A Mind That Flutters Like a Fish on Dry Land
Like a fish pulled from water and cast on dry land, the mind thrashes. When we are not swept along by that thrashing, we are freed from being swept.
Am I mistaking the thrashing of anxiety itself for who I am?
📝Reflection
When anxiety surges, we take its thrashing to be ourselves, and so we thrash along with it. But this image points to another vantage: there is a gaze that watches the fish flutter. When the mind churns, instead of straining to stop it, simply observe — "ah, the mind is thrashing now" — and strangely, you are no longer that fish. The thrashing is still there, but you stand on the bank and watch it. That one step of distance separates being swept from being free.
🌱Apply It Today
When anxiety rises today, instead of "I am anxious," say "a feeling called anxiety is passing through now." From that step back, the mind grows lighter.
This verse is read as universal humanistic wisdom, not religion — no faith is promoted, and the reflection is 100% original ONGO content.
