Out of all the pictures of fishbowls I discovered via google this was my favorite one. There were plenty of pictures of fish trapped in the watery graveyard known as a fishbowl, but this one was actually making an escape. Granted I see no water in sight so who knows how this fish’s mission will end, but I still have to respect the effort.
I never understood fish as pets. Yeah their cool to look at, but I always felt sorry for them. They just sit there swimming in a confined space while the rest of us go about our lives. The only time you really check on the fish tank is if little nemo is hungry or dead.
Some of us spend our whole lives in the same fishbowl. We find comfort in our bowl so we never venture out to see what’s really out there. We float through life watching other people live theirs, swimming around aimlessly with no idea how to start living our own. Think about an actual fishbowl rarely do you see one lone fish swimming alone by himself. There’s usually a tank full of fish doing the same exact thing, nothing. Everyone just swimming around not realizing that there’s more to life than what’s right in front of them.
In coaching we talk to our players about the dangers of being caught up in the fishbowl mentality. Jimmy could be the best player in his town, but is he the best player in the county, how about the state, what about the country? Do his skills translate outside of his bowl? How would he ever know unless he ventured out and tested himself? You hear stories of “hometown heroes” in sports that never quite live up to the hype once they leave their fishbowl and realize that there are sharks in the ocean.
Living in our fishbowl also makes us forget about the rest of the world. We get so caught up with what’s going on in front of us, we don’t realize that there are a lot of people going through a struggle much greater than our own. Do you have a roof over your head? Running water? Did you get the opportunity to have dinner today? If the answer is yes, then you’re doing better than millions of people across the world. How could you know about anything outside of your bowl if your mind is fixated on staying inside it?
The goldfish taking the giant leap of faith in this picture made a choice. He’d rather take his chances not living outside the bowl than make pretend he’s living inside it. It takes courage to self reflect. It takes courage to look at yourself and say that you can be more. There’s no room for growth inside your bowl, eventually you out grow it. Mediocrity loves company. You can be like all the other content little fish waiting for the end or get out your bowl and discover a new beginning.
Mediocrity, Mindless mob mentality; making excuses and laying blame at others’ feet for our own failings born of fear. Fear of the unknown, fear and intolerance of the ‘different’ – opting for the safe, seductive comfort of the unchallenging. Ultimately, you stagnate in a cesspool of the banal. We’ve all been guilty of this to one extent or another at some point(s) in our lives, and those of us who gather the courage to strike out afresh are sadly in the minority. Your words bear such wisdom, truth and clarity, Cornell – love the way your mind works and how you cut to the chase so incisively!
I’m not sure which is worse; living in a fishbowl or living in a bubble? At least with the fishbowl, there’s an opening, a way out. Able to take you time and poke your head out and see what it’s like before you decide to take the big leap. Your only way out of your bubble is to have it burst. One giant shock, life changing moment, no warning and no turning back. Some people don’t even realize they are living in a bubble until it bursts. I must confess, i was in that bubble until about 9 years ago. I started a new chapter of my life. It was a complete shock to me. Reality hit. I saw the world in a new, different light. A light I never knew exited. There are times when I wish I could have my bubble back because of all the evil people in this world, selfish, and cold hearted. Wondering how they call them self humans because from what I witness not even anamils would treat their own this way. It’s hard to now see the world the way I use to while in my bubble. That’s not reality… Is reality what you make it or what the people of society make it??