The day a mudskipper taught me a lesson

Are you familiar with the mudskippers? They are the amphibious fishes that leave water for extended periods of time. (Please go visit wikipedia to know more about Mudskippers).


While I watching this show on the television, I discovered something about them. Using their fins and tail, they scamper for food in the mud and along shoreline just to survive. But what struck me most is how they build their “nest.” Every now and then they emerge from their hole/home spitting pebbles the size of its head.


And I thought that was all of it until I learned what’s inside their nest. It’s a U-shaped tunnel where it keeps its eggs at the other end. And for the eggs to survive, they need a constant supply of oxygen. So every now and then, the mudskipper emerges, gulps a mouthful of air, goes into the other end and breathes the oxygen to the eggs that lined up the walls of the tunnel. The mudskipper does this process until the eggs are hatched (read: for almost a week).

And then I was startled. If these little creatures, which are smaller than your thumb, can take up the challenges of life, then there’s no reason that you, as a person capable of critical thinking, should give up to the challenges of everyday life. Without these difficulties and challenges, you won’t evolve into a better person.