Buffalo are herd animals. They clump together, do everything together, find comfort in the closeness that develops within the herd. Kind of like us, I guess. Many of us see ourselves as individuals, loners, aloof from the herd. Yet we build our houses right next to each other, shop and meet in the same places, get nervous if we haven’t seen or be seen by others. We are herd animals.

For a very few of us it means withdrawing from the group, living somewhere remote, or simply doing everything in our power to be detached from everyone else. One can be a hermit in the middle of a crowd by choosing not to interact, or making every contact as minimal as possible. Living inside yourself. The jury is still out on whether that is a good or bad thing.

Buffalo bulls are ones that tend to be loners. Except during the rut and mating season. Then they join the herd and act like regular members, but  when their responsibilities are fulfilled and they’ve done their part in making sure the herd prospers and grows they revert back to being loners and individuals even if they stay near the herd. Their journey is complex. It’s also hard to understand unless you’re another bull.

Living in this world is a complicated process. How you go about it is as varied as the number of those doing it. But one thing is clear, when everything is said and done it is always a journey of one.