Dear Reader,
While reviewing my daily recovery readings this morning, I came across a quotation by James Thurber that caught my attention.
“Seeing is deceiving. It’s eating that’s believing.” — James Thurber
The quotation puzzled me at first, so I decided to explore its origin. What I discovered gave me something to think about.
The quotation comes from Further Fables for Our Time (1956), written by James Thurber (1894–1961), an American humorist, cartoonist, and author.
The fable features three animals: a magpie, a crow, and a rabbit.
The magpie discovers a valuable ring containing a fourteen-carat diamond.
The crow and rabbit mistake the word "carat" for "carrot."
When they discover that the treasure is a diamond rather than something edible, they lose interest.
The crow declares, “Seeing is deceiving. It's eating that's believing.”
The crow and rabbit see little value in a ring they cannot eat, while the magpie treasures its beauty and sparkle.
Each animal judges the treasure according to its own desires and perceived needs.
But here is an interesting question: Which animal is right?
The magpie values the diamond. The rabbit values carrots. The crow values something he can eat.
Perhaps none of them is wrong. Each sees value through the circumstances of its own life.
This leads me to ask:
How often do we judge the world by our own desires and perceived needs, overlooking opportunities to learn and grow?
And how often do we assume that what is valuable to us must be equally valuable to someone else?
Thurber's humorous fable reminds me that appearances can be deceiving and that personal experience often influences what we consider important.
What one person treasures, another may find worthless.
But there is another lesson here.
Recognizing something as valuable is not the same as allowing it to influence how we live.
This brings to mind James 2:17:
“So too, faith by itself, if it does not result in action, is dead."
We may recognize goodness in others. We may believe in the importance of kindness, compassion, forgiveness, and faith. But recognizing these qualities and believing in their value is only a beginning.
Their deeper meaning becomes apparent when we begin practicing them in our own lives.
The same principle applies to recovery.
We may understand recovery and recognize its value in the lives of others, but its transforming power becomes personal when we begin to experience it ourselves.
Reading the Big Book, attending meetings, and listening to others can inform and encourage us. These are important parts of the journey.
Yet real transformation takes place as we carry the principles beyond the meeting room and put them into practice in our daily lives.
It is one thing to understand forgiveness and another to forgive.
It is one thing to admire humility and another to practice it.
It is one thing to believe in helping others and another to extend a hand when someone needs help.
And sometimes, it is equally important to recognize that what another person needs or values may be different from what we would choose for ourselves.
We can offer encouragement, understanding, and companionship without insisting that others see the world through our eyes.
We may recognize wisdom in the words of others, but its deeper meaning often becomes clear only when we begin to live it.
Experience has a way of teaching what observation alone cannot.
And so, a humorous little fable about a diamond and a carrot has reminded me of something important:
The value of life is not found only in what we see, what we possess, or even what we believe. It is also found in how we live, how we treat others, and what we are willing to learn along the way.
And you, dear reader, what lesson do you find in Thurber's words?
I would welcome your thoughts in the comments below.
🙏🧘♂️💕🤗☮️
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