Teachings of the Serval

Serval territories often overlap, so servals may cross paths. In being mainly solitary animals, a serval will treat other servals (except for mates and kits) as rivals or competitors. The servals compete in a peaceful assertion of dominance. The victor gets to stay, and the loser must retreat. Resolving the conflict peacefully has survival benefits because no serval need lose their life in one of these relatively common encounters. However, the serval will fight if the situation calls for it.

Competition is universal; it exists everywhere in nature and society. People compete for money, success, partners, and popularity. Strive to resolve things peacefully, and though the result usually favors one person over the other, the impact will not be too severe. If you win, continue on. If you lose, fall back. You will live to win another day. Taking a violent or excessively ambitious approach is sometimes necessary, but know that it comes with much more risk.

Some rivals you encounter will be stronger than you, some will be weaker. Whoever is dominant wins; there is no room for spontaneity. Aim to be the strongest you can, skillful in your field, or prepared for the occasion so that you have the best chance of victory.

Focusing allows the serval to think clearly and react quickly. It may have caught onto the sound of prey, spotted a predator in the distance, or suspected an anomaly, possibly a threat. For the serval, these scenarios are the most common. For modern humans, a threat applies the most.

It is important to be alert. Most humans will be alert when they feel unsafe or scared; it is hard-coded in our DNA. And to clarify, fear is a good thing. It activates the human fight or flight response, which helps us face a threat or escape it, keeping us safe either way. Panic is something else. Panic throws your alertness through the roof and often comes as a result of fear. It does more harm than good—it interferes with your thought processes and makes your movements erratic. In dire situations, the ability to think can be more important than any other one.

The key is to be alert and cautious at all times. It is not to suppress fear but to suppress panic. In urgent situations, controlled fear will heighten your awareness, and controlling panic allows you to focus on the problem. It will instill an appropriate amount of urgency but will not hinder your ability to think clearly. Also, appearing collected will help prevent those around you from panicking.

A serval is in the kitchen. On his hind legs, he's standing about two feet shorter than you. A bag of your imported coffee beans is open, and a smaller bag that you don't recognize is next to it. The serval, who is fiddling with the bag of beans, looks up at you.

"Oh, hey, I didn't think you'd be up this early," he says.

"What... uh, how did you get in here?"

"Such a trivial thing! No need to worry about it. Come in, sit down! I'll make you some coffee." The serval sets a pot of water on the stove to boil. He takes out some coffee beans and starts expertly grinding them.

Realizing that it's too early in the morning to reason, you give up and accept the situation. "Thanks." You take a seat at the table.

The serval puts a paper filter into the coffee maker, pours the near-boiling water into the tank, and turns the maker on.

"I come by here often. Y'know, you've got the best beans I've ever tasted. I need to know where you get them! Haha." The scent of coffee starts to flood the room.

In a tired stupor, you chuckle. "Heh. Well, I get it speed-imported from Yemen. Meaning delivered by plane. Super expensive, but it's good coffee. Some call it smuggling, but I call it (s)uperb-mug-ing! Get it?"

"That is just terrible... oh look, coffee's done!" The serval throws out the filter, grabbed the pot, and poured two mugs. "You like anything in yours?"

"Sugar, thanks."

The serval puts a scoop of sugar into each mug, carries them over, and sets them on the table.

You down the coffee. It's better than anything you ever made. You hear the serval pouring some beans, then putting the bag away.

"Well, I've got to get going," said the serval. "Gotta catch breakfast. You can have my cup. See you later!" He carries his bag, which is now filled to the brim with something, and heads out of the kitchen. You're too busy enjoying the coffee to notice.