With tales of rabbits and spacecraft,
let me help those of you who are either venturing out into unknown territory or more particularly, those who once more about to make their way in the world after a period of safe haven.
There`s a reasonably large area of grass right next to my office, and it is quite common to see rabbits when I arrive in the mornings. They feed of the fresh grass and the latest plants that the landscape gardeners have kindly left. They appear quite content and blissfully unaware of any dangers. Unaware that is, until a sudden movement catches their eye or a disturbing sound catches their ear. With the appearance of either of these, they bolt down the nearest hole faster than lightening.
In contrast, there is a large roundabout (for my American friends: an intersection with a round (sometimes oval) plot of land in the middle), not too far from town. My family and I affectionately call it “Rabbit Roundabout” due to the large populous of wild rabbits living in and on it. These rabbits are different. From babies to the more long in the tooth relations, they can be found eating the grass at various times of the day with traffic passing within a few feet of their “dining area”. Do they disappear with the movement or loud noise of engines and stereo systems built on wheels? No. They take no notice.
Let me take you into space for a minute. When a space craft is to return to earth, various manoeuvres have to take place to ensure that it is in the right place at the right time and facing the right direction at the right angle. Why? If they failed to do so, any one of a number of catastrophic events could occur, including the complete destruction of the craft and all on board. To re-enter and return to Earth, everything must be properly planned and executed.
Some of the rabbits on that roundabout could do with learning similar principles. These are the adventurous ones. Those who decide that living on the island is no longer good enough and venture out to pastures new. Crossing that road is a dangerous affair and many a rabbit has never been heard of again.
Some do make it though. They reach that other land and we hope live a happy life. These are the ones that do not attempt to leave the island until it is safe to do so and once they set paw on that unfamiliar road, nothing stops them. They just go for it!
Meanwhile, the rabbits back near my office continue to replenish themselves on the well worn grass and whatever else they might find. There is no real sense of adventure with these rabbits. They just…well, exist. M8 bolt size
