Life Vs Survival

I’ve been doing some heavy reading lately which probably is making my mind work overtime one thought let to another and to yet another and finally lead to the writing of this blog. For some reason I got reminded of the day my mom decided to get birds,

Mom: Come on lets go get the birds

Me: Ma! No way…I don’t think it’s a great idea to get birds as pets

Mom: Why not? I like the way they chirp, it’s so lively.

Me: I can’t quite come in terms with the fact of birds being caged, they need more space, at least something more closer to their natural habitat. Get some other pet, anything else!

Mom: Did you know that these birds were born in cages, their wings are not accustomed to flying in the wild and that they would die if they try to do so? The cage is their home and they like it in there.

Me: All right ma if you really want them.

I dint talk to her properly when she got the birds home. My mom did manage to convince me that it was not all that bad an idea to have birds as pets. The birds seemed to be happy just feeding on the food it was served daily and contended with its usual routine. One day one of the female birds died, apparently due to indigestion. We had to replace them with a new pair because a new female could just not get along with the widower. A few days back I was on the phone with my dad and….

Me: How come home seems so silent today I can’t hear our birds chirp!

Dad: We gave them away.

Me: How come suddenly? I thought mom loved them!

Dad: Yeh she did, but one of them kept trying to fly away whenever your mom tried to keep some food or water in the cage. One day she couldn’t really catch hold of that to put him back in the cage. These birds cant stay without their pairs one might follow the other, so we thought it was best to give them away.

I thought of the determined bird that freed itself out of the cage… his up bringing just thought him to stay within the confines of his cage, eat what was served, swing on the little pieces of wood tied to the cage, chirp and jump around the cage all day and create one hell of a racket if the daughter of the house doesn’t switch of the lights by ten at night. But he chose otherwise, maybe his wings gave him away sometime, maybe some wildcat or bird killed him, maybe he grew hungry and passed out, or maybe he just loved it out there. He might have been aware of the consequences or maybe not. But maybe he thought he wasn’t doing anything worth his life just sitting around and pecking on food all day. At least this bird knew what he was dieing for (if at all death came by) as compared to the one that died of indigestion. One might argue saying, but the birds in there were smarter, they had a secure means of survival…. But tell me; is life about survival or living? Are you saying “huh?” I say, “Oh yes there is a difference.”

A blind beggar on the streets is “looking” for a means of survival; a blind salesman selling books on a train and making sure he keeps track of what he sold in spite of his disability is “earning” a living. An agitated Afro-American mugging an innocent passer by returning from his late night duties is “looking” for a means of survival. A rapper at the rail station platform who is more aware of what talent lies in him is “earning” a living. It’s not only the unprivileged but there are others who also act like these beggers or looters, just that we dont realise it. I am pretty sure I would have also come in terms with certain things just for the sake of things to run smoothly. Pacify (actually “fool” is more like the right word) myself by saying “That’s how its meant to be”, “Its safer and easier this way”, “Its lesser confusion”, “Its been so all this while, who am I to change it?”. Lets see, if I am passionate about my life (as I claim to be) I would choose to live rather than survive! Happy Living!!!