I -
When
she came here she was an art-maker. She inspired people, she was
innocence, a bright fountain. When she came here she was moral,
self-disciplined, wise and, very importantly, herself.
She
made one fatal mistake, and that was to be different. To push people
forward and create a foundation for others to join her. A fatal
mistake indeed. She expanded boundaries, and that was unacceptable to
them. There was no space for forward movement. That took too much
courage. That would mean trying and daring. That would mean being
modest enough to look into oneself and be truly prepared to change
what one found.
It
was much easier to pull her in, for her vulnerabilities were more
obvious than most. No longer would the fittest adapt the environment
to them, the environment would make the fit adapt to it. Change her
values, wind up the toy soldier and let it play out till the
unavoidable conclusion.
Soon
she walked like them, laughed with them, and was one of them, her
self-destruction became self-generating too. They had succeeded when
she stopped reminding them of what they could have been if they had
any courage at all..
At
the same time they hated themselves, for unlike the Vandals who once
sacked Rome, they knew they were ruining a work of art.
II -
An
innocent open field stretched across the horizon. Upon it were two
thronging armies made up of many pikemen - one red, one black. They
moved like giant insects, and when they met at the centre their long
spears jabbed back and forth like the spines of some deep-sea
creature. In those massive hosts was it possible for there to be
individual minds?
Or
was it too late. Had all of the individuals been turned into red, or
black, and nothing more. House,
Country, King.
It was a shame that this was the only way we knew how to survive. Yet
what if one split off and ran? She would not last long without those
other people.
Selim 'Selim' Talat
The Philosophy Takeaway
'Open topic' Issue 40
