Me, You And The Humpback Whale
Sometime around April / May each year 35,000 whales take a big breath. And swim.
That’s when they’re full. And ready.
Having spent their summer feasting (who doesn’t?) in the cool Antarctic waters, they take a turn and head to the warmer waters of Australias northern coasts.
And here they will make babies and enjoy good times (who doesn’t?).
These whales set off together. Not in convoy, as such, but broadly at the same time. They swim at the same speeds. They dive the same depths, for the same amount of time, breathe the same breaths. And they travel half asleep.
They are not stupid.
They are whales - part of a living, breathing system bigger than them.
We share 35% of our DNA with yeast. I guess we share a whole lot more with whales.
I know we think we’re clever. And we are.
Lots of good inventions. Lots of clever words.
But like the whale, we too are playing out in systems bigger than us, connected to each other and systems far bigger than us; a system which pushes and pulls us, which moves us in ways we might never know.
We wake up.
We make coffee.
We have a shower.
We shout at the kids. (oh, just me?)..
We take them to school.
We walk, we chat, we pick our noises.
We open laptops.
Answer emails.
Take some calls.
Pick our noises.
Eat some plants.
Pick our noises.
Hope we’re noticed.
Show off.
Worry.
Ruminate.
Show off again.
Pick our noises.
Write some more stuff.
Hope we sound important.
Eat some plants. And maybe an animal.
Lick ourselves clean. In the bath.
Get back into the den.
And sleep.
Zen master Suzuki Roshi described the human condition in three words.
Lost In Thought.
Time to wake up and smell some new ideas?