RAM Sheep – And it’s Okay
No matter how strong you are, with all your power worn on your head, you can get tired sometimes, and that is okay. For the battle goes on, climb after climb, fight after fight.
This striking art piece dwells on one of the most undernoted aspects of human life, using a male bighorn sheep as the muse, underlining the weary expressions and cheerless demeanor to reflect on such weaker moments in contrast to the strong and powerful persona of this creature.
The male bighorn sheep, called ram, weighs up to 143 kgs, making it one of the strongest mountain animals. What makes it even more powerful is the pair of large, curved horns borne by it, which can weigh up to 14 kg, as much as all the bones in the male’s body.
The rams literally wear their strength on their head, supplementing their other virtues such as wisdom, sharp eyes, sure-footedness, keen ears, great strength, and a strong heart. It is the same pair of horns which they use to establish their dominance over the other males in the herd by ramming their heads into others, as well as protecting their brain by absorbing the impact of clashes.
The painting beautifully details the marks of all those headbutts on the scratched horns, even as the tired eyes speak of the weaknesses that these sheep often indulge in at times, after every fight or every climb to the mountains, to survive.
When adversity strikes, one needs to be the calmest. It is okay to feel weak, it is okay to take a step back, and it is okay to not look strong. What distinguish the strong soul from the weak is the permanence, perseverance and persistence despite all obstacles, discouragements, and impossibilities.
