A whole flock of birds has returned to roost in the tree by our house. No wonder I heard chirping outside last night. Yes, it's been a long time since I last saw sparrows with their wings free flying back to the village. Have they found a peaceful place? Have they found no other refuge when traps are lurking everywhere?
Watching the birds, still reluctant to fly away, hopping and flitting from branch to branch, we suddenly realize that life seems to be losing those simple, familiar, and precious things without us even knowing it. In our childhood in the countryside, the sight of flocks of birds was so familiar, so why do we feel so nostalgic now?
How can one not feel regret when, after a long time since the countryside began to transform under industrialization and modernization, the birds' songs have become noticeably scarce in the peaceful villages? Perhaps the peaceful countryside is no longer peaceful for the birds?
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| Illustration: Tra My |
Rural areas are undergoing a transformation. Agriculture in the 4.0 era is no longer about grueling work under the scorching sun, but driven by profit, people are willing to overuse pesticides, depleting natural food sources for birds such as grasshoppers, crickets, dragonflies, shrimp, and insects. Human needs have shifted from simply having enough to eat and wear to a desire for luxury. Wild birds and fish have become delicacies on the tables of upscale restaurants, from cities to rural areas. Some flocks of birds, unwilling to leave or longing for their old home, return only to fall into traps set from the fields to the ponds and gardens. The sounds of various birds like egrets, sparrows, bulbuls, and starlings, emanating from small speakers, echo everywhere. The lure of birds using modern electronic devices by hunters has a devastating effect, with entire flocks falling into nets and sticky traps.
Wild birds are gradually becoming rare and are bought and sold at exorbitant prices as a hobby, a fashionable trend for the wealthy. Pet birds, confined in beautiful but cramped cages, are too listless to hop around. They lie listlessly, longing for the freedom of the sky, sometimes letting out hoarse, raspy songs because they lack the harmony of their kind and nature; regretting the freedom they once had outside.
Watching the birds hopping and flitting from branch to branch before soaring into the sky, both father and son were overjoyed. We were certain they would return here in the evening, sensing no threat. We happily thought that birds settle where the land is good; harmony with nature ensures nature's protection. Thinking this, we felt a new day begin so beautifully. Beautiful like simple joys that bring peace to the soul. We wished we could always hear the birdsong in the free sky, not see those hoarse-voiced birds confined in cages, cramped by the cruel pleasures of humankind. These thoughts wandered, and we wished that, in a life already filled with so much noise, the sound of birds could bring peace to the heart...
Source: https://baodaklak.vn/van-hoa-du-lich-van-hoc-nghe-thuat/van-hoc-nghe-thuat/202504/lau-roi-thua-vang-tieng-chim-db00605/
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