There's a video that went viral about a week or so, that even thought the video is fascinating by itself, the reaction that people are having to the video is more fascinating to me.
The truth is that there's no cogent scientific theory to explain it's behavior. As a matter of fact, this type of fish lives in waters so deep that the sun's rays can even reach.
I'm sure very soon some scientists will draw up some theories, and I can't wait to hear them, but for now, let me talk about the most fascinating aspect of this event.
There's a myriad of poems, memes and goodbye letters that people have written and shared on their profiles as if the fish had a special message to deliver to us.
Watching people humanize the angler fish, depositing a collection of emotions, of desires onto it, has to mean something deep, something that cannot be dismissed as simple online antics.
Maybe it speaks to our desire of discovery, the poetic idea of moving forward in the search of something unseen for the sake of not allowing fears to keep us confined.
Maybe the fish represents fear itself being exposed to sunlight, being expunged from our existence to allow us to appreciate a dawn.
Maybe, the fact that it's appearance is so monstruous, so alien to us, means that there are things about ourselves we deeply dislike.
The way people relate to events is just as important as the event itself. My old boss and friend always used to say that perception is reality. It took years for me to fully grasp the concept, or to believe that I truly understood it, but stories like this, times like this, send me back into days of confusion.
Are there that many people out there lost in the dark? Are there that many people wanting to escape yet remain frozen in fear?
Just question to ponder, questions about our human experience.
MenO
