One of life’s great appeals is the adventure it brings. However, when we allow our desire for adventure and intrigue grow into mischief, some of the worst mistakes or even danger can enter our lives.
Wise Instructions
Peter Rabbit lives with his mother and his three sisters, Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail, under a tree. Their father had been caught by Mr. McGregor and baked into a pie, so their mother takes care of the four young rabbits herself.One day, before she heads out to shop, Mother Rabbit tells the children: “Now, my dears [...] you may go into the fields or down the lane, but don’t go into Mr. McGregor’s garden.” She encourages their enjoyment of adventure, but tells them to stay out of mischief.
After their mother leaves, Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail travel along the lane to gather some blackberries. However, Peter, allowing his sense of adventure to escalate, heads straight for Mr. McGregor’s garden.
After successfully sneaking into the garden, Peter begins to enjoy some of the plentiful food. He eats lettuce, French beans, and radishes. However, he does not practice temperance and grows ill from eating too much of the good food.
Dangerous Mischief
Fleeing from Mr. McGregor, Peter is terrified. What makes it worse is that he does not know where the gate is. He cannot find his way out.Peter loses both shoes as he runs away. To run faster, he begins to run on all four legs. He would have escaped, but his blue coat gets caught in a net. The large buttons get tangled in the net and Peter cannot move.
Just as Peter begins to give up and cry, some sparrows fly down to him and encourage him to exert himself. Newly determined, Peter wiggles out of his coat and flees into a nearby shed.
Peter jumps into a can full of water. He is now cold, wet, and even more frightened. Mr. McGregor pursues Peter into the shed and begins to lift up pots, desperately searching for the tiny rabbit. Peter is trapped.
Through Peter, Potter shows us that mischief does not pay. As English poet Alexander Pope wrote in Canto 3 of “The Rape of the Lock”: “When to mischief mortals bend their will, / How soon they find fit instruments of ill.”
When our desire for adventure and intrigue is pursued all out of proportion, we might find ourselves surrounded by the effects of mischief. Mischief ruins our chance of truly enjoying adventure as our mistakes may take us toward danger.
Whenever we seek adventure, let us consider beforehand what our actions might cause. It is better to be temperate in our actions and desire for adventure. As Horace Mann, 19th century proponent of public education, said: “If temperance prevails, then education can prevail; if temperance fails, then education must fail.”
When temperance guides our adventures, we can glean valuable lessons and reap a special joy from them.
