The Platypus
When
the creator fashioned the place that we now know as earth, he saw into the
future and saw how his prized creation, humankind, had progressed. Finding that
much of humankind had lost its sense of morality and wisdom, the creator
decided to make the rest of his creation to serve as reminders for the rightful
conduct of man.
Seeing
that there was going to be much betrayal and deception in the world, the
creator made canines. This creature was to serve as a reminder that man should
always be loyal to his fellow friend, just as a dog is unwaveringly loyal to
his master. Blue whales, grizzly bears and gorillas that roamed the earth taught
arrogant, seemingly omnipotent humans that there were still others which were
stronger and more powerful than them. An
abundance of ants he also made to remind man that there was no replacement for
diligence and teamwork.
But
there was one more issue that the creator saw. Man—he had a tendency to
categorize. Man classified and grouped up everything that he came across in his
life. A pencil is a type of stationery, Congo is in the continent of Africa,
and cycling is a form of sport. In fact, there was even a field of study
dedicated to classifying living matter: taxonomy. Categorizing in itself was
not a problem, for the creator himself gave mankind the ability to do so. The
problem was with man’s response toward his fellow man that he classified as
“different” from himself.
The
creator saw, in the future, that much devastation was to arise from the
division of mankind upon itself. Sure enough, he was right. Hitler’s contempt
toward a group of people known as the Jewish led to a mass genocide that ended
millions of lives. All over the world, humans hold prejudices against each
other due to differences in skin color. In school, children bully other
children that they considered different from them, the social outcasts. There
are even movements to expel or murder one another because of different
religious faiths.
Thus
the creator made the platypus. He fashioned the platypus with the bill and the
webbed feet of a feathered, winged creature; but left its body furry like other
mammals. He designed the platypus to live on land, yet to forage for food in
the water. He also gave it a tail resembling that of an otter’s, but unlike the
otter the platypus reproduced by laying eggs instead of giving birth.
And
so the platypus was created. Like the other animals, it too conveyed a message
to all of humankind who witnessed this peculiar creature. And its message was
this: that not everything can be categorized. Like the oddballs who don’t fit
into any one category in society, the platypus could not fit into scientists’
ideals of a typical mammal or a common amphibian. Instead it was a hybrid
creature which was part of many categories, yet belonging to none.
The
platypus is evidence that things do not always belong in the box that we put
them in. Mammals, before the discovery of the platypus (and the echidna), were
purported to all give birth to their young. Similarly, Muslims aren’t always
terrorists, black people aren’t always dangerous thugs, and certainly not all
Chinese people are good in math! Additionally, platypuses serve as a reminder
that it is perfectly fine to not be like anyone else; it is alright to not meet
stereotypical expectations. In fact, on closer inspection, everyone is unique
in their own way; everyone defies some sort of stereotype placed on them.
The
sooner we learn that we all have a bit of platypus inside of us, the sooner we
will understand that nobody can be categorized completely. Perhaps, then we
will stop looking for the differences that separate us from amongst ourselves
which cause us to hate one another and start looking at the similarities that
unite us as humans.
