“In closing, along the lines of Ilo’s closing words, I am on record as feeling deeply conflicted about whether it would be more pleasurable to experience the majestic glide of a hawk, or the undulating flight of a goldfinch.” --

The hawk soars high above and farther afield and is able to take in the bigger picture from a distance, “registering” what he sees from many sources, while the goldfinch moves from place to place in a smaller, more immediate area limited to (and by) his microcosm.

Blake said, “No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings.” Not so much a _conflict_ between hawk and goldfinch as it is perspective... not which would be _more pleasurable_ but which is more pertinent and reachable from one’s viewpoint.
On any given day, we might play hawk AND goldfinch simultaneously, drawing pleasure and anticipation from the larger panoramic view, while enjoying and benefitting from one’s lesser, but no less important, environment.