the resilience of life

Read the news enough, and it feels like an ongoing obituary for the human spirit. Explosions, wars, weapons, death, dying, death.  Tragedy sells papers, but it is important to remember that life wants to continue, in the face of adversity, regardless of all the stories hinting otherwise.

Long Beach, California has received a lot of debris from the Tsunami that hit Japan in 2011,  with various tidbits of life from across the Pacific turning up even still.  In fact, last month, a 20 foot long boat washed up on the Washington state coast (further north, for you non California natives).

Now the boat is not what’s remarkable, it’s what was found inside, which is 5 live fish in a bait box.

I'm a survivor.
I’m a survivor.

Five striped beakfish, who against all odds, survived a 9.03 magnititude earthquake, a tsunami, the destruction of their boat, a Nemo-esque journey across the largest ocean, and years of uncertainty to land in Washington state.

Bad things happen: life will go on.

Unfortunately, due to the fear of invasive species, 4 of the fish were euthanized, but one one lucky juvenile is on display at the Seaside Aquarium in Oregon. A tribute the ferocity of survival.

Life will prevail.  But we should also encourage the highest quality of life.  Just as muscles will atrophy and shrivel from non use, so will empathy, creativity, and love.

Don’t let the news get you down.


information gleaned here.