In The power of NowI mentioned that I had observed that when two ducks fight, when they separate they swim in opposite directions.
Afterwards, the two flap their wings vigorously several times to discharge the excess energy accumulated during the fight. Once they have flapped their wings they swim off peacefully as if nothing had happened.
If the duck had a human mind, it would keep the fight alive in its thoughts, weaving stories. This could be the duck's story: “I can't believe what he just did, he came within a few inches of me, he probably thinks he owns the pond, he has no regard for my private space. I will never trust him again; next time he will surely plot something else to annoy me, I'm sure he's already plotting something but I won't stand for it; I will teach him a good lesson that he will never forget.” And so the mind continues weaving its stories, thinking and talking about it for days, months and even years. As for the body, the fight has not stopped and the energy it generates in response to all those thoughts is emotion, which gives rise to even more thoughts. It is what becomes the emotional thought of the ego. It's easy to see how troublesome the duck's life would be if it had a human mind. But that is how most human beings live. They never put an end to any situation or event. The mind and "my story" fabricated continue with their endless cycle.
We are a species that lost its way. In all of nature, in every flower or tree, in every animal, there is an important lesson for us, if we would only stop to look and listen.
The lesson of the duck is this: let's shake our wings, that is, let's leave history behind and return to the only place where power resides: the present.
(A New Earth, Eckhart Tolle)