested his heavy head on the field next to a boar’s torn tuft. In appreciation of that which gives life and enlightenment, Humilitia closed his eyes and raised his head towards the sun.

Some of those who had gathered began leaving with discontent. In all things there is never consensus. But in victorious things like taking first place, participating in a bull market, or leading a charge, there is an opportunity for Humilitia. Indeed, together it was the birds, elephants, alligators, bulls, cheetahs, and ants who remained who cried with or celebrated Humilitia. In that moment, for a brief set of minutes, with Humilitia’s eyes closed and raised towards the sun, all was acceptable and true.