Greediness is for the Birds

My husband and I have a birdfeeder hung on our garage just outside our back door.  The feeder has a big clear plastic cannister that holds a gallon of birdseed. There are four metal perches for birds to stand on while they peck seeds out through holes at the bottom of the feeder.

The birds enjoy our feeder all year, but they especially appreciate it when it snows because the snow makes it hard for them to get to the seeds and bugs that they usually eat.  After a snowstorm I like to stand at our back window and watch all the action as the birds—mostly juncos and sparrows— “flock” to our feeder.  Although there are 4 perches, there are far more than 4 birds trying to eat birdseed. But with all the seeds the birds spill on the ground below, there is still plenty of food for everyone. 

But the fact that there is plenty of seed doesn’t stop them from fighting. Sometimes, there will just be one bird at the feeder and another bird will fly in full-speed from a nearby tree and drive the only bird at the feeder away and take his perch--even though there were 3 empty perches the bird could have taken.  Sometimes two birds will squabble over a small portion of the seed-covered patio, even though there is seed everywhere.  They seem believe that if another bird is already eating in a certain spot, then that spot must be better than any other spot on the feeder or on the patio. As I watch them squabble each winter, I think they look ridiculous.

I wish I could say that only birds behave this way.  But I think we have seen this behavior among humans as well—maybe we’ve even acted selfishly ourselves--not thinking of others or even noticing how ridiculous this greedy behavior makes us look.

Observing all this selfishness in both bird and human communities got me thinking about the Japanese concept of Enryo (遠慮). Enryo describes a willingness to hold back, assess a situation, and try to be considerate of other people’s needs, instead of thoughtlessly jumping in and grabbing whatever we want. At a meal to “enryo” means making sure that everyone has firsts before you have seconds. Enryo is letting someone who is in a hurry go ahead of us in line. It means driving in a way that respects the flow of traffic and is considerate of other cars, bicyclists, and pedestrians. You can often observe this behavior when you travel in Japan-- everyone is careful and considerate as they get on and off the trains and, as a result, travel is more efficient and less stressful.

Enryo is an antidote to the unnecessary suffering caused by an “everyone-out-for-themselves” society. Enryo is about approaching life with thoughtfulness and humility.  As I watch the birds at the feeder, I wonder what other people might think if they watched me as I go through my daily life.  Would they chuckle at my greediness in the same way I laugh at the birds?

In gassho,  Rev. Anne Spencer