066 Keep Each Other Safe
Hey Clownfish, you live safely among the anemone's stinging arms. In return, you chase off the fish that come to eat it.
Who keeps us safe, and whom do we keep safe?
Who keeps you safe, and whom do you keep safe?
On a reef, a sea anemone sways, its many soft arms waving. Any small fish that touches them gets stung.
Yet in and out of those arms, an orange and white fish swims without fear.
What really happens
Clownfish live safely among an anemone's stinging tentacles. A special coating of mucus on their skin protects them.
In return, clownfish chase away some fish that would nibble the anemone. Each one protects the other.
How we know: The clownfish and anemone partnership is a textbook example of mutualism.
The turn
Some of the safest places for us are places others find dangerous.
And safety works best when it flows both ways.
Three takeaways
- Find the people who protect you.
- Protect them back.
- Safety is a two-way gift.
Shelter me, and I will guard you.
As hand of him whose vesture slips away, / Friendship at once the coming grief will stay.