A Very Tiny Bird Told Me Who Is the Luckiest of All

The Intricacies of Geniuses

But most amazing were the boxes and objects made from the seed of peach fruit, cut in thin slices and glued together. I bought a piece of two-inch narrow wood. Three tiny elephants were carved on a hard wood and glued to the little stick. They looked perfect with their ears and trunk. I was attracted to them because they look perfect plus the man was curving them only with the help of a tiny knife.

Armenia is an ancient country.

Its history goes back to 600 B.C. The treasures of the past are hidden under every inch of its stones and land.

The Turf of True Patriots

The soil is mixed with the blood of Armenian heroes who tried to keep the independence of their country and the freedom of their religion. At the same time, Armenia is a very fresh country that only received her independence in 1991, emerging from a fierce war not long ago.

It is normal that it would take some time to pull the country together, toward prosperity and comfort.

While walking in the cities and being aware of so many problems of the world, I was trying to find out who was the luckiest creature of all.

As for Americans

We have a lot of materials and comfort in the U.S. But are we really lucky?

Crime, obesity, broken families, emigration, healthcare, safety are our daily problems.

I looked around myself to see if at least animals and birds were lucky.

I know some American dogs and cats are fortunate. But there are many abandoned dogs and cats in the streets of Armenia. Comparing their situation to ours, I felt sad for them. They looked so thin and malnourished.

In the mornings, the dogs search for food everywhere. If someone eats ice cream or a piece of cookie, the dogs wait patiently in front to receive at least a crumb.

So You Envy a Dog’s Life?

At noon on days when the weather is warmer, they lie quietly under a tree or in shade. At nights, they again search for food while their puppies play in the parks waiting for the return of their mother in order to get fed. But when the lights are shut down in the streets at 2:30 in the morning (for energy saving) , the dogs find their dignity.

They bark loudly. They protect their territories, and they sing lullabyes to the residents of Yerevan.

I did not see pigeons. But doves are present since they brought the olive branch to Noah in his ark at the top of Mount Ararat. The doves earn life from their masters near the entrance of the holy monasteries so that the tourists would buy and fly them in the sky in order to reach their wishes.

The beautiful doves are happy to return to their master’s houses in order to help them for their next sale.

What of the Green Farms?

The storks were well settled in their nests. They looked lovely with their entire family. The little ones especially were adorable to watch. They seemed to love people as their nests were built next to homes in the village. A little further, there were large, green farms. No one was present.

One would think that they would feel comfortable building their nests there. But it seems that the storks like being surrounded by people. They are guests of the villages just for the season. Once the weather turns cold, they fly to warmer countries.

Finally, after looking at everyone and everywhere, I decided that the sparrows were the luckiest of all.

A Unique Case

Food is abundantly available for them in every park and everywhere.

Crumbs falling from sandwiches, breads, cookies, and the rest of the sunflower seeds being sold on every corner of the streets are on the ground. Sometimes I saw them even daring to fly to the table of a vendor and pick a little piece of desired food.

There are many flowers and fruit trees in the streets. Mulberry trees are everywhere. The fruits are sweet and delicious. The sparrows were eating and singing happily in the trees.

I Want to Know Why

I remembered that in any country where I travel, I always ask myself, how come the sparrows are everywhere?

How did they travel from Iran to Europe and from there to America or the reverse? I told myself that thank God there is at least one creature in the world that is lucky to find food in any country. Neither hot nor cold weather bothers them. They are always safe and happy.

I was walking with Dr. Vadiei in Paris.

Each time I have traveled to Paris since the Iranian Revolution, I have had the privilege of seeing and talking to him.

What Used to Be

In old times, we had to have appointments to meet him as he held important positions. Because of his vast knowledge, if he was not holding a ministerial position, he was advisor to governments, and he also was busy with his research.

He has traveled every inch of the country. He knows Iran and its villages very well. While we were enjoying the beautiful weather in Paris and he was asking me about my trip to Armenia, I noticed sparrows eating and flying and singing around us.

I told him about my conclusion that even if the people of any country have hard lives, at least the sparrows are safe and lucky everywhere in the world.

Unfortunate Experience

He smiled sadly. He asked if I had not heard the expression in Persian. When someone talks too much, we ask: “Have you eaten a sparrow head?”

I answered, “Sure, we all use that expression often.” He said that unfortunately in one of the regions in Iran (I will not give details where and how, as I do not want to encourage readers) the sparrow is a demanded food. The ; locals capture sparrows, cook and sell them in the market.

He told me that once, out of respect for his host, he was obliged to eat it during one of his research trips.

Does One Never Learn?

I was very saddened by this news.

I felt that I had lost the importance of my finding.

I finally realized what I had learned. I came to the conclusion that “as long as humans live on this earth, no creature, even as tiny as a sparrow, will be spared of human greed and appetite!”

Dr. Rosemary Cohen, who lives in the Fairfax District, received her Ph.D in sociology from the Sorbonne in Paris. She lived in two other countries before moving, with her husband and children, to Los Angeles in 1984. She has published three books in America, and is working on her fourth. Since 1985, she has owned and operated Atelier de Paris, an international art business. Her email address is rosemary@atelierdeparis.com.