"A Bird in the Hand is worth two in the Bush". What do you think?

[Ephermerallhama]

Hey everyone! We've all heard of the above expression in one form or another, a sort of lesson in life that whatever you've already attained is more valuable than a future prospect of something greater albeit uncertain. Does the expression ring true? Do you think that being satisfied with things as they are is better than striving for better things?

One must be satisfied with what they possess.

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained" rings better for me.

I don't like birds or bushes.

[ImagineSketchy]

The funny thing about this idiom is that it isn't easy to get a bird in your hand to start with... I feel as though managing to get that bird there is a challenge because birds don't trust people on average. It isn't hard to get 2 birds in a bush nor is it entirely difficult to hit 2 birds with a singular stone (for me anyways).
The idiom is honestly half baked like most of them.

Sometimes, it is simply easier to settle than it is to try for the unknown, but it mostly depends on the individual. Some people cannot settle and have to try to obtain what they desire.

[Ephermerallhama]

I agree about most of the idioms being half baked and come off more nonsensical than imparting life lessons.

Additionally, like you've stated, it all comes down to what an individual desires may it be progress or preservation of what has already been attained.

Also a side-note, that's some aim you've got haha but please dont throw stones at birds lest they bombard your newly washed car with some undesirable payload.

[ImagineSketchy]

The aim is from years of practice. I'm a hunter. So if I'm pelting birds, I'm eating them afterwards. Don't worry, I'm not one for harming creatures unless I plan to eat them and use their parts for tools or decoration.

[Texaskid1]

I have a family member that learned that the hard way. She left a decent job in one city that had a very high cost of living and she moved to another city , stayed with a relative for about 3 months and went into her job search. Foolishly she did not have a jo lined up for her in her new city and did not have a any luck finding a job in her new town. Not to mention that she could not stand living with her aunt. She had to move back to her old city and has yet to find a job ( she was not able to get her old one back).

[purplepoppy]

If you already have a bird safely in hand there is no harm in chasing the 2 in the bush. Unless its a turkey, how many turkeys do you really need.

[Ephermerallhama]

Depends on the occasion, for Thanksgiving I think one big turkey is enough although it's all in the stuffing 🦃.

[SarahsSummer]

I think you need to know when to be greedy for more AND know when it's good enough.

[Ephermerallhama]

Makes sense but is there ever an end to greed? I think complacency is sort of rare these days as things just don't make people happy anymore (especially if everyone is talking about the next best thing which you do not possess and so on).

[SarahsSummer]

Yes. Their is an end to greed, and it comes in the form of a stronger emotion, fear.

[razelove]

You have to be happy with what you have, because you never know how long it's going to last. Because of that you always have to be searching for new opportunities and contingency plans to secure what you do have already.

To do any less invites disaster, living paycheck to paycheck and the feeling of hopelessness.

I'll chase any potential opportunity, research it, if it isn't a scam and seems worth my time pursue it until it bears fruit or proves to be a dead end. It's how I provide for myself and my family.

It doesn't make for the most stable of careers, but those have vanished from underneath me before, so I put much more stock in selling myself than selling a market.

[andreasderjuengere]

With a certain amount of humour:
That's quite a useless saying: what would a bird in my hand be good for?
In the bush the other two would lead a natural life and do their bird-jobs with bird-success.
Even if I kill and cook that one bird, it would not fill my stomach.
Unless the bird is an ostrich... in my hand :D - where the bush would be trampled down by the other two.

[Ephermerallhama]

Haha I love the idea of bird-jobs, something about those quirky flying balls of feathers in business suits just makes me chuckle 😂. You're absolutely right about having an ostrich or turkey in hand, those would make for a fine meal for two 😊.

[GloriaMc]

Sometimes its better to free the 🐦 in the hand so the eagle has a space on it 😂😂😁

[Ephermerallhama]

😂 I agree, eagles are just so majestic 🦅.

[GloriaMc]

Actually my because I got big hands

[GloriaMc]

🤣🤣🤣

[Ephermerallhama]

😂 All the space for an Eagle to land!

[User_Friendly]

I never thought that saying was talking about what you already had. I thought it meant that its wiser to focus on one thing rather then many. For you are more guaranteed to kill a single bird if you put all of your efforts on it. Rather then shooting at many but never killing, only crippling the many and them running away into the bushes. No food in ya belly

[maxgdek]

For many people this may be true... But there's a segment of the population it will never succumb... They will always want to know what's over the next Hill... The become explorers pioneers and adventure seekers and may not even get married... Or make it married later in life.

[Ephermerallhama]

there's nothing wrong with people who've chosen to be in a wonderfully inquisitive state; always seeking out new things, driven by their curiosity and need for knowledge and experience. I believe at the end of the day, it just comes down to individual preference whether to settle down or to venture forth into the great unknown (and perhaps settle later, like you've stated :)).

[LesterJester]

I like Ricky's analogy from The Trailer Park Boys...

"Get two birds stoned at once."

[jillybeanns]

I think it rings true depending on the person and what their end goal is.

[markscott]

To me, it means none of the above. It means before venturing to gain more, assess what you have, and consider the cost, and chances of success on a new venture, before risking what you have.

[CarpetDenim]

I’ve actually never heard this expression before and I have no idea how it’s supposed to be about appreciating what you have.

[SarahsSummer]

If you go hunting for birds and you got one, it’s better than to keep searching for the two or more still uncaught. . Which can be related to anything you want in life.

[Creepazoid]

Dude I love finches. I chose nothing ventured nothing gained. without experience you dont gain knowledge and grow as a person

[Ephermerallhama]

Charles Darwin loved finches aswell, they truly are fascinating creatures :). That's a very valid point, knowledge and experience are both necessary for a person to be able to grow and mature.

[Meatunnel69]

Ahh reminds me of an adage of old:
”two in the bush, one in the tush”

[skeetskeetskeet]

Birds are cool but god damn shave that beach spider

[YHL6965]

Never forget to appreciate what you have.

[Ephermerallhama]

Exactly! because everything that's attained is through hardwork and dedication (unless you managed to cheat the system somehow but karma is watching). Its easy to overlook ones possessions in hopes of getting the next best thing eventhough it never directly translates into happiness.

[YHL6965]

Yes. What helps me appreciate what I have is to realize that some people are not as fortunate as me and don't have these things that I tend to overlook. Also, simple things like nature, looking at the sky, eating food are never ending sources of appreciation.

[Connor-RK800]

A panda bear in the hand is worth three Obamas

[pigoat]

I don't know wtf that means

[nixon1509]

True... but I like the bush.

[BeMuse]

Bitches love sticks.

[Katyluvkats]

I’ll go with A