Life in a fish bowl

When my kids were small one of the most exciting things we could do was go to Kelly Tarltons. As an aquarium-lover myself I found this a very pleasant way to celebrate a child's birthday or entertain an overseas visitor.  We would spend a relaxing morning strolling through what in those days seemed like an endless tunnel, surrounded by an apparently infinite number of exciting fish of many varieties.

Can't say I'm much of a fan any more  -  don't know if it's me that's changed or the fish.  But the excitement has gone out of our relationship  -  it just doesn't do it for me any longer.

But that's not what this is about.  I'm not here to discuss the merits of Kelly Tarltons.  But it got me thinking.  Those fish swim around and around and around................thinking about whatever fish think about I guess........... I have no idea what that may be.........but one thing I am pretty sure of. Those fish see their tank as their universe.  It's all they know.  For them that tank is IT. Assuming they were raised in captivity, they have no concept  of anything like the ocean.  How could they?

And yet  -  I just cannot help believing that somewhere deep in their 'fishness' they DO know the ocean. Somehow they know that the tank is not where they really belong  -  and they yearn for the ocean.  They long to be free.  They pine for their true home.

And what about us?

Every day we swim around and around and around, being the people we have designed ourselves to be. We go about our daily lives always busy, always involved, always working away to feather our little nests (oops now we're birds!) and create a more comfortable corner for ourselves in our little world.  We think this is IT.

And yet  -  I cannot help believing that somewhere deep in our 'humanness' we DO know our ocean. Somehow we know that this world is not where we really belong  - and we yearn for that place.  We long to be free.  We pine for our true home.