Human beings and fish

Many of us like eating fish not only for its nice taste but also for its high protein content, which is required for keeping us healthy.

Perhaps not many of us have noted that most fish will only live happily and satisfactorily in dirty and muddy surroundings, whereas no person likes such a polluted site, although abandoned food is likely to be available therein. If we try to move the fish to clear and clean water, it's possibility that all the fish may die instantly.

I just realized this fact of life during a recent weekend at my friend's holiday home in Ciloto, where the family has several fish ponds full of different kinds of freshwater fish, such as gold fish, catfish and mujair (fish that feeds on larvae).

Suddenly, as I watched the fish gently moving around, happily seeking food in the muddy and dirty pond, a frightening thought flashed through my mind: the horrible fact that there are people who like to live in such polluted surroundings. I started comparing human beings and fish.

The dirty and muddy surroundings are a necessity for most of the fish to live in, it is a definite requirement they cannot be without.

On the contrary, people need clean, sound and healthy surroundings to live in happily. By clean and healthy surroundings I mean not only in terms of physical matters but also nonphysical ones.

It would be very difficult to live in a corrupt, morally- degrading and dirty society. However, like the case of the fish, there are people who enjoy living in such morally-unhealthy surroundings.

In real life there are a lot of people who crave happiness, wanting to satisfy their passion by fair means or foul. Such lowly people, who bow to satanic desire, greediness, or dishonesty, tend to cause suffering to others.

Thinking of this fact of life has occupied my mind ever since I visited my friend in his restful house.

H.W. PIENANDORO

Bogor, West Java