The Songbird in Spring

Spring is the season that makes poets out of ordinary people. There’s something about the breezy, blooming abundance around you that makes you light hearted and romantic, dreamy even. Just like Love. The way the winter frost gives way to warm sunshine and chilly gusts make way for a benign, luscious breeze is so much akin to the pure bliss of being in love! It melts the gloom around the heart, making you smile for no reason at all.

Nature is a giant magnetic force, pulling the soul toward itself, compelling poets like Wordsworth, Shelley, Tagore to pay homage to the pure joy that bubbles forth in its presence. The British summer has a presence that’s a lot like the spring here. It’s what prompted Shakespeare to compare his love to a ‘summer’s day’, but then quickly elevate the muse higher by proclaiming: “Thou art more lovely and more temperate”. Perhaps, then, he ought to have witnessed the Indian Spring.

The abundance of birdsong brings to mind a beautiful line from Star Signs, the more esoteric and metaphysical of Linda Goodman’s books. “It would be a sad and quiet, lonely forest if no bird sang except the nightingale.” It’s a profound statement that ought to be the mantra of life, because it expresses the fullness and complexity of the universe so simply. The Nightingale, like the ubiquitous Koel in India, is the bird whose song is rivalled by none. But for a moment, close your eyes and imagine a world with all other birds falling silent—no twitters, no clucks, no cooing, screeching, or throated warbling… Mornings would be lonely and evenings desolate.

The symphony of the world depends on every little bird chipping in with its unique voice, no matter if it’s not the best singer around. Pretty much the same way that the brilliance of the universe depends on the variety of its creatures—the variety of humankind, too.  Just because the nightingale is the reigning queen of birdsong, the other birds don’t feel threatened; they’re not hesitant to pour forth their own melodies. It is us, humans, who feel threatened by the abilities of others, ever comparing them to our own selves and feeling insufficient. The universe would be a dark place if only the brightest light were allowed to shine. Every little lantern is important to the world. It doesn’t matter that there are people whose abilities outshine your own; you must not be hesitant to put your offerings before the world. It might not be life-altering or earthshaking, but it is important nonetheless.

Each one of us was born to fulfill a distinct purpose. It might not be a seemingly grand one like running the country or a global corporation. The bee is one of the most humble creatures in the world, but who could imagine its immense importance in keeping the world teeming with life? The BBC website puts them “top of the list as far as important species go”. It explains that “they pollinate 70 of the around 100 crop species that feed 90% of the world.” Without bees, there’d be no pollination and very soon the animals that feed on those crops and even the human race would be gasping their last. They’re not magnificent or beautiful or adorable. But their importance to the universe is undeniable.

In much the same way, each of us brings a unique enhancement to the universe. Let us take pride and pleasure in putting it forth.

Be the songbird in the spring of life.