Jun
A Mess of Fish
Today, I was sitting in the lobby of an office. There was a very large, very well-fitted salt water aquarium. This was above and beyond what you might find in the average pet shop. Along with the very colorful fish were living coral and sea plants. There were no artificial plants.
A saltwater aquarium is very difficult to maintain. Few people in the tropical fish hobby can handle a modest sized fish tank. The large one I saw today was even more spectacular. Though I am not a tropical fish hobbyist, I appreciate the efforts they make. Whoever was behind the massive saltwater aquarium has made a large effort, indeed.
Tropical fish can be a meditative exercise in their own right. Watching them move through their environment can be both relaxing and exhilarating. They rise and lower and move every which way. Some flit in spurts, some move in flurries, and some meander along slowly. There are fish that swim in plain sight and others that duck in and out of the rocks. Taken all together, they are an amazing sight of motion and colors and shapes.
The fish are all part of that watery world, whether in the sea itself or an aquarium. They interact with the other fish and the plants and scenery. Each affects and is affected by the others. One could say they are all parts of their environment. At the same time, each fish is a distinct entity. It is an individual. The fish is not just a part of its environment, but is an individual unit which acts independently. Watching the tropical fish is watching a select group of individuals, each doing its own thing within its environment.
We ourselves are unique and independent. We live in our environment. We affect and are affected by all that is around us. At the same time, we are not just part of the scenery. Each of us is a distinct and separate individual creating his own destiny. Our individuality sets us apart from our world. Unlike the fish, we are not confined to an aquarium. We live and act in the wider world.
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A saltwater aquarium gives us a peek into the world of Aegir and Ran. Those who would understand the deities of the Sea would do best to learn of the sea itself.
