A Birds Eye View of Life

by Michael LEVY

To quote an old saying; "we should live life as free as a bird" but do all birds live a free life? Another question we may ask is "do birds possess some form of ego?" If so, then perhaps their life is not as free as it seems.

A few years ago, I was watching an enthralling display by birds of prey in the glorious South of England. It was fascinating to see how owls and falcons are trained to fly around an open field, and then land on different stations and posts when called. How magnificent they are when they swoop in to seize food from a swinging rope. All was going well until they brought out the star of the show. This was a falcon with its own strong mind and would do things in its own time.

The falcon came out and flew way up high in the sky. It circled our area for a few minutes and just when it seemed to be sweeping down to take its prey swinging on the end of a rope, it decided it was enjoying its freedom too much and headed up even higher and more distant. The trainer told us the falcon was entering in a space that is protected by two Peregrine falcons. She stated that their falcon would be attacked and chased off for flying in the Peregrines space. The Peregrines had no young in their nest; hence they were protecting what they believed is "their hunting ground"

Well, I began to think, if a bird protects its air space then they must have an idea of their identity. If they have an identity, then maybe they possess some type of an ego, for only an ego thinks it holds possessions. The two Peregrines believe they own their patch of sky, therefore other birds were not free to fly in their territory. I do not know how many species of birds protect their patch of sky, but all birds protect their nest and that seems to be a rational instinct to protect life and cannot be deemed as egotistical.

Protecting a nest is a natural action to preserve life, but to extend that instinct to protect the sky seems to be one of selfishness. The question is, have some birds of prey evolved to act in an aggressive manner, so that they can possess their air space? Are they mistakenly thinking they need to protect their space in order to survive? Even though there was open countryside all around, filled will all types of small tasty creatures they eat, this small patch of sky was theirs! It seems as if it had become "normal" for these birds to act aggressively to protect their patch of sky.

The trainer's falcon did not stay in the Peregrines space for too long, as it must have a good memory of past attacks it had encountered. Within a few seconds, it flew away, far beyond our view and was out of sight for half an hour or more. This falcon was truly as free as a bird now and the whole of the surrounding countryside was his domain.

Quite suddenly it came back into our sight and within a few minutes came whizzing over our heads (within a few inches) and swooped on its pray which was a dead mouse on the end of the twirling rope. What a fascinating display, via a bird's eye view of life, we observed that day.

How many of us live as an egotistical birdbrain? To put it another way, how many people protect the space between their ears that stores man made belief systems? We all grow up to accept a belief system or political viewpoint. However, what happens when some newcomer comes into our life and invades our space of thought with a differing viewpoint? Many dogmatic, egotistical people will not tolerate anyone else's point of view from entering their thoughts, so they immediately attack. They find many ways of aggressively fending off any opinion that could threaten their own territory. On a more obstreperous scale, a war of words turns into a military war of destruction and mayhem. Are we no better than a bird, with a brain the size of a pea?

Do we really need to go through life with a limited view of our beliefs, or should we open up our skies (minds) and fly all around the universe to acquire new and exciting original thoughts? The trainers falcon was free to fly where he wished once let off the lead. He flew high and wide and enjoyed his freedom. But he came home to a loving master after his free flight.

Fifty-thousand years ago, humans began to transform from natural beings and evolved into sophisticated, complex, tangled beings. Humans evolved intellectually whist at the same time forfeiting much of their natural biological identity. Today our normality is creating havoc and mayhem all around the world, in our everyday lives. Can we return to a more natural life and still enjoy all the modern day trappings?

We live but a brief life on earth, whereby we have been let out to roam free and think at will. We only have a short period to fly freely because we are just passing though on our eternal journey. Let's not restrict our space to think. It has become "normal" for the ego to protect its viewpoints. The spirit will fly freely... Naturally, (natures rally) with an open mind. Whom do you want to fly with today?

There are so many new creative ideas we can swoop on, to help society free itself from captivity of egotistical thoughts. We may not possess a bird's eyesight or hearing abilities, but surely we can think a little clearer than a contentious, out of tune birdbrain... or can we?

" The best way, to have your own way, is to learn to be happy any-way"

In Love & Joy
Michael Levy. Professional Optimist
http://www.pointoflife.com/

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Michael Levy, is the author of seven books, a mystical poet, inspirational philosopher and wellness/healthy living speaker. His latest books are "The Joys of Live Alchemy" and "Worry Causes Wrinkles" which can help a person change dark negative situations into beautiful, colorful, positive actions, that bring de-lights on the darkest of days