Try Not to Die: A Tiger’s Life Motto

To survive in life’s jungle, you have to earn your stripes.

Did you know that about half of all tiger cubs don’t live beyond the age of two years old?

In the first two years of their lives, cubs navigate several obstacles. They’re trying not to be poached by humans and can succumb to natural disasters like bush fires or heavy rains. They can also be killed by adult male tigers who want to mate with their momma.

They’re also completely helpless and dependent on their mother bringing them food until they learn how to hunt, which doesn’t help their odds of survival.

The Year of the Tiger

We recently rang in the Lunar New Year – the Year of the Tiger in the Chinese zodiac.

These strong, fearless and endangered creatures make great mascots for those hoping for a prosperous new year. But most don’t know about how vulnerable they are at the beginning of their lives.

The contrast of weakness vs. strength in a tiger’s life cycle is striking. Hunt or be hunted. Strike first or you’ll be sorry.

A tiger’s life in the wild has its parallels to how we live. We start off innocent and naive at first, but life experiences bring pain we need to defend ourselves from.

Maybe it’s a bad breakup or a toxic friendship. Maybe we lose someone close to us or face physical challenges. Blow by blow, we navigate each obstacle like a tiger cub, and gain independence and wisdom along the way.

We also strive to get ahead in our careers and successes, trying to climb the corporate food chain and get to the top.

And as we achieve success, we forget how vulnerable we were in the first place. We needed the support of people in our lives to get us here.

Letting People In

Unlike lions, who hunt in packs, tigers are solitary creatures once they reach adulthood. Once they’ve learned to stand and hunt on their own, they remain alone until it’s time to find a mate.

I know my inner tiger introvert takes over sometimes. My best work often happens when I’m alone. I value the time I take to recharge.

But it’s okay to let people in once in awhile. The fend for yourself mentality can only take you so far. We aren’t equipped with claws and razor-sharp teeth after all, so why do we lash out sometimes and act like we do?

This Year of the Tiger, let’s resolve to embrace the strength and vulnerability of the big cat.

References:

Meyer, A. (2013). Tigers Life Cyle. https://www.tigers.org.za/tigers-life-cycle.html

Tiger Species. World Wildlife Fund. https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/tiger