The Loon and the Fish

“Let there be Peace on Earth and Let it Begin with Me”. ~ Jill Jackson

I was out for a walk along the seawall just now, trying to catch the last of the early-afternoon sun. I was on a public dock looking over the ocean, when up to the surface popped a bird.  I don’t know what kind of bird.  It has the shape of a loon, but it’s all black, and although I’ve seen many loons in my life, they were always on fresh water lakes.  Do loons frequent the Pacific Ocean?  I don’t’ know.  But I digress…

As this black loon-like-water-foul surfaced, I saw that it had a fish in its beak.  I stood there watching for about 45 seconds as the fish squirmed, and the bird kept shaking its head, apparently until the fish was in the perfect position, and the loon suddenly opened its beak and swallowed it whole.

As I was walking away, feeling awed by this display of nature, it struck me that during those 45 seconds I was thinking about the “loon”. Wondering if this small fish is enough to fill its stomach for a few hours or how many more will it catch more before the day is over.

What I didn’t think about was the fish, and the experience it was having.  I literally watched its death throes, yet I felt no sympathy. 

I know from experience I would have had plenty of sympathy for a bunny or kitten swooped up by an eagle. 

But not for a fish. Nope, I felt nothing, nada, zilch!

And then my mind started wondering; why?  The first answer that popped into my head is that the fish is cold blooded. Bunny rabbits and kittens are warm blooded, like me.  So, in a very primitive part of my brain stem, there is something that recognizes I have an affinity for one, but not the other.

I may have an affinity, but I can’t really say I have a connection with the bird.  I don’t even know what it’s called!

At a certain level I was “othering” the fish.  Which flies in the face of our tenet “We are all one”.  

This is what I know.  Everything is energy.  From the smallest atom to the brightest star, everything is made of energy.  The energy that I call Spirit flows through every atom in this vast universe.  And it’s that energy, that Universal Intelligence that connects me to the birds AND the fish.  And to all of you.

The loon and the fish are the microcosm. 

Here’s the macrocosm.

I’m told the worst atrocities humans inflict on each other is when there is “othering”.  The so-called enemy is perceived to be less than human.  Just as there was between me and the fish, there is no empathy or human connection to these “other” human beings.

This is what I also know.  What the world needs now more than ever, is for each of us to remember this; we are all connected.  Everyone on this planet is made up of the same energy. 

Just bringing this to your conscious thought for a few moments may not seem like it will make much of a difference.  But thoughts are also energy, they are tiny electrical signals between nerve cells. The more often each of us thinks about our oneness, the more we experience the inner peace and love that comes with knowing we are one with the universe, the stronger that positive energy becomes. 

I’m not naïve. I understand there has been conflict since humans emerged. 

What I also understand is that just because something has never happened before, doesn’t mean it can’t happen. 

Peace on Earth.

It’s possible.

It begins with me, and with you.   

Namaste,

Derek