As it usually happens, a philosophical thought manifests at the most unexpected moments. It was in the midst of a casual discussion with a French couple (on a cloudy evening in Chartres) that I rediscovered something meaningful. The duck’s webbed feet not only help it to swim but also prevent its body from getting wet as they keep it a little above the water’s surface. As we know, human beings have always compared their characters to the qualities found in birds and animals such as elephants for strength, lions for their regal bearing and eagles for their ability to soar and so on. Yet, it is the relatively obscure duck that teaches us a metaphorical lesson on how to be immersed in something but to remain untouched by it. This is especially relevant at this point in time when we have grown used to reacting to everything. We do not allow situations to merely pass. Whereas, I wholly acknowledge the need for someone to pick a cause and strive for it, I’m referring to our disproportionate involvement in nearly everything; from a starlet’s remark to financial scams. The sensationalist nature of news has forced us to participate in highs and lows that have no real connection to our subjective experience.

Besides, the negative impact of information is that it makes us think up worst case scenarios which don’t prepare us for an unknown, improbable scenario. It only agitates us when things are peaceful. We need to learn to disengage, let things pass, ignore the chaos. There are days when I feel as though everything is falling apart. I permit a traffic jam to unnerve me, a water shortage to infuriate me and even so little as an unnecessary email from a bank to irritate me. I have been down several anxious spirals over issues that turned out to be non-issues. I also remained positive when things were really difficult and they went wrong anyway. Things move of their own accord so the best way to deal with some situations is to disconnect from them. Hence, one can admire the quality of the duck as it glides effortlessly over the water without getting its feathers wet.

As children we were all ducks in the pond; confident, secure and mostly unperturbed by our environment, emotional or otherwise. I don’t remember complaining about not having air-conditioning as a child. In fact, my friends and I had to be pulled in by force on scorching summer afternoons by our elders. Also, if there were undercurrents of discord among the family members, as children we remained blissfully unaware. It goes without saying that we can’t help but lose the childlike acceptance we have of life as we grow older, but we need not let go off it so completely that we become overly involved in situations beyond our control. Back in the day, people relinquished control to a higher power. The progress of science and a more modern way of thinking has helped us to overcome blind faith. Even so, it has created a vacuum that is difficult to fill. Moreover, it hasn’t changed the fact that the reality of our existence largely depends on circumstances over which we hold no sway. The idea that we can shape our future works at a micro level but we are often disappointed when faced with a situation that alters our plans in the greater scheme of things. Hence, whether it is a neighbour’s scathing comment or a career graph that dips, gliding over these issues in the manner of a duck is the best way to keep going. It may not be the most graceful of birds and it certainly doesn’t have the imposing personality of many other animals but the duck teaches us that the pond, its creatures and its very content is a place we have found ourselves in. Perhaps, we can use our mind, like it uses its webbed feet to rise above the rigmarole of everyday living.