Intro: Pounding bass note and a stirring fanfare of horns. Welcome to another edition of Things to Think about. Here's Stacy. The horns continue with a keyboard note held.
Relaxing piano music is in the background. Welcome to the Things To Think About Podcast where we use fables and fairy tales to come to deeper truths about our subconscious world. I’m Stacy Casson and today’s story explores miscommunication. As humans, we are social creatures and need to make connections. What happens if the wires are always crossed? We will dive into this topic in a tale I call, “Fishing.” And now, get comfortable and relax. Take a Deep Breathe in and exhale. A Deep Breath in, and exhale. A Deep breath in and exhale. And if you'd like, you can slowly...close...your eyes.
Once upon a time, there was an awkward dolphin. It was a very jovial dolphin and enjoyed basking in the ocean and was very curious. It lived near a dolphin research center and watched the other dolphins. While its pod hunted for fish, this dolphin pondered why the other dolphins never left the preserve. How could they not recognize their captivity? Our friendly dolphin tried to share these insights with the other dolphins but was ignored. Left to its own devices, the dolphin created a world in its imagination. In this reality, the dolphin was a hero. It had figured out a way to lead the other dolphins out of captivity. It became beloved and would roam the seas freeing other dolphins from their mental captivity. The dolphin spent so much time in its imagination that it began to confuse the real world with the happier world it dreamed about.
The dolphin desperately wanted to be liked and spent most of its time trying to communicate with the captive dolphins. It was very bright as dolphins are and playful. One day, as it swam about, it spied the imprisoned dolphins balancing a round object on their noses. One of them hit the ball too hard and it went over the barrier to our curious dolphin. Carefully it approached the floating object and tapped it with its nose. “Hey there,” it yelled. “Catch!” The other dolphins retrieved the ball and went back to their dolphin games. Our dolphin leaped out of the water and began tail walking and shouted, “Look what I can do!” The other dolphins were uninterested as the humans had brought out fish treats. “Why won’t they pay attention to me? I can save them. I know I can if they gave me a chance.”
Dejected it swam down to its friend the octopus. As usual, it was meditating, and its tentacles made interesting shapes as it went through its practice. The dolphin observed its friend. All the other creatures liked the octopus. It was always willing to lend a hand and offered sage advice. Every now and then, the octopus would share some wicked dreamfish and they would trip together. When the octopus opened its eyes, it greeted the dolphin. “What’s the matter, friend? You look down.” “The captive dolphins rejected me again,” our dolphin mournfully complained. “I thought I was making progress. We threw a ball. Why won’t they listen?” The octopus pondered and asked why it was so concerned with these dolphins. “You have plenty of dolphins in your pod.” The dolphin responded, “yes, but they are so pedantic. They lack vision. I could make this ocean so much more optimized but all they want to do is hunt for fish and mate.”
The octopus was still. “Have you tried asking them what they want?” The dolphin retorted, “they don’t know what they want! They don’t even know that the water is polluted. I have studied the currents and vegetation. The shrimp are not as tasty and the fish have a bitter aftertaste. We are going to die if we don’t fix it. How can they not see?” The octopus gently responded that no one wants to feel that they are wrong. It suggested to the dolphin to try and make it easy for the other dolphins to understand. “What’s in it for them?” The dolphin shrilly responded, “A whole new way of thinking. If they just let me show them what I have learned, we can adjust the microcosm and heal the ocean.” The octopus asked, “What did you hear me say, dolphin?” The dolphin responded, “you want me to dumb things down. Well, I can’t. If they would start eating more dreamfish it would be so much easier.” The dolphin swam away against the current.
Do you think you are right? Are you headstrong and inflexible? I have been guilty of stubbornly holding on to my worldview. When I challenged my ego and considered others, it was much easier to connect. And now, you can take a deep breath in and exhale. A deep breath in and exhale. Deep breath in, and exhale. And when you’re ready, wiggle your toes, wiggle your fingers, and slowly open your eyes. If you are enjoying this podcast, please subscribe and tell a friend.
Closing: Closing jazzy keyboard and thrumming bass. Hope you enjoyed today's segment. Tell a friend. See you next time. Music fades.
