The Egret and the Tern

A fable inspired by the annual migration of birds to our back yard.

Dear Ysak,

There once was an egret who lived in the cold northern countries.  Every year, when Winter arrived and the rivers began to freeze, the egret and the rest of his flock would fly south, where the weather was warmer and the marshes were teeming with frogs, lizards and fishes for everyone to eat.  There, the egret was always joined by a flock of terns, who have themselves traveled from the far north.

The egret did not particularly like the terns, because they were a rowdy bunch.  They spent their days flying frantically about and snatching whatever food they could catch from the water.  The egret, on the other hand, preferred to stay put on the shallow parts of the marsh and share stories with the fishes and other creatures of the marsh.  The fishes, frogs and lizards talked about how far the river flowed during the rainy season; and the many interesting people they met on the river banks.  The egret spoke of life in a flock, and how he needed to eat the creatures of the marsh in order to survive.  The creatures understood this, and sometimes the old and weak would gladly offer themselves to be eaten by the egrets, especially when there are young hatchlings in the flock.

On one particular year, the rains didn't come, and the egrets and terns arrived to find dry, parched land where the marsh used to be.  There was no food in sight!  The terns, in their panic, began to fight among themselves.  Many of them ended up getting hurt and unable to fly--and in a matter of weeks the dried-up marsh became their grave.

But the egret knew exactly what to do.  After years of sharing stories with the creatures of the marsh, he had learned how to find the places where the river never dried up, and instead stayed deep all year 'round.  And so, he simply told his flock to follow him, and off they flew to where the food was abundant.

In life, Ysak, it is not good to be overly preoccupied with filling your belly or your pocket.  This may make you healthy for the mean time, but it will not sustain you in the long run.  But if you spend more time feeding  your mind and enriching your knowledge, I guarantee you--you will never go hungry.