Humans have many things they should reflect on. The sea is full of many different types of fish. If you study them carefully you will find them to be quite mysterious. How do they return to the same place according to the seasons? People who live by the sea know about this. Sardines, squid, Alaska pollack, and the most numerous mackerel. All of them, without fail, return in April and May. They may have swum throughout the oceans of the world, but when the season is right they return to the same place.

The Alaska salmon is even more impressive. Let us think about the salmon for a moment. They swim around as young baby fish for some months to half a year, and after they have grown a little they start off and they follow the flow of the water downstream. There are over 4,000 of them at a time. And after 4 years, when it is time to lay their eggs, they return to exactly the same spot. Modern science has no way to explain how they do this.

It is really miraculous, isn't it? Why is it that one small little fresh-water fish, the salmon, contains such a mysterious content and lives its life dancing and playing whereas humans who are full of desire have not been able to fulfill their desires for thousands of years? Why is it that they have lost their direction and live in such a complicated and mixed-up society, and in this time of transition everyone is clamoring to be saved? The problem is that many of these people have almost no possibility of being saved.

You have to know this. All of the creation is leading a public life. Isn't this true? In the solar system the earth revolves around the sun and the moon revolves around the earth. The earth revolves following a set path. There is no change in this path. In the millions of years of history the earth is saying to us, "You may change, but I won't."

Look at the small sparrow; it goes, "Cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep." For most creatures the sparrow is just like a plaything to catch or kill as they please. However, even this sparrow knows how to build its own house. After they have baby sparrows, if the nest is threatened with danger they will risk their lives to protect their young. Sparrows continue to do so for a thousand years or even ten thousand years.

But what about people? Some people say, "There is no parental love. We don't need parental love." (140-82)

The salmon dies after it lays its eggs. However, in order to fertilize the eggs the male and female salmon become one. It's as if they experience conjugal love under the death penalty. Don't you think this kind of love transcends the usual conjugal love? When it is time for the female salmon to lay its eggs, the male salmon digs the ground and protects the eggs. In that way they become the ideal couple, and when it is time for the eggs to hatch, they both die. I was really shocked when I observed the male and female salmon dying. The baby salmon eat the body of their mother.

Why did God make them in this way? Through the salmon we can learn just how important having children is and how important love is. God is trying to teach us a lesson through the salmon, that love and having children is the greatest thing in the universe. You should be willing to do anything to realize love and have children even if it means risking your life. The salmon teaches us a truly amazing lesson. (132-81)