Are you a Lion or Lamb? Who would you rather be?

Are we this, or are we that? Are we not many versions of ourselves at different times? Why can’t we be the best version of ourselves instead?

The fun is out of my comfort zone

Now and then, we come across a piece of creation and wonder if we had what it takes to do that. In my case, an interesting painting by Marcel Witte, a world-class artist who paints realistic animals, caught my eyes and kindled that deep desire to try. My initial apprehension was the patience required to bring out all those details. After all, you can learn techniques through YouTube videos but not patience.

But then, fun is all about playing out of your comfort zone. Is it not?

I had to resist the temptation of rushing through for nearly 40 hours. But thanks to the relentless push from a friend, I completed this work. Finally, I stepped back from the canvas to admire the finished painting—my own Lion and Lamb.

Lion or Lamb

When you stay focused on a particular subject that long, subconsciously, you start forming doubts and theories. Is it a good painting or a sad painting? Should I make the Lion carry a cub instead of the poor Lamb? But then, I was not sure if the Lions moved their cubs. I know lionesses do. Should the LambLamb be scared? Do lambs have an expressive face to show fear or happiness? In cartoons, maybe.

Then came the clichéd doubt in my head. Am I the Lion or the Lamb? Who would I rather be?

A lion is Powerful and Majestic for sure. That is cool, especially if you play a leadership role. But, the beast is undoubtedly Ferocious and Feared. Not too cool, but that is not going to hurt your position as a leader. A mighty Lion grabs what he wants and when he wants it. Modern management gurus will dig this Alpha predator characteristic and set you as the benchmark for Leadership.

A lamb, on the other hand, is cute at best. It brings about a smile when you look at their clumsiness. But then they are lunch or dinner for just about every beast with claws or fangs or even a knife and fork. So I certainly would not like to be the vulnerable one.
But then I am not a lion either, as much as I envy most of its power.

One

By now, the painting progressed significantly and reached a point that I had to take that decision of cub or a lamb in Lion’s mouth.

Just then, I remembered a fundamental principle of painting realism. Paint what you see and not what you think should be. The original masterpiece had a lamb in Lion’s mouth, and so will my Lion too.

For the remainder of the painting, I did not worry about the cause or logic. I did not care if the Lion was hungry or if the Lamb was scared. It did not matter to me if the Lion protected the Lamb or took it to the dinner table. I became an earnest trier, an artist who wanted to get better, a hobbyist who wanted to have fun, a humble student who was not worried about failing and many more at different stages of the painting process. All that mattered was the fun of putting paint-dipped brush to canvas and saw those images shaping up. I was many versions of the one person that mattered.

After all, the Lion and Lamb is a metaphor for the ultimate sacrifice (Lamb) of God and his resurrection to life (Lion). Many versions that ultimately represent the ONE

The best way to be is to become the best version of ourselves

My Lion and Lamb painting might be a humble imitation of the original masterpiece. But, alas, this painting might not be exhibition worthy or good enough to be sold. And it does not matter. After all, what matters is that this painting will keep reminding me that we do not have to be a mighty lion or vulnerable Lamb.

The painting reminds me that we do not have to bother about the game but be the best player while the game is on. It does not matter if we understand the play as long as we act the part we chose to perfection. It tells me that let us not worry about the war but battle hard as a true warriors as long as we are standing.

We do not have to be something or someone but be many versions of ourselves constantly trying to get better.

Because the best way to be is to become the best version of ourselves.