How Do YOU Look at a Fish?

Blind or sighted, artist or engineer, ichthyologist or “icky!” apologist, each of us has a different answer. What unites us all is our ability to do more than look, but instead to see. Empathetic curiosity is the theme of this issue—and, perhaps, the most universal Swarthmorean trait. 

So let’s swim on together, an endlessly diverse school, looking at our shared world of wonders, fishy and otherwise, to ultimately see ourselves.

Jonathan: “A lifelong goal of mine is to see the Loch Ness Monster—please let her know.”

Michelle: “My aunt owns a sushi restaurant in Japan. I grew up watching very fresh fish prepared into sashimi. Sort of sad, sort of delicious.”

Kate: “I see fish, and all animals, as complex, living pieces of art. Fish always look busy, but relaxed.” 

Elizabeth: “As a child, I loved The Little Mermaid—I’d bind my ankles with pool rings to swim with a ‘fish tail.’”

Laurence: “Pan-fried trout with pecans makes a mighty fine meal.”

Phillip: “My first summer job was shelling shrimp at a restaurant run by the mob. Luckily, I never heard ‘do this or you swim with the fishes.’”

A Fish: “… but what do we see when we look at you?”