Picture found at BEIZ Graphics (www.beiz.jp)
Before I chose parrots and adopted my two Lovebirds, I was busy trying to decide which pet I wanted. For a brief period of time, I considered choosing a goldfish. Now, my idea of a goldfish is probably just like almost everyone else’s: put it in a cute little goldfish bowl, feed it fish food, and enjoy. However, with research, I discovered that the classic “goldfish bowl” is completely inappropriate, that they have a relatively high level of intelligence (make three seconds of memory three months), and need their tank cleaned (with utmost care, as goldfish can die of anything from touching them to not keeping enough of the original water) frequently due to the large amount of fecal matter they create. In short, keeping a goldfish means spending a moderate sum on the tank, and they (to me) require quite too much maintenance for what they actually offer.
Once I learned this, I became exasperated. Couldn’t anything be simple, for once? But it dawned upon me that I, vegetarian animal-lover, was acting as if entrusting the life of an intelligent, living animal was supposed to be simple. Thus I devised the Goldfish Theory, something no doubt every other person sees as obvious: we – not just children, but everyone – have created the complete impression that a pet is an object. Something that is obviously as far from the truth as possible, but all the same believed.
Perhaps it’s wrong, but I still like the Goldfish Theory. In any case, it’s time for me to clean the Lovebirds’ cage.
Files of Thought 