Phainopepla : Simple Black and White

This is a Phainopepla. It’s a blackbird that I saw in the desert. The desert is about elemental clarity, stripping things away to their essence. This bird, particularly as it’s perched this way, does much the same. The bird is all black; the sky behind it looks white. Clear and beautiful distinction, simple and without nuance. But that simplicity can be a bit misleading. Seen this way, the phainopepla is all black. But if you were to see it in flight - arguably its more representative presentation - you’d notice that it has distinctive white patches on its wings. Rather than being “consistent,” this beauty actually embodies “contradictions.” Or perhaps a more thoughtful way to reconcile the colors is that they’re complements.

God is one. In Hebrew that simple declaration is just two words. But within that shortest of sentences is an enormous world of complex meaning. The God of a monotheistic tradition inherently is the Source of all, which includes opposites. The God of infinite mercies is also the Lord of Hosts. Recall the Israelites being chased as they fled Egypt. The midrash, traditional lore, tells of the sorrow and compassion HaShem evidences towards the Egyptians… even as every one of the horsemen and chariots is killed crossing the Reed Sea. To say the least, we experience cognitive dissonance as we attempt to reconcile diametrically opposed positions. That “both this and that are true” is clearly at play here.

There are times I long for life to be as simple as an all black bird. No nuance, no shading, just total clarity about what it is that I’m supposed to do. And it almost never happens. In every facet of our lives, particularly in those that matter most, families and relationships, there’s inherent complexity and inherent contradiction. To be a good parent requires a mixture of discipline and mercy. To be a good partner requires a mixture of vulnerability and strength. Perhaps this is an aspect of what it means to be created in the Divine likeness, the need to incorporate and to reconcile seeming contradictions simultaneously. The Phainopepla has it easy; our role is more challenging - and the essence of what it means to live a human life.