This time of year, we hear lots of hooting from the Great Horned Owls that live behind our house. Often, we notice two, and at first they’re in different trees, separated by a few hundred feet. As the sun lingers longer each day, the owls linger closer to each other.
One day, both owls are on the same branch, the next day they are beside each other.
Then they are gone.
The same process happens with the kingbirds who, years ago, established a nest in a corner of our front porch. Unlike the owls who appear stationary, the kingbirds fly back and forth with building materials, discussing every aspect of roost remodeling. Once eggs are laid, they continue to conduct shrill small talk, while the owls are hunting far from us and barely make a hoot when they’re home.
All of this to produce new life.
Every new baby owl and kingbird is unique. They will grow up and fly away to lead independent lives relying on the gray matter in their skulls to guide them to food, shelter and mates.
No other owl will have the experiences of the owls raised here this year, and when they’re gone, there will never be another of that individual.
This is the same of all faunae on our planet: whales, salmon, lynx, Canada geese and domestic geese, wolves and greyhounds, squirrels, rabbits, voles and snakes. Every baby born, even if it has twins or nestmates, has its own awareness. It will encounter life in its own way, and when it’s gone, its exclusive experience will end.
This is the incredible magic of Earth.
Through a weird set of circumstances—distance from a sun, amount of water, amount of oxygen, vulcanization—to name just a few—life has been created, unique consciousnesses have been born, entire lives have been lived and conceived more.
Trillions+ of people were made before me, yet I acquired the ability to think at this precise moment in Earth’s history.
And, if you’re reading this, so did you.
You received the magic gift of cognition, just like every human including, among others, your relatives, arctic explorers and sculptors, accountants and movie stars, Biden and Trump, Russians and Chinese, Neolithic people and ancient Greeks, Zoroastrians and astronauts.
Every baby born is a marvel, but so is every consciousness endowed. As spring approaches, take a few minutes to observe the owls and kingbirds and other babies in your neighborhood, and also to celebrate the unique cognitive-power-engine miracle of YOU!
Originally published in Mid-Week Message, First United Methodist Church of Alamosa, 8 February 2023.
