Sitting on my balcony this morning sipping on a coffee and puffing away on a cigarette (yes I know it’s bad for my health yet I enjoy it, so enjoy it I do) a beautifully formed pigeon glided towards me landing on the balcony railing as if it owned it.
I lent forward with coffee in hand looking into its eyes and greeted it, a “Good Morning”
The pigeon responded with a few little shakes of its head while keeping eye contact with me as I thought, ‘hmmm… what’s your story Mr. Pigeon and what is it like just being a pigeon?’
So, this got me thinking and comparing the life of a pigeon to what us humans call modern ‘civilized’ western society. First up, I am aware that comparing can be rather destructive to one’s own sense of ego or identity, but fuck it! Work with me on this, it may well be worth the ride.
From my understanding of the pigeon, they’re a social and community-based species that like to all hang out together, be that eating, having sex, shitting on you or me or annoying the fuck out of many in busy tourist and restaurant/cafe locations.
It would appear they have intuitive powers and a knowledge of where they are from and can be trained to travel and return home to their chosen communities with ease.
Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash
The pigeon just is a pigeon, it knows when to eat and what to eat, it knows or remembers a food or water source without dumping toxic waste into it and poisoning its own community. They keep shit basic – doing what they do without creating massive shit storms of stress, anxiety, and worry in their lives.
Their mission would seem to be, being exactly what they are in their truest form with no need to set up religions, terrorist cells, armies, complex bullshit bartering systems (money), bashing their own for being different or imposing their power on others for personal gain!
They don’t give a flying shit about much, only in their success to survive with what they truly need; shelter, food, water, companionship/community, sex and a clean-ish environment… Sounding all a bit familiar right!
I hear some saying how stupid the animal world is – or my friendly pigeon (the rats of the skies) – are in their existence and they may well have zero purposes from a western ‘civilized’ mindset. When we take a good hard look at what we are creating, thinking and how we are acting, the life of pigeon would seem to be somewhat more complete and happy, right?
As we allegedly ‘evolve’ as a species are we doing justice to our true form, others and our environment?
History shows that when we take the time to see, hear and feel our evolutionary path it may not be so evolutionary at all. Many use their abilities to create wonder, beauty and pleasurable experiences for others and self. Then some create misery, despair and things of utter destruction for personal gain and power of others, communities, countries and or the world.
Looking at what we have collectively created, and to truly see, hear and feel the current anger, hatred and fearful ‘shit-show’ playing out across the world is somewhat disturbing at times. You can see life as a pigeon as basic as it is, may well be more enlightened and a more evolved life experience of just being.
So, the next time a pigeon shits on you or annoys the fuck out of you at a cafe, remember we can all learn from the very basic existence of another species regardless of how superior or evolved we think we are…
Photo by Birte Liu on Unsplash
