I sat down today while borrowing my granny's computer, due to my own being broken. And while working on my next DnD-run, I began to think about themes.

Life, as I see it, is taken by two sides. Skill, and Will.
Darkness and Light, if you will. (heh..)
To try and understand how I see it, let us compare Humans to Animals.
We humans have always been roaming in the Light, slept during the Dark. We are Light-creatures, and have always feared what lurks in the darkness in which we cannot see or defend ourselves. It is in our nature to be afraid of the shadows.
However in the Shadows, there is also life. More animals than we can count that thrives in it! Makes the darkness its domain and hunting ground. Yet they fear the day-dwellers, against which THEY cannot defend themselves. The light is too bright or gives their position away.
Having established that both sides houses Life, lets move on. We humans are creatures of Will. We have no real native ability from birth, we have to be taught everything from scratch and it takes us quite a while to grow up, especially compared to animals. Who, on the other hand, are born with Skill. Knowing from birth how to hunt, hide, swim and survive on their own.
These are native talents that we, the Will-creatures, envies. For we have to struggle to learn what these creatures can master almost instantly. However, the Skill-creatures also envies us Will-creatures, due to us being capable of doing so much more with it...
Think about it. Your dog is a Skill Creature. It is born knowing how to fight, swim and understands hierarchy perfectly fine. Sure, your dog may show respect to elder dogs that has bested it in combat, but it will never look to another dog like it will to you, envying your superior Will and what is has created.

Moving on to what Skill and Will can birth on their own.
If something or someone is Skilled, simply really good at something specific, they will quickly get so good at it that they can do it with more and more Style, grace and elegance, until they reach Acme, Perfection. They cannot get any better, nor can anyone else. This, can give the creature a sense of Peace. Believing itself invincible and flawless, and not far from it.
Will, on the other hand, gives a creature the understanding of limits to overcome, to set up a Goal and fight for it! Where some might run away or seek another prey, creatures of Will continues to struggle until they have caused a Change in their world. Slowly altering themselves or their surroundings to better suit them and their lack of Skill, until they one day has reached Result. Result that may have taken generations and countless lives, but only possible through sheer Willpower, Evolution. Something that those that become perfect will never experience, for they will remain perfect for thousands of years.
But... Even with both sides having reached their ultimate goals, we are missing something...

For when starting out on their journey, the two will look at each other and their projects. The Skillfull ones will behold the results from the Will-filled ones work, in a way envying it, but much more craving it. Knowing that they will never achieve such grand monuments, protected housing or easy lives.
While the Skilled ones, upon beginning their long struggle, will look to the Skilled ones that has since long mastered their way of life. In their puddles of mud and exposure, in the middle of their hard work that is so far from completion, they will crave the carefree and simple life of the Skilled. Knowing that their lives will never be as easy.

Is this a sad ending? Possibly. Depends on how one sees it.
Personally, I see an endless rivalry. For while the two sides craves the others, jealously and with self-pity, they will fight even harder.
Have we not built machines to allow us into the world of the birds? And have they not nested themselves amongst our mountains of concrete to claim the impressive monuments as theirs?
In the end, this is just my personal belief and look of life. Skill and Will. Sure, there are many humans with exceptional skills, and many animals that has a tremendous will. Exceptions that I do not wish to deny their existence. I speak mostly of the general populous of creatures, human or not. But one must halt once in a while to ponder...
Which one is the "better" way of life?
Which one am I?

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