Opinions and Editorials Section
By Jesse Dolojan, Staff Writer
In my humble opinion, the wombat is the greatest creature in our world.
The little guys just go around living life doing whatever they want. In addition to being free spirits, they are absolutely adorable. They burrow holes in the ground for shelter; whenever there is a natural disaster, they let other animals join them in their wombat holes. So selfless and loving. Inspirational even. If that wasn’t amazing enough, they are the only animals to poop in cubes. What can they not do?
Now, you may be asking why I love wombats so much. In response to that question, I would say they are perfect. However, I think it goes deeper than that. I think it is because, if you consider it, they live the perfect life, and while doing whatever they want, they just go around eating grass and sleeping all day.
It makes me wonder what my life would be like if I dropped everything and became a wombat. I’m not sure if I would like to eat grass, but I know I would love the sleeping part.
The stone-cold literary classic, Diary of a Wombat, was written by the verbose and erudite Jackie French and illustrated by the illustrious Bruce Wheatly. The book is where my love for wombats blossomed. It details the life of a wombat who goes about his business until a human family moves into a house nearby. Insane adventures ensue, such as defeating a furry “monster”, their rug, and burrowing a hole into their home to connect with them so he can eat their carrots and oats.
I am not ashamed to say it: this book is why I am an English major. I owe my life to wombats. In all seriousness, what captured me as a child was both the hilarity and simplicity of the wombat’s life. The narration is told from the wombat’s view, so from his perspective, he is enjoying life until the family comes. While he is disruptive to the family, he finishes his diary, declaring he is glad he burrowed into their home because he is now closer to them.
That always struck a chord with me. I ended up rereading the book a few months ago when I was helping my parents pack our home. I slipped down a rabbit hole of wombat videos and searched for facts about them after re-reading the book, reigniting my love for the furry marsupials.
I said earlier that they live a perfect life, and what I think is so perfect about them is how uncomplicated their lives are, specifically compared to ours. As college students, we spend our time focusing on studies or clubs, or we just stay in our rooms scrolling on our phones. What if we could just relinquish our responsibilities and live like a wombat?
There is a sense of wisdom in this simplicity, the straightforward nature of a wombat’s lifestyle. It seems like they figured it out, while many of us have no idea what we want to do with our lives. Maybe the wise nature of wombats is why a pack of them is aptly named a “wisdom.”
Learning to let go or taking a back seat to the stresses of life can be challenging, but as a wombat would say, we owe it to ourselves to relax. If we are overworked, we cannot be happy and enjoy the little things in life. It’s impossible for us to let go of all our responsibilities in life, but we can determine which responsibilities are essential. Also, I do not want my diet to consist of fresh grass, carrots and oats.
So, instead, we should aim for balance in our lives, but more importantly, we should not be defined by our roles in society. Being willing to take time for ourselves and avoiding burnout is important to simply living, and with that downtime, doing what interests us is just as important. Having fun with a hobby, hanging out with friends or sleeping are all great ways to decompress and rejuvenate yourself. Developing yourself outside of work and not being defined by your accomplishments will make you feel more complete as a person.
For those such as myself who are more interested in living like a wombat, I have news: I have located a potential job titled “Wombat Walker,” where you walk wombats like a dog. Needless to say, I am already booking my ticket to Australia to pursue my future career.
