IS there a purpose to animals beyond being pets, a source of food or part of the wonders of creation? Indeed, there is deep practical wisdom that mankind can apply that has been hidden in the lower creations. In his book, “Wisdom from the Wild,” Bimbo Akinjokun uncovers the kind of wisdom that will amaze the reader and make his or her life confusion-free.
It is difficult to read this book and still be at a loss as to how to answer life’s questions such your identity, purpose, relevance, ability and human and sexual relationships.
“Why did you write this book?” Nigerian Tribune asked the author. “The answers to many of life’s most pertinent questions are not necessarily as difficult to find as we often think they are. God has loads of them hidden in the lower creatures around us. This book is aimed at helping you discover some of them,” he responded.
For example, Akinjokun says in the fourth chapter of the book that the ostrich may see itself as being disadvantaged because, as a bird, it cannot fly. However, the ostrich does have one advantage and that is the ability to run very fast, up to 90 km/h. Drawing from this, the author says that no matter how one may feel or be disadvantaged in life, “there is something that you can do better and more excellently.”
In the fifth chapter, the author explains that a tree called the Californian Redwood begins life as a shoot like every other plant in the wild. “Yet, it eventually towers above all others, reaching great heights of up to 350 meters when it is fully grown.”
What is the wisdom thereof? “Just like the Californian Redwood, there is a God-given ability within you, a seed of greatness, that will enable you rise above the limitations of life and conquer great heights,” the author points out.
In Chapter 10, Akinjokun explains that no matter how thick the shells of the coconut and date palm seeds are, they do not stop the life inside them from breaking forth and becoming a tree in the presence of good soil and water. He concludes, therefore, that no matter the strength of the opposing forces around you, as a seed of God, if you water your life with God’s word and plant yourself in God’s presence, it is only a matter of time before you will breakthrough like the palm seed.
In another chapter, the author says that the blue whale is the largest mammal known to man. It weighs 200 metric tonnes and can hold 90 metric tonnes of food and water. Yet, as he points out, it cannot swallow anything larger than a beach ball. In like manner, “if you are a child of God, the greater One in you makes you too large for the throat of the enemy.”
Bats live in dark caves with as many as 1,000 bats in the cave. Yet, a mother bat that goes out hunting for food never mistakes the offspring of another bat for hers. Each young bat produces a distinct cry which the mother cannot miss. Therefore, the author says God knows who you are and will never mistakenly give your answer to someone else.
In Chapter 21, he explains how the cannibalistic female Photuris beetle mimics the mating signals of the female of another genus of the firefly called Photinus beetle. It, thereby, attracts the unsuspecting male Photinus beetle and kills it, as it tries to mate with her. “The next time that pretty woman tries to capture your attention by offering you what only your wife should give you, I suggest that you run for your life, unless you are ready to bite more than you can chew,” Akinjokun advises.
From the eagle flying high in the sky that can see a rat scurrying on the ground, or the snake with no legs that can move faster than the tortoise that has four, or the Great Basilisk called the “Jesus Christ lizard” because it can walk on land and water, there are wisdom lessons to glean, as all are packed into 52 short chapters of the 73-page book.
Bimbo Akinjokun has six other books to his name. He has expertise in business, politics, education, human capacity development and ministry. He makes his home in Ibadan with his wife, Tolulope and two children.
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