The perception of imperfection

“Look, Amelia, it’s a helper monkey!  He is helping the poor fishy.”

Riley points to the picture printed on the sheet of paper in her hand.  The expression on her little face is an even mixture of confidence and compassion.  Confidence because she gets to teach her big sister something, and compassion because a character is in trouble and needs help.  Amelia studies the picture, but the frown on her almost six-year-old forehead reveals suspicion. Her critical thinking abilities are better developed than those of her two-year-old sister’s and she is simply not buying into Riley’s sanguine conclusion.

“No Riley, the monkey is not helping the fish, it’s killing the fish!”

Amelia’s words make Riley gasp in horror, but it is the increased volume of, and inflection in, her voice that alerts Mikey, he drops his Lego and joins the girls.  Mikey now also studies the picture in Riley’s hands.  Mikey is seven years old and he loves biology.

“Fish cannot be resuscitated like humans, because they have gills and not lungs like humans!  Pumping its gaping mouth full of oxygen gas through a mask only prolongs the agony of hypoxia.  Gills are designed to extract oxygen from water, not air.  That fish belongs in the water!”

Mikey is caught off-guard by his own exasperation, but the gawking shock registered on his cousins’ faces serves to equalize his inner imbalance.  He realises that he has some explaining to do if he wants to avoid the impending and very justified emotional meltdown of the younger girls.  Riley looks crushed, Amelia looks confused and beyond them, in the doorway, Nana observes the interaction between her grandchildren in silent admiration.  Mikey finds comfort in his Nana’s quiet presence and he goes on to explain his words to the girls.  Mikey asks Riley to breathe in deeply and she complies.  He uses Riley’s action of inhaling air and filling her lungs with oxygen to explain that fish can only do the same inside water.  Their lungs are called gills and they have to inhale water, not air, to be filled with oxygen.  A faint smile appears on Riley’s face and she seems satisfied with Mikey’s explanation.  Mikey commends Amelia for correctly stating that any action that keeps the fish out of the water, is killing it.  He goes on to explain the meaning of all the big words he used, and when he notices the confusing frown disappearing from Amelia’s forehead, he initiates a victorious high-five.  Amelia obliges with eager enthusiasm.

Nana knows that something about this picture is still hacking away at Mikey’s soul, she invites him to a heart2heart chat and he accepts.

“Oh my sweetheart, I can see that there is something about this picture which still disturbs you.  Would you like to talk about it?”

“Yes Nana…. You know, I don’t really understand the picture.  It is meant to look like the monkey is a helpful hero, but….  There is something very wrong and very cruel about this picture.”

Nana allows Mikey to think about his words before she speaks.

“Your observation is spot-on, well done Mikey!  There is indeed something very wrong with this picture and that is why I chose it as a topic to write about.  Look at the monkey again.  What is he wearing?  Why do you think he’s wearing that?”

“The monkey is wearing a life jacket sitting next to a shallow pond which means that he cannot swim.  The life jacket will protect him from drowning if he falls into the shallow water.  I think that I get it now, Nana.”

“I’d love to hear your revelation, my sweetheart, I am all ears.”

“It’s a set-up!  The monkey looks like a hero trying to save the life of a fish, but he really only cares about himself, because he saves himself from the very thing which will save the fish — the water.  It is wrong because if the roles were reversed, even Riley would know that pumping monkey lungs full of water will drown him.  It is cruel because, while the monkey plays fake hero, the fish dies and Amelia picked up on that immediately!”

“Wow Mikey, your insight into the truth behind the picture is brilliant!  Thank you for your willingness to take the time to think about and feel deep things, you are such a blessing to me!”

Nana draws a willing Mikey into her warm embrace and the two of them share a special time-defying moment.  Nana realizes that she will have to explore this topic on an even deeper level.