Birds

I was taking a break from doing some yardwork today and listening to the birds in the trees nearby. I could hear at least four distinctly different songs going at the same time, and this got me thinking. The birds were likely singing for different reasons, and the average person would be completely oblivious to the purpose of those songs, but to the birds themselves, those personal expressions would be very important. So, most people wouldn't register anything more than "hm, birds", if they heard them at all, while the birds were pouring their hearts out.

Meanwhile, the people below might be having conversations critical in their lives while the birds above would be entirely oblivious to any human purpose. A wren doesn't think a human is especially important because of what kind of car he drives, or where he works, or what he wears, as long as he leaves the nest alone.

I read somewhere that if you start thinking you're really important, you should try giving orders to someone else's dog, which gave me a good laugh.

So what does this mean? Just that importance is very relative, I suppose, and that a lot of people I've encountered get very caught up in their concept of self-worth (both high and low) to an extent that makes them act strangely sometimes. I was frustrated with my job yesterday and guilty of this myself, so it was good to be outside today and regain a better perspective.