The One-Finned Fish

By Brandon Kelly

There was once a fish with one fin, called You, who swam in a sea, called Life. The Sea of Life was very deep. You became more and more curious about how deep. You knew that it must take a lot of effort to swim deeper because, for You, going even a few feet was tiresome. Having only one fin limited how fast and deep You could go. 

You was not alone, though. He had to think about his friends, family, and how You could survive deep in the sea all alone. In the school of fish, You's life was very comfortable. As a child, You's parents watched out for predators or fishing humans. They let nothing happen to You. Parents always warned their children about the fishing boat, called Difficulty. "When Difficulty comes sailing in, you had better come close, or they will scoop you up and eat you," they would say. 

But You always dreamed of going deeper in the Sea of Life. You didn't know how to do it, or if it was possible to do at all. One day, You was swimming with Loved Ones, and they all saw something amazing. It was a three-finned fish close to the surface of the sea.

This three-finned fish was very famous and was called They. Well, after seeing They, You became very emboldened and excited to start an adventure, but turning to look at the Loved Ones, they looked afraid. The Loved Ones said that they should all return to the surface and back to the school of fish immediately. No one wants to be separated from the group because then Difficulty may snatch them out of the water. As it was, they were already far away from safety. You was torn and didn't know what to do. 

Meanwhile, They swam by lazily, too big to be worried about Difficulty, and They's many fins helped glide through the Sea of Life with ease. That big fish didn't really seem to care about anything. They hardly noticed You at all. Regardless, You couldn't stop watching They. Inspiration, bravery, and determination each built up inside of You till bursting point, and each time You thought of the Loved Ones, those feelings deflated. You felt hopeless; the Loved Ones always talked You into going back to the school.

You did swim back to the school, but this time was different than all the other times. You thought about why the Loved Ones may not want to use effort to swim deeper in the Sea of Life. Why wouldn't the Loved Ones want to go into unknown spaces, learn new things, experience exciting details about Life? The Sea of Life is so big, perhaps even They doesn't know every inch of it. Perhaps one day, You could teach They a thing or two. 

You thought that the Loved Ones were concerned for You's safety. This was the obvious answer, the one that You thought of every time. You had a different thought that day: the Loved Ones did not want You to leave. They loved You, wanted to keep You around, and to lose You would make them very sad indeed.  You thought of You's feelings on the issue: if You stayed, then You would be the one who was sad. It seemed as though the game had no winner.

Another thought occurred to You: what if other one-finned fish had the same idea as You, but were staying with Loved Ones because they needed them? Or maybe they were themselves afraid to leave the school and if You showed bravery and courage to leave the school alone, You's actions made them feel inadequate about themselves. If You left, then You would show them strength, true passion, and bravery. When they looked inwardly, they found that they were too afraid to try going deeper in the Sea of Life themselves. It was too much effort. The one-finned fish only had one fin, after all. In a way, these two things that made the school and Loved Ones want You to stay by their side was only serving themselves in the end.

They were Self-Fish. 

A shadow moved above You. It was Difficulty, and You's Loved Ones were shouting. "Swim, You! Come with us!" Though it pained You immensely, You decided to be happy. 

You swam deeper and deeper, tumbled about by the currents They was making in passing. You flicked that little tail as fast as possible in order to get deeper. You lost balance, twirled upside down, got whacked by They's big tail fin, but You kept up the effort to achieve a deeper position in the Sea of Life. Finally, You found a position under They where the current wasn't so strong. You observed the surroundings for a while and was very keen to notice even small details. You learned how to be a fish that dove deeper. You learned by doing, by observing, and by self correcting through humility. Before You knew it, another fin started to grow on top. You became happy after all.

You realized that in Life, You really is a small thing.