Meditation 428
Is there a goldfish god?
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There was a strange article in today's paper.[1] It was reported from England that a one pound goldfish, 10 inches long had fallen down a chimney and landed in a lit fire. However, there was a pile of potato peelings which had been thrown on the fire which cushioned the fish's fall, and it flipped out of the fire onto the hearth. It was promptly spotted by the resident who picked up the fish and put it in a washbasin of water.
But how did the fish get in the chimney? Wildlife experts surmise it must have been caught by a heron, which then flipped the fish in the air to reorient it to go down it's gullet, and then failed to catch it which allowed it to go down the chimney.
This fish was saved from certain death in so many ways in a few brief seconds. For example:
- It should have been consumed by the heron
- On being dropped, it could have landed on the roof or pavement
- On falling down the chimney, it could have landed in the flames
- After flipping onto the hearth, it might have been spotted by a cat or dog .
- Or there might have been no-one in the room
- Or the person in the room might not have been quick-thinking enough to save the fish
- Or the person in the room could have simply chosen to toss the fish in the trash.
However you look at it, the survival of this gold fish was highly improbable.
What is truly remarkable is that the word "miracle" was not used once in the article. Strange isn't it! We see the God's intervention credited so often when a human is involved who did not go through a fraction of what the goldfish went through.
Perhaps there is a goldfish god to whom the lucky survivor prayed heavily in those few frightening moments. Perhaps it was a goldfish miracle.
Or more likely, it is an example how the most unlikely sequence of events can occur through the random vagaries of chance.
Footnote:
- Goldfish survives flames... National Post, Saturday, December 31 2005, p. A10