The Parable of the Goldfish

Goldfish are interesting creatures. If you buy one for a quarter and stick it in a bowl of water it can survive for years. If you go out and buy all the tanks and pumps and the deep sea diver, place that same goldfish in there and sure enough that sucker dies the first day. It seems that the more desperate the situation the better the fish thrives.

Also, if you leave that goldfish (let’s call him Gil) in the bowl of water for 3 years he will remain the same size (roughly). But put Gil in a bigger bowl of water and he will grow even bigger. A bigger bowl…and well you see the dilemma…in order to grow he needs wide open spaces.

It is interesting to me as I have had many conversations with now both Irish and British people, that they are Gil’s. First off, they are a very hearty bunch, lot of spirit, lot of spunk. They have been kicked around by the weather, famines, unscroupulous kings, and marauding tribes. They are survivors.

But they are small minded in the way they view their world, just like Gil. We spoke to some people about driving from Dublin to Belfast and they advised us not to try it unless we were going to get a hotel in Belfast. “How far is it” I asked. Oh it’s about two hours drive. Two hours…are you kidding me? Sarah drives that just to go shopping at her favorite grocery store every week (well maybe just a bit of an exaggeration). But for them, the idea of making a journey like that is reserved for holidays. Now it could be that the price of fuel here makes the states look like a super bargain…but I think it is because like Gil, they can only grow to the size of their bowl of water.

Compare that to the Big Bowl of Water we live in. It is nothing for us to embark on a cross country drive, 3,000 miles in 36 hours. Westward Ho and all that. Let’s take a road trip…go go go…soccer moms driving big Land Rover’s with Rhino Grills so they don’t smash into shopping carts. We are mobile…we are on the move…saddle up the horses…don’t fence me in…”go west young man”…but when you see the deep sea diver and the bubbling treasure chest…look out!