As I watched the rhino grazing in the African plain, I wondered if my grandkids would be looking at photos of rhinos in a book one day like we look at dinosaurs. Their extinction would be much more palatable if it were due to an ice age. However, they are being killed off in staggering numbers now for their horns which happen to be made of the same thing as our fingernails, keratin. So, if biting our fingernails doesn’t cure our ills or make us feel “horny,” killing rhinos won’t do the trick either. Rhino horns are also in high demand for dagger handles, a long standing status symbol of manhood in a number of countries making them the most expensive commodity on the planet. Interesting though, the value of a LIVE rhino in the ecosystem is far greater for all who pay such a high to kill them.

As I watched the rhino, I imagined living in a world where status is not important. How much better we and so many species would thrive along with the rhino? What are some ways to become status free?