Living in the dark, ugly beyond words but resilient

The naked mole-rat is the size of a mouse and is, one has to admit exceptionally ugly. It is a eusocial animal.  This term describes creatures who live in large colonies with a single breeding female who keeps her subordinates sexually immature. These rats are found in the hot arid regions of Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia and live in dark underground tunnels their entire lives. 

They have a dreadful sort of caste system with ‘infrequent workers’ who have considerably larger bodyweight than the ‘frequent workers’. Frequent workers as well as being smaller do twice as much work as infrequent workers. Then, there is a further category ‘the non-workers’ who are the largest mole rats in the colony, bar the Queen. The non-worker group, true to their name, hardly ever dig or transport material. Their role is partly reproductive as they mate with the breeding queen but they also take care of the young. 

The frequent workers are so busy digging and transporting soil and carrying food to the communal nest that they have barely enough time to eat. In fact, as a result, the naked mole-rat has a metabolism that resembles that of an animal on a calorie-restricted diet. This kind of diet is associated with longevity and indeed one of its surprising characteristics is its unusually long lifespan.

Rodents, such as mice of a similar size, rarely last beyond 4 or 5 years but these naked mole-rats live over three decades and are still healthy and fertile in their 30s.  In fact, they actually don’t appear to age at all. Their heart functions, bone density, muscle mass and metabolism all stay healthy despite the passing decades. They have in addition, exceptional resistance to developing cancer. Having observed large numbers of naked mole-rat colonies over many years we have been hard put to find any instances of cancer. No wonder then, the biology of the naked mole-rat is generating an unusual amount of interest in the fight against cancer in humans.

These animals live in stifling tunnels in complete darkness with very low oxygen levels. They dig in soil rich in toxic heavy metals and they eat poisonous tubers and suffer no adverse consequences. But this is the least of their special skills. When their cells are exposed to UV light they suffer no consequences. Even high doses of chemotherapy drugs have no effect on these tough guys. Such resistance to toxins is probably related to why they don’t age. The trick seems to be they have learnt to cope with exceptional levels of cellular damage from a very young age. Instead of avoiding such damage, they have cultivated an unusual ability to stop damaged cells from dividing and multiplying. They put their focus on preventing the multiplication of mutant cells.

They are creatures of the dark who tend to eat their own shit at times. They live in oxygen-deprived stuffy tunnels.  In fact, these guys can survive for five hours in air that contains only 5% oxygen. Perversely, during that oxygen-deprived time, they don’t show any significant signs of distress and continue with their normal activities. Consuming poison and surrounded by toxins these guys stay ever young. They literally are, as tough as old boots. They may look weird but you’ve got to admire their tenacity. The naked mole-rat can even survive 18 minutes without any oxygen at all. It has to be the real definition of a tough guy.

We have a lot to learn from the naked mole-rat. They cope with dark days and their skin does not feel pain.  For humans our risk of dying doubles every eight years after the age of 40. The naked mole-rat experiences no increased risk of dying with age. They may look repulsive but in some ways, they are real superheroes!

At a time, when we are living through difficult days watching humanity suffer from the Covid 19 virus many of us will have to draw on our own resilience and toughness.  Holding our breath at the loss of life and suffering unfolding.  Finding superheroes, in our communities who fight to preserve life in dark and scary days.

These difficult days will pass and all we will remember is how we responded to such tests

 Dear Son,

You asked me some questions last night that really made me think. I’m not sure of the answers but I wanted you to know what I think and why. Then, at least you can make your own decisions in the light of that. Please don’t see this as advice. I wouldn’t presume. But I do care too deeply for you not to respond when you ask.

People do take advantage of other's kindness. Sometimes through thoughtlessness, sometimes because of their own agenda and occasionally because they’re not used to it. Every time it hurts. Especially when you do something in a spirit of kindness and others respond with disdain or just more expectations. They can even respond with anger as if you offered them a smack instead of the hand of friendship. Life is too short to examine all these responses and to understand the why of it. Better by far to move on.

If you are pulling people out of a bad place keep going. Don’t stop to argue with someone who resents that you did them a good turn. Whether they feel small, embarrassed, self-preoccupied, angry or frustrated is neither here nor there. If you did good, it is because it is in you to do so. Don’t expect it in others. They may not have it in their own lives and so cannot give it to others.

Life passes so quickly and good nature can easily be broken on the backs of mean spirits. So, don’t linger. Don’t be taken advantage of, just move on. Everyone you meet will teach you something, if only not to past too near again!

Then there are the tyrants. Those twisted so much that your kindness is not just wasted on them it is bad for them. Kindness to such types empowers and enables them to do even more damage. We have a responsibility not to reward their acts of abuse because the next one they torment needs you to stand firm. You must have the courage, in such circumstances, to hold the line like the 300 Spartans of old. You do this not out of dislike of them but because you know that giving in to a tyrant will merely perpetuate the abuse. At such times I think of all the victims of abuse I have known. Do you remember young George flinching at our table from the sound of a banging van door? In the face of such abuse, I steel myself to screw up my courage within me. What can we do? We are nothing really but, whatever it is we are capable of being at that moment, we must strive to be that. Because on the backs of tiny pebbles the great sea waves crash! We are such pebbles and despite the power of the waves, we remain. Know that long after they have smashed and raged and broken we will remain. We were created to bear and endure. Let them do their worst because we need to focus on doing our very best.

Let’s not be distracted by their activities. We have deeds to do, mighty deeds. Time is short, too short. Life passes by so quickly and the only things we will remember are all those who we love or who loved us. Grab such souls to you. Remember their sweetness and steady your stance. The hordes are coming. Stand fast, dear heart. There is no one I’d rather have at my side in the face of injustice. You have a keen poet’s eye and see to the real heart of things. Trust in such vision, believe the courage that lies within and search for truth always.

These difficult days will pass and all we will remember is how we responded to such tests.  That will be either our lasting regret or our legacy.  Know the importance of such choices.

Thanks for asking, for talking and for being you.