British politician Lord Acton warns that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. This may be true for politicians, but not for nature. Nature, when left to its own devices, is incorruptible. Its power is pure and resolute— and cannot be controlled.
I learned that on the ranch when I went face-to-face with a coiled rattlesnake in Blind Canyon. He was full of toxic venom, rattling a warning tune and flicking a black forked tongue toward my exposed jugular vein. I had provoked the serpent unintentionally while walking out of a spring-fed arroyo. Startled at my sudden intrusion, he cocked his head back until it hovered over what seemed like half a dozen coils of scaly flesh and menacingly stared at me.
I froze, knowing a snake bite in the throat could be fatal. He held the advantage, had all the power in the moment, and was free to choose any course of action. The snake hissed once more and then slithered away to let me pass safely by.
From that moment on, I made it a point to weigh all my optionsin life whenever I found myself in an advantageous positionduring a confrontation. That snake had been principled, and didn’t lash out in self-defense as I had expected. If he could do it, so could I. Even with my Scottish temper, I no longer chose the quick, powerful aggression over reasoned assessment and compromise.
That is what I learned from the power of nature.
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