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| Fishes
They are happiest in their youth, I think, speaking of fish generally. Yet self-knowldege soon becomes an imperative; one sees this immediately - and for fish it is remarkably easily attained. In fact is it not true that fish seem to be born with an almost fully realized concept of self? They are earnest creatures, ardent in most all their endeavors.Yet it is an irony: if you observe fish of course they often appear to be about nothing in particular. ‘Free-time,’ though, is not an overwhelming relevant concern for them, and in their oft-seeming purposelessness it seems to me they yet manage to maintain an air which suggests, never-has-there-been-more-to-do! Fish are indeed strongly associated with the conceptaul. But they are not dreamers. Still, they do dream! Mostly, though, they swim about to and fro, waiting for a next unanticipated event, one which they cannot name, and which they presume (and rightly so) will serve to somehow advance a bit more explanation of themselves and their purpose. But then, of what creatures may this not be said. They are not over-reachers, no not at all. And they harbor no illusions. They are quite reconciled to whatever the state of affairs happens to be at a given time - though not necessarily to whatever they suspect might be their fate, as a result of said state of affairs. They struggle with this, just like everyone else. They don't expect anything lavish; nor do they get it. It is safe to say that lavishness does not suit nor befit them. It’s true, they can presume too much, at times, really; and they are most certainly insistent on recieving their due. They, like us, have a kind of default presumption that they are to receive the full measure of what has been promised them. Sometimes I wonder about chinese fish. I really do. I’m not sure quite why, but on occasion I have a vague sensation that chinese fish may not be happiest of fish. Though I suspect this understanding has more to do with me than it does with them. Fish are almost impossibly circumspect, some of them anyway. They do make mistakes from time to time, of course. They think they make them rather anonymously, and it’s true that many of their mistakes we will never discern. But some of their mistakes have been quite famous I assure you! They’re not ones to back-track, though. They don’t dwell, fish. Which is not to stay they are strangers to themselves. Far less single-minded than made out to be, they are able to explore numerous options simultaneously. For living living in many underwater worlds has made them this way. They could have been decent semenarians, I sometimes like to think; and perhaps they still are, or will be, one day. They are not, after all, as prone to paratheology as one might think. Piscetheologically speaking, the fishes are quite happy enough offering their finny prayers on coral altars, with any number of watery reconciliations (always the best kind) never far away, and at least some kind of moist praise ever on their ceaseless lips. ~ |
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| "Look how the minnows dart hither and thither at will. Such is the pleasure fish enjoy," Chuang Tzu remarked. "You are not a fish," responded Hui Tzu. "How do you know what gives pleasure to fish?" "You are not I," said Chuang Tzu. "How do you know I don't know what gives pleasure to fish?" |
| click on the fishys |
| The World's Religions, Huston Smith |
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