Aquatic Missiles & Social Media

Betta fish are a paradox. For the uninitiated, these are Siamese Fighting Fish—notoriously aggressive, yet undeniably beautiful. If a male sees a rival, he flares up in a rage. I’ve never seen it personally, but rumor has it they can fly (or at least launch themselves out of the bowl like an aquatic missile). Growing up, every kid I knew had at least one Betta before their parents realized mistakes were made. The catch? You could only have one. It lived in solitary confinement.

Imagine the tragedy of that existence. You are cursed to be alone despite your beauty, all because you are so volatile you can't even stand to see your own reflection. It is a cruel joke. Then, on top of it all, you are reduced to a living art installation for some lumbering giant. No privacy, no exit—just you and the glass.

For me, it feels eerily like scrolling through social media. You see a feed full of Betta fish—vibrant, aggressive, and constantly on display. We are all being "seen," yet we are rarely exposed to the truth. Despite the unique colors and the flare, underneath it all, we are desperately common.

That digital isolation has bred us to be violent the moment we see another fish in our territory. But consider the Ocean Sunfish. They are massive, ugly, and often nothing more than floating food for predators. If anyone should be aggressive, shouldn't it be the guy who looks like a half-finished pancake?

My point might be a bit clouded, but the reasoning lies in the why of our rage. Betta fish aren't squaring up because they have opposing views on tax shelters; it is strictly a dress code violation. And have you seen the rest of the ocean? There are fish with literal lamps growing out of their heads. You think a pretty dress is more noteworthy than a biological flashlight? Humans are wildly unique, sure, but we are also painfully simple.

If you find yourself angry because that limited edition shoe should have been out of reach for anyone but you, remember the Sunfish: he doesn't even have shoes. Instead of flaring your gills and tapping furiously on a keyboard, grow a lamp and be interesting. It's just like ol' B. Frank said: "Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing about."

So, fish-missile yourself out of that bowl and go hang out with the weirdos. Besides, no matter what happens, at least you aren't a blobfish.

Word Count: ~385 words

Approximate Read Time: 1 minute, 45 seconds