Lessons from The Jungle Books

 

Today I finished reading The Jungle Books by Rudyard Kipling. I enjoyed the variety of stories and the way they demonstrated different cultures and principles.

The last story deals with Mowgli’s transition from the feral young lord of the jungle to a maturing “man cub”. He feels stirrings in his soul that he doesn’t understand, but the wisest animals of the jungle realize that it is the call of Mowgli’s heritage to be who he always was – a human.

Interestingly, they recognize him as both their lord of the jungle and tell him that he will always be so, but they also tell him that it is time for him to move on.

Mowgli is extremely resistant to leave the life he has known and loved. He tells his dearest friends, “I know not what I know! I would not go; but I am drawn by both feet. How shall I leave these nights?”

I reflected on Mowgli’s words and how applicable they are to our lives. How often have we felt the desire to do something different, to have something more, or to make a significant change in our life? We may even know what to do, but to have something different we must do something different, and change means discomfort.

Even if there is great reward on the other side of the discomfort, we often give more deference to the obstacle and by doing so we fail to gain the reward.

C.S. Lewis put it this way:

We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about… when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea.

We may be comfortable. We may be having fun. But if we have felt the invitation to do or be something more yet refuse to act on that invitation, we become like the spoiled, myopic youth playing in the mud when he could be exploring tide pools on the beach.

In The Jungle Books, Baloo the bear and Kaa the snake love Mowgli enough to prod him toward his proverbial vacation on the beach.

Baloo says, “There is no shame in this hunting. [Meaning looking for a place with his human mother] When the honey is eaten we leave the empty hive.”

Kaa advises, “Having cast the skin we may not creep into it afresh. It is the Law.”

They are both counseling him to embrace the change and move on. They teach him that the discomfort associated with doing so is part of the Law – the natural process of things.

 

 

So what is the thing in your life that you don’t have because you haven’t yet been willing to pay the price?  What is the answer to that painful inquiry – is this all there really is for me?

There is more for you. Whether that’s a better relationship, an option outside of the 9 to 5 grind, artistic or athletic achievements, better health, or something else; it will be different for each of us, but I believe strongly that we will experience the greatest satisfaction in our life and make a significant impact on those around us when we put down the mud and start the journey toward our beach.

You got this!

Pick something small to get started. Ashlee has written some amazing blogs and a guide to walk us through this step. Download your free copy here.

Surround yourself with your “Baloos, Kaas, and Bagheeras” – people willing to support you in becoming who you are meant to be rather than coddle you in a place beneath your potiential.

Among the last words of the books are these spoken by one of Mowgli’s wolf brothers, “from now, we follow new trails.”

I hope this is true for you and me. Let us follow new trails toward our fullest potential, purpose, and prosperity.