The Blind Man Society

Good morning, everyone! My last travel story proved to be a little controversial, so I wanted to say that the people of Dar es Salaam and Stone Town, Tanzania are wonderful. It’s not the places, and it’s not the people within them. They remain two of my favorite places in this world.

That said, I hope the below gets people in a very positive and thoughtful mood today. I’m at the coffee shop, Blow Torch lady is working today, and all is right in the jungle here.

THE RIVER

This is an excerpt from one of my favorite books Illusions, by Richard Bach. And while it’s true that in the end, everything you’ve read may be wrong – I don’t think you are going to disagree with the below…

“Once there lived a village of creatures along the bottom of a great crystal river. The current of the river swept silently over them all — young and old, rich and poor, good and evil — the current going its own way, knowing only its own crystal self.

Each creature in its own manner clung tightly to the twigs and rocks of the river bottom, for clinging was their way of life, and resisting the current was what each had learned from birth.

But one creature said at last, “I am tired of clinging. Though I cannot see it with my eyes, I trust that the current knows where it is going. I shall let go, and let it take me where it will. Clinging, I shall die of boredom.”

The other creatures laughed and said, “Fool! Let go, and that current you worship will throw you tumbled and smashed against the rocks, and you will die quicker than boredom!”

But the one heeded them not, and taking a breath did let go, and at once was tumbled and smashed by the current across the rocks.

Yet in time, as the creature refused to cling again, the current lifted him free from the bottom, and he was bruised and hurt no more.

And the creatures downstream, to whom he was a stranger, cried, “See a miracle! A creature like ourselves, yet he flies! See the messiah, come to save us all!”

And the one carried in the current said, “I am no more messiah than you. The river delights to lift us free, if only we dare let go. Our true work is this voyage, this adventure.”

But they cried the more, “Savior!” all the while clinging to the rocks, and when they looked again he was gone, and they were left alone making legends of a savior.”

CIRCLE PHILOSOPHY

My dad, is a big fan of circles. So much so, that I rib him occasionally and tell him that if he enjoys them so much, he really should watch the Indy 500. But, the farther I get into life, the more I realize that my old man was on to something…

BECAUSE, right now I’m thinking about circle philosophy.  It has been shown, that perfect circles eventually end in revolution.  People and things are contained in them, and they either learn to exist within them, or there’s a revolution and the circle breaks – they leave for a short period of time, and then form a new one.  Another way to describe is a record needle jumping track and settling in to a new groove on the record to keep playing – but a different song. Taking it another step further, it’s like a tide pool. Animals get stuck in them at low tide, do what they need to, and then have the option to leave when the tide comes back in. My high-falluting name for this is “the principle of tides” but really, I think “the water’s come back in, let’s haul ass” is a little better.

I’m leaving this next part to the literary and philosophical sleuths out there. I mean no condescension or disrespect with this comment I just said – I just LOVE conversation stimulators.

Today, a friend brought up a good point while I was in a near rant about all things circular.  And that was, Centrifuges are circular too.  And, a centrifuge serves to separate the layers in the circle, while pressing the contents outward.  Is this what happens when a circle expands? How does this figure in with circle philosophy?  And, what are the layers that it separates?  Does life itself have a centrifuge that stratifies us into different layers of person within us, and different groups out there?  What is the centrifuge out here?  I think, it’s pressure, stress, life experience, etc.  Wherever it comes from, whatever the cause or source seems to be irrelevant.  The force is there – the cream rises, some stays in the middle, some is at the lower point.  Shake it all and mixes briefly, but will invariably separate into this again. 

It makes me think about Dante’s Inferno, and the circles of hell. Are there circles of life I wonder. And, circles in something higher? Is the whole hourglass stratified dynamic circular?

I would really love to hear people’s thoughts on this today, so please don’t hesitate to comment in the box below – would love to talk about this! Have a GREAT day everyone!