One weekend my parents take me to the Bronx Zoo.

As we stroll through the exhibits, I find myself standing beside a large cage with an eagle almost my size perched inside.

I stare fascinated, struck by its piercing eyes, gigantic feet and claws, and enormous brown and white feathers.

My father reads the sign to me.

This is a stellar sea eagle.

This is not a fierce, mindless creature.

We are simply and innocently seeing eye to eye,

recognizing the each in each other.

With an expertise in ecology, Carl Saffina has written extensively about the living world over the years

and has won a whole host of awards and recognition.

But more importantly, his work has brought the majesty and mystery of nature to countless

people of all ages.

In today's meditative story, Carl draws on his decades of studying and living with animals

and touches on the question that has fascinated him from a

young age. How different are they from us really? In this series, we combine immersive first-person

stories, breathtaking music, and mindfulness prompts, so that we may see our lives reflected

back to us in other people's

stories. And that can lead to improvements in our own inner lives. From Wait What, this is

meditative story. I'm Rohan and that'll be your guide.

The body relaxed. The body relaxed.

The body breathing.

Your sense is open.

...