ZEBRAS

Zebra

The Zebra, with its black and white stripes and bold personality, is a symbol for feeling brave.  Bravery is the courage to stand firm in the face of adversity, to defend oneself against threats, and to remain true to one's identity despite external pressures.

When we hear the term 'zebra' we immediately think of the black and white striped animal that lives in Africa. In the world of medicine, the term 'zebra' serves as slang for a rare or unusual medical condition.  This originated from a quote by a Dr. Theodore Woodward, professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in the 1940s when he told his medical interns, "When you hear hoof beats, think of horses, not zebras." This metaphoric statement was meant to remind them to consider common diagnoses first rather than jumping to rare diseases.  He chose the word 'zebra' to represent rare medical conditions due to the animal's uniqueness.  Just as the zebra stands out with its black and white stripes among all the other brown animals, rare diseases stand out among more common ailments.  

Each zebra has a unique pattern of stripes, like our human fingerprints.

There are three types of zebra as shown in the photo to the left....The Grevy's has thin and narrow stripes, the Mountain has broad stripes and the Plains Zebra has broad and narrow stripes.  No one knows for certain why the zebra has stripes.  Some say it's for camouflage, others claim it's for social recognition.  Others say the stripes serve thermo-regulators...black stripes absorb heat in the morning and warm up the zebras, and the white stripes reflect light more and help cool them as they graze for hours in the blazing hot sun.  There's also the theory that the stripes protect the zebras from biting flies. 

A group of zebras is called a dazzle or a zeal.  The male is a stallion, the female is a mare, and a baby a foal.  They're known for their powerful kicks and can run up to 35 mph.

Shel Silverstein wrote.........

"I asked the Zebra, are you black with white stripes?  Or white with black stripes?  And the zebra asked me:  Are you good with bad habits?  Or are you bad with good habits?  Are you noisy with quiet times?  Or are you quiet with noisy times?  Are you happy with some sad days?  Or are you sad with some happy days?  Are you neat with some sloppy ways?  Or are you sloppy with some neat ways?  And on and on and on and on and on and on he went.  I'll never ask a zebra about stripes.....again." 

The spiritual message the zebra brings is BALANCE.  The black and white stripes represent opposing forces that coexist in harmony.  Black and white, yin and yang. 

When I see a zebra, I think of an optical illusion.