The word jargon, meaning meaningless jabber, comes from the French for twittering birds. But in truth, the twittering of birds is never meaningless. The birds twitter for a reason — and it won’t be a frivolous reason. As you become more aware, you start to get a feel for the reasons for things. All natures acquires meaning. You realize then — and it is perhaps the most important thing to realize — that simply to be alive and aware in such a world as this is a privilege. If people in high places felt this, the world would be very different. You don’t have to be a pro, or even spend a weekend in a swamp, to see the truth of it. You just have to take an interest and be alert. The point of this book is to nudge people who feel in a general way that birds in particular, and nature in general, are kind of interesting to the point where they start to feel the meaning of it all. After that — well, life can never be the same again.

~ Colin Tudge, The Bird

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