Consider the birds - The Budgie

So, I’m sitting there one day, watching the variety of birds come and go. There were pigeons and doves, sparrows and finches, cowbirds, thrashers, a veritable cornucopia of birdlife. One would think that with such an assortment I wouldn’t have been surprised when a parakeet flew up to the waterfall and took a dip. But, being the Arizona desert, this wasn’t what I expected.
The bird was a beautiful blue color and viciously independent. He would chase off larger birds to get to some prized seed on the ground. No one stood their ground against him. He bathed in the water with impunity, then flew up to a hanging feeder, scattering several doves, to eat to his heart’s content. Then it was off to roost in the shade of a nearby tree. I could hear him making his distinct warbles and squawks and fweeps even when I could no longer see him. This budgie was free and happy.

I wondered for awhile. A desert budgie? The dreaded Sonoran Parakeet? Of course, there really was no question. This was an escapee from a cage. They primarily come from Australia and can be found in other tropical or sub-tropical regions, but none are indigenous to the southwest United States desert. They are flock animals, needing either other budgies or perhaps a human around most of the time. They eat mainly fruits and seed. The desert is not the place for lone budgies.

The budgie was around for some time. He came and went, free as a bird. Oh, wait, he was a bird. He enjoyed freedom that very few parakeets enjoy in America. He was fearless when it came to other birds, but was gone in a flash if a human appeared. He knew what a cage was like, and that wasn’t going to be his home again. Of course, it was alone, and parakeets are flock birds, so this was a trial. And budgies are not typically desert birds. So it was sad but not surprising when he quit showing up. How long could a tropical bird survive in the desert? I haven’t seen the little guy since.

It taught me two important lessons. First, most creatures love freedom. I’m sure there is the aberrant few, like my psychotic cat, who refuse to go outside. Freedom terrifies them. But in general all creatures from budgies to people love to be free. Second, absolute freedom is not necessarily freedom. We tend to think that freedom is "no limits", but it isn’t necessarily true that "no limits" is real freedom. For example, this budgie had no limits. He could go where he pleased, eat what he pleased, sleep where he pleased, without limits. However, without the limits of a flock or a person to help him, he was doomed. By the same token, a child without limits is doomed. We all need direction, limits, "lines". "Lines are our friends." By limiting our freedom, we are provided the opportunity to greater focus. With greater focus we are allowed the freedom of going farther in one direction than anyone could with no limits. Freedom is good, but limitlessness isn’t. The budgie found out both were true.