The Success "Instinct'
A squirrel does not have to be taught how to gather
nuts. Nor does it need to learn that it should store them
for winter. A squirrel born in the spring has never experienced
winter. Yet in the fall of the year it can be observed
busily storing nuts to be eaten during the winter months
when there will be no food to be gathered. A bird does
not need to take lessons in nest-building. Nor does it need
to take courses in navigation. Yet birds do navigate
thousands of miles, sometimes over open sea. They have
no newspapers or TV to give them weather reports, no
books written by explorer or pioneer birds to map out for
them the warm areas of the earth. Nonetheless the bird
"knows" when cold weather is imminent and the exact
location of a warm climate even though it may be thousands
of miles away.
In attempting to explain such things we usually say that
animals have certain "instincts" which guide them. Analyze
all such instincts and you will find they assist the
animal to successfully cope with its environment. In short,
animals have a "success instinct."
We often overlook the fact that man too has a success
instinct, much more marvelous and much more complex
than that of any animal. Our Creator did not short-change
man. On the other hand, man was exceptionally blessed in
this regard.