It seems lately I’m focussed on observation. I know that the quote has been modified in numerous ways in modern times to apply to a lot of other activities than travel, but Saadi lived at the end of the 13th Century in Iran and was speaking of TRAVEL.
It might be a fair point that to do many things without observing the results, or the impact of your activity is rather pointless — like being a wingless bird. What good is a bird that cannot fly? If your entire body is made to facilitate flight — and you are flightless how sad.
I think it’s fair to say that while we travelled we learned new things about ourselves and about the places we visited whether or not we wanted to learn. Travel without a reservation and you learn the consequences of your plans. Expect to find certain condiments in a rural grocery and you learn the consequences of your expectations. Forget about the headwind and run out of petrol when you don’t expect to do so. Always there are observations that beg being noticed but that we are free to see or to ignore.
Just because I’m a Christian does not mean that I can’t appreciate the wisdom of other cultures. Why is it that observation is so important? Perhaps because observation is a “little thing.” Many of us consider our observations insignificant; of not value to be remembered. But little things mound up. Little things collected together become big things. A mountain of observations can make a life a very different thing. And the impact of drop after drop of accumulation can wash away, can erode, even strong mountains or governments. 
Of what consequence is a bird without wings? You know, when I first decided to use this quotation as the basis for a post I sat there for a while trying to figure out what a bird without wings would even look like. I mean, I know what a slaughtered chicken without feathers looks like, and if I cut off the wings I know what that would look like, but a living bird sans wings is something my brain has a hard time conceiving — maybe because it doesn’t make much sense. There are no such things in nature. And I hope there are no such things in experimental labs either.
I guess that’s what appeals to me about ancient sayings. The chosen metaphor is often so bizarre as to be without mental picture. The absurdity of those old illustrations, old sayings, was obvious to the person alive at that time. Today we sometimes find that it’s our education or lack thereof that enables or hinders us from hearing the power in simple statement.
I hope your eyes are open; that you see what’s around you as you travel — through the world, through life, through a relationship, through a disease…. we are all always traveling. We just may not realize it.
By the year 1500, the Maori people of New Zealand had hunted the moa to extinction. They were the only species of birds with no wings. You might be thinking, “But what about kiwis, emus, and ostriches?” Well, these birds are classified as ratites and are flightless, though some of them do have vestiges of wings.
Oh, and one more thing. I said earlier that New Zealand was named after Zeeland, a significant Dutch seafaring province (yes, the island of Tasmania is named after the Dutch navigator Abel Tasman), but where is Old Zealand, you ask? Since Captain James Cook spelled it incorrectly, it has been known as New Zealand.
You know, when I first decided to use this quotation as the basis for a post, I sat there for a while trying to figure out what a bird without wings would even look like. Of what consequence is a bird without wings? I mean, I know what a dead chicken without feathers looks like, and I know what it would look like if I chopped off its wings, but my mind finds it difficult to imagine a live bird without wings, perhaps because it defies logic. There are no such things in nature. And I hope that similar things don’t exist in research labs either.
It seems lately I’m focussed on observation. Although the quote has been interpreted in many different ways in modern times to refer to a wide range of activities other than travel, Saadi was speaking of travel when he lived in Iran at the end of the 13th century.
Whether we wanted to learn or not, I believe it’s reasonable to say that during our travels, we discovered new aspects about both ourselves and the locations we visited. When you go without a reservation, the results of your decisions become apparent. You discover the results of your expectations when you expect to find a certain type of condiment in a small-town supermarket. Don’t worry about the headwind or running out of gas unexpectedly. There are always observations that demand attention, but we are free to choose to notice them or not.
I guess that’s what appeals to me about ancient sayings. Frequently, the selected metaphor is so absurd that it leaves no lasting impression. The person living at the time could clearly see the absurdity of those antiquated sayings and illustrations. These days, we occasionally discover that our level of education—or lack thereof—determines whether we are able to perceive the power in a straightforward statement.
I pray that your eyes are open and that you are aware of everything around you as you journey through life, the world, a relationship, a sickness, etc. we are all always traveling. We just may not realize it.
FAQ
What is a bird with no wing?
What is the name of the bird without wings?
Which do not have wings?
What can fly but does not have wings?