What My Octopus Teacher Taught Me!

Recently, I watched the documentary My Octopus Teacher. As its story unfolded, I was carried by a tide of emotions—gentle waves of warmth for the filmmaker’s tender heart, gratitude for his reverence toward life, and awe at his ability to simply witness without disturbing nature’s rhythm.

The octopus herself—delicate yet fiercely intelligent—became a luminous guide, even beyond her passing. In her grace, I saw the truth that wisdom is not bound to the human mind. Her fluid strategies, her adaptability, her playful curiosity, her care for her home, and finally, her offering of her own body to nurture new life—all spoke of an ancient intelligence that threads through every corner of creation. She reminded me of life’s will to live.

And still, I could not help but ask: What makes us humans believe we are the most evolved? From where does this arrogance arise, placing us atop a ladder that nature never built?

We consume without reflection, sometimes devouring the very beings whose beauty stirs our wonder. We harm without pausing to feel the sacredness of the life before us—whether it swims, blooms, crawls, or walks.

The octopus seeks no crown, no dominion. She simply is—living in harmony with the great oceanic breath, knowing when to resist, when to hide, when to nurture, and when to let go.

Perhaps true evolution is measured by reverence. Not by conquering life, but by honoring it. When we meet the world with humility, when we see every being as a fellow traveler through the mystery of existence, the walls between “me” and “others” dissolve. We discover that we are not nature’s rulers—we are its students.

The octopus whispered to me that our highest calling is not to dominate, but to belong—effortlessly, fully, without claim or possession. And belonging begins with love, with reverence, with the willingness to see the soul in every form of life.

#myoctopusteacher #reverence #lovelife