Moving beyond oneself !

A red vented Bulbul takes longer time at the feeding table, because it pauses and looks around in between taking a mouthful. I have noticed that to be pattern for other birds of this species. 

The red vented Bulbuls visiting the feeding table are yet to become familiar with Barbets and squirrels who also come to feed. Their tendency was to fly away when other birds arrive.

But in about two weeks since they first arrived, they got used to other birds and share the feeding table with them now. 

I find this fascinating to watch !

The comfort and cordiality birds show to each other is striking!

The red vented Bulbuls have even got used to squirrels. 

The fraternal sense the birds show towards each other is a delightful sight most mornings. The Barbets might be an exception when they like chase others away. 

It is more common to see the comfort level in display. 

I hear and read the language of divisiveness from political leaders. In the earlier years such a language was heard during election season. Now it vitiates the in between times too. 

We move forward materially and economically ; but we move backward with more intolerance towards others who are different from the majority!

In the book, A monk in the world,  Wayne Teasdale wrote on the world as a community. Let me quote from page 9: "We are social beings who grow in relation to others; we are defined through our relationships with them. Our ancestors lived their lives in the bosom of  a supportive tribe. Every need was met within the context of that tribe. The tribe was community. When we moved out of tribes and into extended families and then into nuclear families, we gained greater freedom and mobility, but something was lost: a fundamental sense of security based on the experience of belonging. We must seek to rediscover and recover community in our lives. Community gives us psychological balance, promotes healthy human development, creates stability in the midst of change, and acts an anchor that gives us focus and calm- a timeless, restful and deeply human order. Community also helps us to meet the needs of all for food, shelter, recreation, work, study, sharing the tasks of child rearing, the whole complex of spiritual life. All are supported through the group". 

I get a sense of such a spirit of shared experiences, when I watch the birds feed at the feeding table in our garden. They  form a community! 

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)