Lessons in Sustainability

I bought Bon Ton tortilla chips, a hot dog, and a 20oz. bottle of Coca-Cola off of a street vendor. The weather was brisk but tolerable, so I sat on a bench and began to eat. Soon arrived several sparrows, enticed by my presence with edibles. The tiny birds twitched glances at my face and the chips entering my mouth. They looked with one eye, tilted their heads to get a better view, then glanced with the other eye to confirm: Yes, he is eating. Normally the presence of habituated animals makes me shy away from giving handouts because animals relying on humans for sustenance is not sustainable. But these birds were fearless. I gave a half-hearted kick with my right foot towards the brown beggars but they hardly flinched. Let's see how brave they are. I broke off a beak-size piece of chip and held it between my thumb and pointer finger. With elbows on knees, I turned my wrist outward and held the food above those flickering eyes. The sparrows glanced more rapidly and I sensed a call to action. In only four seconds, a brave one fluttered up and snatched the chip from my fingers. It flew a few yards away to consume the prize. Some birds chased after the winner hoping he or she would drop the chip or at least a crumb. The larger flock remained and was joined by more sparrows, three grackles and two pigeons. My audience enlarged as well. Passerbys smiled and coffee shop goers stared through glass windows. Another bench sitter joined me on my left. I broke only small pieces; the birds bit only the chip. I ate then they ate. My hands were near numb from the chill in the air, but I stayed until the bag was empty. In rapture, I wondered what wasn't sustainable about feeding birds from a bench. So what if birds are dependent on us for food? The birds adapted to our streets and sidewalks; bench feeders and crumbs will exist as long as humans will. And if we disappeared tomorrow, birds already have the genetic makeup to search for food on their own. It wouldn't take long for them to re-adapt to a more primitive state.