Lessons From A Fox, Fisherman, and Forest On Overthinking

On a cold evening not too long ago, I drove by a fox prancing over the snow after a winter storm.

He was in a field near the road searching for a mouse or some other edible rodent that would serve as his dinner.

The fox eyed me as I drove by, then returned to his hunting, sniffing and prancing.

He scanned the ground with his X-ray nose to determine the exact location of his soon-to-be furry food.

At first, I felt pity for this fox.

He is without shelter, companionship, and warmth.

He must seek out his meal in the tundra while I have it conveniently laid out in the grocery store for my easy taking.

But as I pondered more about this fox and his predicament, my feelings of pity reflected off the fox and snow back to me and my human brethren.

We have the gift of consciousness. We can choose what we do with our day yet this freedom is a blessing and a curse. Too much thinking causes decision paralysis and inactivity.

We humans have lost our animal instincts. We overthink and do too little.

Imagine if we could redirect the energy we use on thinking toward doing.

Hunt like a fox

The fox acts with no hesitation. Once prey is located, it dive-bombs head-first into the snow and retrieves its meal.

It wastes no time dilly-dallying. It doesn’t question why it’s out in the frigid cold or how it will find food.

It puts all its faculties into executing the hunt.

We’re all on a hunt in life’s tundra.

We have goals we want to achieve, but fear and self-deprecation cause unsureness.

Our worst enemy is hesitation. When we question our actions we invalidate our inner selves.

Don’t think, do.

Focus like a fisherman

Traditional fishing in Inle Lake is a work of art. These fishermen use one leg to row the boat while balancing on the other.

When fish are spotted, they pull out a net attached to bamboo skeletons that resemble a large cone, place it in the water, and release the net with a pronged stick to trap fish inside.

Living in a place without much opportunity, the fisherman has no choice but to perfect their art. The success of their catch determines their survival. Coming home empty-handed means their family won’t eat.

We all are navigating a boat through a lake. When our minds are empty, the lake is calm. When our minds are full of thoughts, a storm brews and jostles the boat. If the storm continues, we could be thrown overboard.

This is why methods that quiet the mind are important. Prayer, meditation, and exercise are all useful tools that help calm the inner storm so you can focus on your craft.

Be like a tree, lose your ego

Last year, I experienced a mental health crisis. I felt like I wasn’t where I wanted to be in life. I felt that my family and friends were judging me when I was only judging myself.

I wanted to push everyone away, so I drove out to Montana and set off into Glacier National Park’s grand forests seeking age-old wisdom.

It was a great release from the bustle of life.

I trekked up mountains, encountered bears, and camped under the stars. In the silence of the forest, surrounded by mountains, I learned a lot about where my problems were coming from.

I found the more I quieted the outer world, the more I was able to hear the inner.

Whether we realize it or not there is an ongoing narrative playing at all times in our heads. This monologue is the inner critic. It serves no useful purpose but to compare you to yourself and others. This causes anxiety and shame more often than not.

The constant judgment from the ego prevents us from fully experiencing the present. To be fully present means ego death, so the ego does everything it can to prevent this.

Being surrounded by towering trees, decaying wood, and an expansive sky removes you from your ego mind. Taking a step away from work and human interaction gives you a sense of serenity and stillness. Without others around, you are less prone to self-judgment.

Nature is humbling. In the shroud of trees, you are free from comparing yourself to others. Who in the right mind would compare him or herself to a tree? In nature, you can let down your guard and be vulnerable with yourself.

As Ram Das said,

When you go out into the woods, and you look at trees, you see all these different trees. And some of them are bent, and some of them are straight, and some of them are evergreens, and some of them are whatever. And you look at the tree and you allow it. You see why it is the way it is. You sort of understand that it didn’t get enough light, and so it turned that way. And you don’t get all emotional about it. You just allow it. You appreciate the tree.

The minute you get near humans, you lose all that. And you are constantly saying ‘You are too this, or I’m too this.’ That judgment mind comes in. And so I practice turning people into trees. Which means appreciating them just the way they are.

Trees don’t care how tall or mighty they are. They don’t think or judge each other. They do as nature intended of them.

Free yourself from judgment. Spend time in nature and become like a tree.

Then come back and do what your nature calls you to do.