Reading Watership Down as an adult gives the book so much more meaning and depth. It’s very similar to reading the Narnia books as an adult. Now I’m in search of a high-quality binding of the book for the—future—grandchildren’s book shelf.
El-ahrairah went along the hedgerow to the wood and sat alone under a nut bush, looking out across the fields. As the light began to fail, he suddenly realized that Lord Frith was close beside him, among the leaves.
“‘Are you angry, El-ahrairah?’ asked Lord Frith.
“‘No, my lord,’ replied El-ahrairah, ‘I am not angry. But I have learned that with creatures one loves, suffering is not the only thing for which one may pity them. A rabbit who does not know when a gift has made him safe is poorer than a slug, even though he may think otherwise himself.’
“‘Wisdom is found on the desolate hillside, El-ahrairah, where none comes to feed, and the stony bank where the rabbit scratches a hole in vain.’
— Richard Adams, Watership Down: A Novel
This quote reminds me that many people—some know to me, some not—have sacrificed and I directly benefit from those sacrifices. I want to not forget that.
