A Heroes' Journey for the modernist mind
Fiction's genius is not solely in teaching the mind to associate abstraction with potentiality, but in that memories collude (unconcerned with the distinction of internal or external origins) to create a cohesive narrative. As though your mind were an ovary, your actions a sperm, time the womb and the ever-present-waking-moment-you the bright bundle of joy. Alchemical!
It is well known that time comes from the Chronos mines of Pluto and we have all laughed that it requires 10 minutes of effort to procure 5 minutes of flux-ore but where, I ask you, does time go? 2 weeks passed under the archway of the Ram Dass-anexed now, true. Yet, who would betray the ever-present moment to watch the fortnight depart? Still, we who know less fear than wonder seek answers that could be and find them satisfactory.
Perhaps, fleeing hungry pursuit of tireless flames that grew in speed even as they grew in girth, we found ourselves in the shelter of valley and stream.
The waters held court with the assembled moss-and-rock smallfolk and tadpole gentry. Stealing into their counsels we began to fathom the depth of our hydro-sonic ignorance but enjoyed the cool respite their company promised. Small bands of scavenging fish made a leisurely outing of swimming in place, picking at the abyss between rock and rock and creekbed. Sunlight made fair provision of itself here and the moon, in due course, set out the good china for her evening tea; if pressed one would admit yes, that was yesterday and here we are today. However, the ethnographically inclined might wish to know: we regarded the hours spent here as docking from that greater river of linear progression to an actual shoreline. A space from which to consider it, relish its simple music and plunge in to enjoy the shock of the insertion-side of introduction. Before climbing the hill that, sharp edged and steeply inclined, inevitably opened the way to the numbered days and nights currently in account.
Falling in step with the going guys and gals we marched in fine order into an area, really, rather than a place where function didn't follow form but would come by if invited. Chairs for miles in no mandated pattern and use was flexible as interpretation, a bamboo civilization.
This Golden Pup was the Lama of our nomadic gathering there in the highlands. At his side we came to taste the sweetness of routine, the plushy comfort of predictability. Once ,Sisyphus taught us that existence itself is a great labor and recently, Golden Pup showed us that labor demands rest. And so, faithful participants in the common good, we sought work and ease in lopsided measures. All seemed well and was for a measure of moon cycle but then we awoke one day to find ourselves besieged.
Bugs of grotesque appetites for human flesh appeared without warning. Bitten, scratched bloody and karmically indebted 100's of bug lives we turned away from Golden Pup, content to be and let be, and sought a lesson from our mother, Nature.
Scenario: A bug is provided with plants to eat and other plants with parts repellent to the beasts. A micro-balance is achieved. Then human interests intermingle with their flora fauna cousins' and the defensive virtue that protected the plant from being eaten alive by the bugs elects it for martyrdom to the cause of quality of life considerations for the humans.
Nature is a kindergarten teacher or a liberal arts professor, all hands-on metaphors and vivid colors. The insect spray worked, however, so I believe we got the gist. After the bugs fled one thing led to another which brought us to here where we must part. We've had ourselves a time and will now give it a rest. You can take yours when you go.