Relative beauty

 


I grew up in Utah admiring the ring-necked pheasants that I would occasionally see in the fields. I thought they were beautiful birds. But holy toledo, look what's happened to pheasants since I was a kid! I took the bottom photo just yesterday in Draper. I mean, the tail feathers are a lot alike, but who spilled the flourescent rainbow paint can on that body?!
OK, I confess - the Golden or Chinese pheasant shown in the photo was behind glass, in a protected enclosure at the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium where I was visiting with our grandchildren. It is definitely not native to Utah. We can appreciate imported specimens only in aviaries, zoos, and aquariums. Or in pictures.
Isn't it fascinating how varied and diverse animals can be, depending on their environment, even though they are similar in many ways? Maybe this was an evolutionary adaptation to an environmental need. Maybe it was just a variation in Divine creation. But in any case, the fauna and flora of our amazing planet never cease to amaze me!
There is an interesting phenomenon to think about. I always thought our ring-necked pheasants were gorgeous - and they are. But when I first saw a golden pheasant, I was gobsmacked. To think that such a spectacular creature actually exists in nature! My local pheasant had not changed at all, but as I compared it to the other bird, it seemed rather plain and mundane. Of course, such comparisons are unnecessary and unwise. The ring-necked pheasant is indeed a gorgeous bird and a wonder of creation; I can be amazed and impressed in spite of other birds that might exist elsewhere.
I #GiveThanks for yet another opportunity to stand amazed at the beauty of the world in which we live, and to remember how each individual is beautiful in its own way, regardless of comparisons we may make.

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