Story of a fish – from a well to the ocean

Once there was a fish in a well. The well belonged to a kind farmer. The farmer had a beautiful vast ranch with green pastures and singing rivers. The well therefore contained a good measure of water throughout the year.

The fish was born somewhere up in a shallow part of the river. The river was flowing down through the ranch into the sea far in the west. The soft current of waves in the river took the fish from its birth place into the ranch. The fish really enjoyed the journey down the river and worried not about flowing into the sea. As it came to the ranch, the farmer saw it and carried it in his pitcher. The fish did not know what was happening because it was so young with little experience of life. The kind farmer loved the fish and down he let the fish into the well. Thus the little fish started living in the well.

The well was different from the river. There were soft current of waves in the river which kept the fish moving forward towards the sea. The water in the well was calm without waves. There was no pushing and pulling of water currents. Life seemed to be peaceful. The fish started enjoying its new abode.

Days and months passed. The fish nourished from the water in the well grew to a grownup fish. The best pastime of the fish was swimming from one corner of the well to the other. It could start from one side of the well and reach the other side with a sweep. It was great satisfaction that it could the other end. There was no more to conquer.

Still a thirst continually troubled the fish. It could not realize the nature of the thirst and the reason for it. It felt an imperfection somewhere. The only thing it could identify was the haunting memory of the river and the life there. There it was moving forward to an unknown end. The river offered new sights and feelings every moment.

Life was calm in the well while it was moving in the river.

There was an end, the other side of the well, for the journey in the well; the journey in the river seemed never ending.

There were no new hopes in the well; every moment in the river offered a new hope.

There were no new dreams in the well; life in the river was full of dreams.

It is all over with life in the well; life is always new in the river offering new challenges.

If the other side of the well was the end of all, the fish had already achieved it. What else the fish lived for?

The fish was sad, sadder, restless, frustrated and desperate.

It finally realized the truth that the fish was not born to live in a well, however wide the well was.

The fish grew fatty and big. The well could not contain it any longer. The farmer noticed the size of the fish. There were two things he could to do – either kill the fish or return it to the river. The farmer was so kind that he picked the fish in his pitcher once again and released it into the river. The fish swam into the river water.

Whoops! It was pushed forward by the current. It lost its balance. There was no place to hold on. The fish hit here and there on small rocks. It pained and bruised. “Oh! This is cruel”, thought the fish. “Can I survive? Where am I moving to? Is there more big rocks waiting in the river that may smash my head?”

Slowly, the fish gained its balance. It could guide its movements. Instead of hitting headlong on rocks, the fish brushed the rocks elegantly. It floated, dived, swam, leaped out to have a look at the surrounding nature.

What a sight of plants, trees, pastures, birds, animals, man, women, snakes and reptiles!

How it missed all for such a long time.

It glided through new experiences and feelings.

The fish dreamed new dreams every moment.

It realized the vastness of life.

Moved and moved, the fished reached the ocean. It was a triumphant moment for all the fishes in the river. They shouted with joy and jumped in ecstasy as they moved into the sea.

Wow! What a place!

The ocean was water and water. It had no beginning and no end. It was ocean everywhere.

The fish swam freely to the left and right; to front and back. There were no limitations. It sat on rocks and dreamed new dreams.

The striking sight was that of fishes of all kind, size and color swimming everywhere in the ocean. What a world full of fishes! The fish never thought that his world contained such a variety of fishes. He was only a small fish among all these.

He used to swim across the well, from one side to the other, in a sweep. However he tried, he could not get a sight of the other side of the ocean. He tried and tried hard; finally realized that he will never reach the end of the ocean.

All he knew, experienced, achieved and dreamed are only a tiny speck of the vast ocean.

He accepted the fact.

I am important in this ocean; but not the only important fish.

My knowledge and experiences are valuable; but there are still more valuable knowledge and experiences.

My race is fine; still there are better races.

However a fish try, it will never reach the end of the ocean and never acquire all that an ocean offer.

It made him big and small; proud and humble.

Life in the ocean is really different from the life in the well.

Professor Jacob Abraham                                                                            

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