# 6 - NOW I SEE YOU, NOW I DON'T

5th March 2005

Mae West once remarked, "It's better to be looked over than be overlooked." I was waiting for a friend to show up at Victoria (now lamentably Bangalore Central), playing cross and knots with leaves when a twig lying on the table stepped into my plate. I'd seen a Stick Insect in treks and camps before, but to have one sitting on my lunch in the city was quite another thing. The camouflage was so perfect that if it hadn't moved, I'd have snapped it in a fit of boredom.

As any animal's ability or instinct to hide itself from predator and prey, camouflage is Darwinism at its best. In nature, every advantage increases an animal's chance of survival, and therefore the chance of carrying on its gene pool. So animals will essentially resort to anything to survive. Take the Geometer Moth Caterpillar; it's so twig-like that it even has a 'bud' growing out of its butt. Or the caterpillars of Swallowtails, Pug Moths and Chinese Character Moths, which don't mind resembling bird droppings, as long as they can avoid being bird fodder.

That got me thinking of how, as humans, we have similarly mimicked our way through our world. With our changing faces, hidden agendas and secret identities, each one of us has used camouflage to survive.

Humans, as do animals, tend to blend in with their environment so that others might overlook them. We feel safest as part of a larger group of people, who think and seem alike; the belongingness serving to reduce friction and propagate similar ideals. This kind of camouflage doesn't hide, merely misrepresents. Just like a herd of Zebras to a hungry Lion. Most fashion folk and models don't dress like everyday professionals because they'd stand out in a crowd of 'alternate' dressers; just as corporate professionals don't sport wild colors and cuts in a zone where everyone's wrapped in a tie. Alcoholics Anonymous, Art of Living, Landmark, Freemasons, the Amitabh Bachchan Fan Club. In animals, individuality opens one to the dangers of losing limb and life; in humans it brings in the fear of criticism and evaluation. And most people are content merging with the decor.

Next are those that don't hide at all, but throw predators off by disguising themselves as something dangerous or uninteresting. Like the Hawk Moth, a non-poisonous caterpillar that tries to cash in on the nasty reputation of the snake and mimics its hood. Much like Rugby players on the field with their heavy shoulder pads and grills, or the police squad called in stop riots, both of who dress to intimidate. Thus succeeding in creating an illusion of fierceness that acts more as a deterrent rather than an act of offense.

Bitterns (birds native to Britain), when they sense danger, stretch their neck and sway with the reeds they builds their nest in, turning almost invisible. Much like politicians or bureaucrats who sway with the changing wind, and lie-low at the mention of trouble or hard work. Then there are insects like the Stick Insect, that most resemble their surroundings, which still during the day to avoid being noticed and are active only at night. But as is the case with us, letting down their guard sometimes gives them away. Like the Starched Face colleague who's funniest after a few drinks or a Buddha-like Actor, who turns on the paparazzi in a fit of anger.

And who can forget the mighty Chameleon. That can change color to fit any background. In the case of the human kind, a Chameleon can go from blue and friendly to white and cowardly to servile and ash in a matter of seconds. Always taking care to see which side of the color bar is more profitable to be in. This is the one pretender that's constantly watched out for, but that's rarely caught in the act.

As species evolve, their rapport with their environment improves. Often, these adaptations are more effective survival tools than an animal's (or human's) more aggressive weapons of defense. Claws, talons, teeth. Or fists and a sharp tongue perhaps.

Guess we're still animals at heart. And, like most animals, being overlooked is preferable to having to put up a fight. If humans had to go through creation all over again, I doubt we'd choose any differently. Or would we?