school of fish

I am sitting at the shore of the Persian Gulf, and looking into the water, I see a school of fish: tiny fish, just an inch or two long, but a huge number of them. And watching them is like a dance, a choreographed dance, for they all move together, turning this way and that in unison. And watching these fish, beautiful though they are, I am reminded of the herding instinct, the feeling of security that comes from being part of a group, from belonging to the group, for moving as the group moves, not standing out alone, not being unique, not in any way challenging the way the rest of the group behaves.

And so it is with us humans, not just with fish. We unconsciously coerce each other into behaving in the same way as each other. And this is a great tragedy, a tragedy for the individual, a tragedy for uniqueness, and in a way, it is a great tragedy for every one of us. For that uniformity, the normality, the average, is not the inherent truth for any one individual. Everyone is making compromises, to twist and turn in time with the group.

There is nobody for whom that group behaviour is entirely authentic. For some, their outward appearance may have had to change, the way they cut their hair, the clothes they wear, the way they talk. And for others it will run deeper, into the way they think, the way they lead their lives, whether they marry or not, whether they have children or not, whether they have a job, a career. Much of this comes from the deep conditioning of society. And it distorts us, takes us away from who we really are as an individual.

So here, watching these fish, I am reminded that, once in a while at least, one must break away from that school of fish, and live life on one's own, in an individual authentic way.