Day 12: The Wasteful Boar vs. The Prudent Squirrel

It’s easy to respect what you personally own. Harder to respect what everyone shares.

Yesterday, we watched the Sabotaging Termite quietly erode systems while the Constructive Beaver fortified them from within. Today, we explore a different form of erosion — not structural, but collective: the silent depletion of shared resources. The kind that doesn’t show up on a balance sheet until it’s too late.

Because sometimes, the real measure of integrity isn’t how we treat what’s ours, but how we treat what belongs to us all.

🐗 The Wasteful Boar

To the Boar, the organisation is a forest that always grows back.

They don’t mean harm. They simply don’t think twice.

A trip could’ve been combined, but it’s booked separately. A video call could’ve sufficed, but a full-day in-person meeting is scheduled. A short email turns into a printed five-page colour brief. The air conditioning hums overnight in an empty room. The lunch receipts overflow, but the “miscellaneous” line is there for a reason.

They see these actions not as excess, but as normal. They lean on comfort, not consequences.

And ironically, in their personal life? A different beast entirely. Frugal. Measured. Environmentally conscious. Thoughtful. They choose economy packs and public transport. But in the office, that restraint vanishes.

Why? Because they feel detached from the cost. Because when it’s everyone’s responsibility… it often becomes no one’s.

The Boar doesn’t burn down the budget. They nibble at it, little by little — until what once felt abundant starts to feel strained.

🐿️ The Prudent Squirrel

The Squirrel thinks differently.

They treat shared resources like their own — with care, precision, and quiet intention.

They don’t make a fuss. They simply take less. Switch off the light when they leave. Choose the cheaper option when it serves the same purpose. Consolidate travel. Use two-sided black-and-white printing. Decline that expensive venue for a perfectly good local spot.

They’re not stingy. They’re thoughtful. And they think beyond the quarter — about what today’s habits mean for tomorrow’s margin, and everyone’s margin.

When the team is flush, the Squirrel’s discipline goes unnoticed. When the budget tightens, everyone starts following their lead.

And here’s the twist: at home, they’re generous. They host. They offer. They treat others. Because their prudence isn’t about hoarding — it’s about honouring what’s shared.

The Squirrel knows that stewardship doesn’t start with scarcity. It starts with respect.

🔍 The Reflection

The Boar and the Squirrel both act in silence. But one consumes without looking. The other preserves without needing praise.

The Boar acts from habit. The Squirrel acts from principle. And while neither sees themselves as a problem, only one becomes part of the solution when resources run thin.

So ask yourself: Do you take more when someone else is paying? Or do you care for the shared, just as you would your own?

And when the budget tightens, will your habits have helped or hurt?

📌 Did You Know?

Boars are powerful and resourceful animals in the wild, but when introduced to human-managed environments, they often become destructive. Known for their rooting behaviour, they dig through soil and vegetation indiscriminately, damaging crops and ecosystems not out of malice, but out of instinct.

Squirrels, especially species like the North American grey squirrel, are legendary for planning ahead. They gather, sort, and store food in small caches across seasons. While some of these caches are forgotten (benefiting the environment), most are used with remarkable accuracy, demonstrating both foresight and restraint.

At work, too, instinct matters. But the future belongs to those who manage abundance as if it’s not guaranteed.

📚 References

• Massei, G. & Genov, P. (2004). “The environmental impact of wild boar.” Galemys

• Steele, M.A., et al. (2008). “Cache management by scatter-hoarding rodents.” Current Zoology

• Harvard Business Review (2020). “Spending Company Money Like It’s Your Own”

• Thaler, R.H. (2015). Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics