You will notice that the camel has a very contented, serene expression. This is unusual for camels since they are usually bad tempered animals. However, this camel is rather special. he once read the bible and became very upset, because of a misunderstanding, when he read that a camel could not pass through the eye of a needle, and he thought that it meant that he could never go to heaven. So he sat down and began to think about the world that he knew and all it contained. The following were his thoughts and are depicted clearly in the pictures on his blanket, which can be seen when the camel is facing the left.

He thought about night and day (the top half of the picture) and at the same time thought of light and dark, of good and evil. He thought about time passing (the eclipse in the top right) and wondered where time began and where it will ever end. He thought about man's great achievements (pyramid). He thought about nature's achievements (palm tree) and about all the things that grow and the purpose they all have in the world in the ecological chain.
 

He thought about the earth, soil, sand, etc. and how important it is to us in allowing the plants to grown and being the very thing on which we all walk on and that continents are made of. He thought about the seas and oceans of the world (bottom left). He considered how two thirds of the earth's surface is covered by water, and how little we really know about it. His thoughts went on to travel (the sailing boat), very appropriate to himself since he is known as the "ship of the desert." He then thought about man's mythological origins along with superstitions and beliefs, and the games the brain will play (the dolphin). He thought about the atmosphere and the air we breathe, and how it gives people and animals life. Finally, he thought about the sun giving light, heat and life itself. After many days of contemplating these things, he came to realize that he himself was a mere camel, who was very insignificant, and then he became very humble and made himself small and insignificant in his mind.
 

Therefore, through humility, he became small enough to pass through the eye of the needle.

This page is not affiliated with The Biccard Collection. Images © John Biccard, photos by Glenn Pettit.