For years, I thought I’d made peace with my past, but the look on my parents’ faces when they showed up at my door proved otherwise. After seventeen years, I thought they’d left me behind as a disappointment. Seeing their shock at my house last Friday, I knew things were about to get interesting.
Seventeen years ago, I told them I wouldn’t go to med school. My mother was horrified; my father dismissed my dreams of acting and business. Instead of supporting me, they cut me out and left me with nothing. I scraped by, building a modest business and a career in banking.
Now they were back in Sydney, struggling to buy a home in an inflated market. I suggested they see my place. They were speechless, shocked I owned it. But their admiration quickly turned to judgment, accusing me of hiding my success, even implying I was involved in shady dealings. Finally, my mother said, “We’ll stay with you. We can’t live in a worse place than our own son.”
I laughed. “You think you can just walk back into my life, judge me, and ask to live here?” My father threatened to cut me out of the will. I shrugged. “What will I do without an inheritance from people who can’t even afford to live here?”
My mother whispered, “We just wanted the best for you.” I replied, “No, you wanted what was best for you. I built my own legacy.”
As they left, my father warned, “You’re making a mistake.” I met his gaze, steady. “No. I already made peace with it.”
They blocked off the road after realizing what this elephant was carrying with its trunk
Deep within the animal realm, among the verdant forests and huge savannas, lives a unique species that goes by the name of elephant. Scientists and environmentalists have long been fascinated by these gentle giants. After years of intensive study and close observation, we now know that elephants have a profound emotional range and a grieving process that is remarkably comparable to our own.
George Wittemyer is a committed conservation biologist from Colorado State University who has spent a large amount of his professional life researching elephants. He once gave National Geographic a glimpse into his observations, illuminating the complex and mysterious mechanisms by which these majestic creatures deal with the death of a fellow herd member.
“Elephants have respect for their dead,” Wittemyer stated, “but their interaction with their dead is not something we fully understand.” Researchers have been intrigued by this mysterious part of their behaviour, which shows that when these animals experience the loss of one of their own, they react from deep-seated emotions.
Recently, Twitter user Parveen Kaswan released a video that revealed this fascinating discovery, underscoring the depth of elephants’ emotional intelligence and their distinct grieving process. The film shows a scenario on a peaceful road where all of the traffic has stopped and people are staring at an incredible sight.
A magnificent herd of elephants is crossing the street with a grace that is appropriate for their size and harmony. One elephant in particular sticks out in the parade, softly holding something in its trunk. Viewers, intrigued, quickly discover that the elephant is bearing a young, dead elephant calf, which is inert.
The herd stops quite solemnly, and the elephant carrying the small load carefully lays the dead calf on the ground. The others assemble around, creating a circle of respect. This scenario is quite moving; it conveys a sense of shared sadness and mourning.
The title of the video, as Parveen Kaswan so eloquently put it, “The family just don’t want to leave the baby.” Their behaviour is reminiscent of the solemn cortege of a deceased person.
The elephants continue to amaze and astound researchers and viewers alike with their level of emotional depth as they exhibit an instinctive reverence for the deceased and an understanding of the great grief they have experienced.
As they go on their trek, a second elephant comes up and tenderly cradles the dead calf in its trunk. Elephant herds are emotionally connected to one another, and this display of deep grieving and solidarity emphasises how capable elephants are of feeling loss and sadness.
This will move you !! Funeral procession of the weeping elephants carrying dead body of the child elephant. The family just don’t want to leave the baby.
The film serves as a moving reminder of the extraordinarily emotional lives that elephants lead and is evidence of the strong bonds that exist among animals. It’s a tale that connects our worlds and serves as a moving reminder of the intricacy and beauty of nature. Please spread the word about this post on Facebook to your loved ones so that others can also be moved by the moving scenes shown in the film.
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