To be a sparrow

​The sparrow peered up at me from the under-bush of a front yard in my suburb, sized me up in the span of a wingbeat, and chittered away.
 
Humans, we believe, are the only creatures with the capacity for sentience, to have a true understanding of self in relation to the world. How bold. This is perhaps linked to how we’ve become the most dominant life forms in the history of this planet. For many of us, our basic needs will always be met as a given. Food, shelter, water, health, family connections – all basic needs which I rarely consider on the day-to-day. Again, I know these aren’t a given for everyone.
 
But even though I can count on these foundational necessities, I often struggle with happiness. I bet many of us do.
 
Conversely, animals in the wild are always on high alert for danger, opportunity, and connection. But are they happy? If these “non-thinking” creatures are living right on the knife’s edge of survival—in trepidation, immediacy, and a simple kind of freedom—then how can they be happier than zoo animals? What are the conditions in the wild which promote reproduction in pandas, but which are lacking in zoo environments? I think we might be missing something.
 
As I walk my neighbourhood in safety, unconcerned by threats of predators or the details of my next meal, I too am living in a perpetual state of stress. But unlike the sparrow, my stress comes from levels of Maslow's hierarchy approaching self-actualization! How dare I complain? I eat hot meals, sleep in a warm bed and drink water from a tap. Yet I fear that I will miss a deadline, will not make art in the right way, will not have meaningful friendships and loving relationships, and that I will die and be forgotten.
 
So as I walk, I force myself to slow, to glimpse the shadows undulating through the leafy treetops, and to consider that I am fundamentally safe in this place. And so, I become a sparrow.
 
I am a sparrow, if only for these 30 minutes of the day which are unencumbered by emails, anxiety, and the boredom that only arrives when the most important things are assumed. For as a sparrow, I am animal, I am not planning for the future, I am seeing the world in all its colours and details. And unlike a caged bird, I am free.