There's Something Fishy Goin' On Here

Have you ever wished life is as simple as fishes swimming around in a pond?

Let me tell you about a fish. Let’s call him Fishy, because there’s always something fishy about this fish. Fishy lives in a pond full of other fishes. But they don’t eat each another. Because it’s a small pond, and all the fishes are of the same species that feed on algae. One day, Fishy decides to swim around in circles. So, he swam around in circles. Around and around he went, chasing his own tail, until one moment, another fish saw what he was doing and asks:

“Hey, Fishy, you’re not a dog are you?”

“No”, said Fishy. “What’s a dog?”

“It’s a type of mammal that likes to run around in circles chasing its own tail, exactly like what you’re doing right now”

“Wow. I’ve never seen a dog before, but I’d love to see one someday!”

“I’m sure you will, said the other fish”

So one day, a dog fell into the pond. Just before the dog splashed in, a bone dropped in. This dog must be one of those greedy ones which carry bones in their mouth and came across the pond and saw their own reflection in the water and fell in it to get the other bone, which turns out to be only a reflection. The other fish saw the dog drowning, and quickly came for Fishy. Fishy quickly swam towards the dog, and asked the dog:

“Mister, are you a dog?”

The dog didn’t reply to Fishy’s question. Instead, he yelped for help. He couldn’t swim! Fishy didn’t understand why a dog couldn’t swim, because he has been swimming since the day he was born, and he couldn’t imagine a creature that couldn’t swim. Soon, the dog drowned and died. Poor dog. Fishy was saddened by this unfortunate event, but he was thankful that he gets to see a dog and went along with his day swimming around in circles because he has nothing else to do.

“Mister, are you a dog?”

Life can be as simple as Fishy. Swim around in circles and never get thirsty because water’s all over you. Never worrying about being eaten alive, and there’s always plenty of food. You can be happy, swimming around in circles, but that’s it. Nothing more. The only chance you’ll see a dog is when one falls into your pond, which wouldn’t happen if not for the Malay saying: ‘bagai anjing dengan baying-bayang’.

Life can be hard, you run the risk of getting eaten alive (not literally, of course), but that’s life. Never give up because you will grow through each pain. If you give up along the way, your suffering would be nothing but a waste. That’s when you decide to be like Fishy, live in your own pond (own world), watch TV because it’s nice to see people more messed up than you. Slowly, you become a victim of your own fear and insecurities.

A common misconception about people who succeed in life is that they are fearless. It’s simply wrong. Fear is a necessary part of growth. FEEL IT and HURDLE TOWARDS IT ANYWAY. In the words of Susan Jeffers, a world-renowned psychologist:

Pushing through fear is less frightening than living with the underlying fear that comes from a feeling of helplessness

So get into this world. It’s wide, and it’s never too late to try

Note to animal activists: I am in not any way saying that life as a fish sucks. It’s just an analogy to get to my point. Don’t get me wrong, I love fishes. They’re tasty