Insti n

ct
Guides Birds

What Gui des

Man?

Photo Credit: http://flickr.com/mikebaird/294035898/

Appeared in Awake! July 2007
The Wonder of
Instincti ve Wi sdom

ON December 9, 1967, an airline pilot

spotted a flock of about 30 whooper
swans flying toward Ireland at the
amazing altitude of 27,000 feet. Why
were they flying so high, where the air
temperature was about 40 degrees
below zero Fahrenheit? Besides
escaping the persistent snow squalls at
lower altitudes, they were riding a wind
current that gave them a ground speed
of about 125 miles an hour. It was
estimated that the birds completed their
800-mile flight from Iceland to Ireland in
Photo Credit: http://flickr.com/photos/ukwildlife/2299089528/
just seven hours.
 The Arctic Tern
The world champion migrator—
the arctic tern—breeds north of
the Arctic Circle yet spends the
northern winter in the Antarctic.
In a typical year, this small
seabird travels between 25,000
and 30,000 miles —the
equivalent of circling the globe!

Photo: Arctic Tern Photo Credit: http://flickr.com/photos/natjulien/947947113/

 White storks
breed in Northern Europe and
winter in South Africa, making a
round trip of 15,000 miles.
Thousands of these birds pass
through Israel in the autumn and
the spring, following a timetable
known back in Bible times.—
Jeremiah 8:7.
Who implanted that instinctive
ability? Some 3,500 years ago,
God posed the following question
to the righteous man Job:
“Is it owing to your understanding
that the falcon soars up, that it
spreads its wings to the south
wind? Or is it at your order that an
eagle flies upward and that it
builds its nest high up?”
In his reply Job rightly praised
God for the amazing abilities of
birds and other animals.—Job
39:26, 27; 42:2.

White stork Photo Credit: http://flickr.com/photos/ukwildlife/2407882265/

 Humans,

The crowning achievement of God’s creation, are

not governed primarily by instinct.
Instead, we are free moral agents with a
conscience and the capacity for love. (Genesis
1:27; 1 John 4:8)
As a result of all these gifts, we can make just and
moral decisions that sometimes reflect
extraordinary love and self-sacrifice.
A person’s attitude and behavior are, of course,
largely a product of the moral precepts and
spiritual tenets that he was taught, or not taught,
from infancy. As a result, people may differ in
what they consider to be right or wrong,
acceptable or unacceptable.
These differences, in turn, can lead to
misunderstandings, intolerance, and even hatred,
especially when such factors as culture,
nationalism, and religion exert a strong influence.
How much better the world would be if the entire
human family adhered to one set of standards that
reflect moral and spiritual truth, just as we obey
the one set of physical laws that govern the
universe!

Photo Credit: http://flickr.com/photos/darkpatator/1795029923/

In Britain a survey of 1,736
mothers found that “the traditional
family unit is in meltdown due to
plunging moral values and the rise of
single parents.” In China too, morality
is taking a nosedive. People there are
having sex earlier in life and with
more partners than ever, reported
Time magazine. “It’s my life, and I can
do what I want,” said a young
Chinese woman who boasted of more
than 100 sexual partners.

Photo Credit: http://flickr.com/pedrosimoes7/347889430/

Moral erosion has also affected those in

authority. “People no longer look up to
their leaders as strong moral exemplars,”
stated Javed Akbar in Canada’s Toronto
Star newspaper. Politicians, heads of
corporations, and even religious leaders
“appear to lack the proper moral fibre,” he
said.

Photo Credit: http://flickr.com/roland/148061479/

A number of forces are driving this
downward trend
One is a general spirit of rebellion against
traditional values. For example, a poll
taken in the South in the United States
revealed that the majority of college-
student respondents felt that “right and
wrong is a matter of personal opinion.”

Political writer Zbigniew Brzezinski

touched on another factor. Today’s
society, he wrote, “focuses largely on the
immediate satisfaction of individual
desires, in a setting in which individual
and collective hedonism becomes the
dominant motive for behavior.”*

Moral autonomy, greed, and self-

gratification may have a certain appeal,
but are they conducive to genuine
happiness, contentment, and better
relationships with others?

*Hedonism is the belief that pleasure is the main purpose in life.

Photo Credit: http://flickr.com/jillallyn/1045807485/
“Wisdom is proved righteous
by its works,” said Jesus.
(Matthew 11:19) Are people
happier and more secure
because of the plunging
values?

Reflect on some of the results:

heightened mistrust, insecurity,
failed relationships, children
growing up without a father or a Photo Credit: http://flickr.com/makelessnoise/305424014/

mother, pandemics of sexually

transmitted diseases,
unwanted pregnancies, drug
addiction, and violence.

These realities clearly do not

spell satisfaction and success
but, rather, sorrow and failure.
—Galatians 6:7, 8.

Photo Credit: http://flickr.com/makelessnoise/299228444/

Humans have a precious gift—the faculty of
conscience. As a result, people of every nation
and tribe, as well as of every era, have had
codes of conduct with much in common.
(Romans 2:14, 15)
The conscience, however, is not an infallible
guide; it can be influenced by exposure to false
religious beliefs, human philosophies,
prejudices, and wrong desires. (Jeremiah 17:9;
Colossians 2:8)
Hence, just as a pilot may need to calibrate his
navigational instruments, we need to check
and, when necessary, adjust our moral and
spiritual compass according to the righteous
standards of “our Statute-giver,” Jehovah God.
(Isaiah 33:22)
Unlike human standards of conduct, which can
change from one generation to the next, God’s
perfect standards endure forever. “I am
Jehovah; I have not changed,” he says.—
Malachi 3:6.

Photo Credit: http://flickr.com/photos/psd/1806225034/

Guidance for Success and Happiness
When we take God’s
precious truths to heart, we
FINDING HAPPINESS benefit in every way—
“Happy are those conscious of their spiritual need.”—MATTHEW mentally, emotionally,
5:3.
spiritually, and physically.
“There is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving.”—
ACTS 20:35.
“Happy are those hearing the word of God and keeping it!”—LUKE Says Psalm 19:7, 8: “The
11:28. law of Jehovah is perfect,
bringing back [or, reviving]
BUILDING TRUST the soul. . . . The orders
“Speak truth each one of you with his neighbor.”—EPHESIANS
from Jehovah are upright,
4:25.
“Let the stealer steal no more.”—EPHESIANS 4:28. causing the heart to rejoice;
“Let marriage be honorable among all, and the marriage bed be the commandment of
without defilement.”—HEBREWS 13:4. Jehovah is clean, making
the eyes shine [with hope
FORGING GOOD RELATIONSHIPS and a clear vision of God’s
“All things . . . that you want men to do to you, you also must
purpose].”
likewise do to them.”—MATTHEW 7:12.
“Let [a husband] so love his wife as he does himself; . . . the wife
should have deep respect for her husband.”—EPHESIANS 5:33. By means of his Word,
“Continue . . . forgiving one another freely.”—COLOSSIANS 3:13. Jehovah does more than
help us set our moral
AVOIDING AND RESOLVING CONFLICT compass accurately and live
“Return evil for evil to no one.”—ROMANS 12:17.
the best life possible now.
“Love is long-suffering and kind. . . . It does not keep account of
the injury.”—1 CORINTHIANS 13:4, 5. He also sheds light on the
“Let the sun not set with you in a provoked state.”—EPHESIANS future. (Isaiah 42:9)
4:26.