Sunday, June 10, 2012

The Amorphous House


Our past, in some way, gives a certain direction to the future.  We all must bear the burden of our past, for all those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

It is this idea that has fomented a series of linear, non linear, and tangential  thoughts in my mind which I would like to share.

We all live in houses with four pillars defining the area covered.  This rather amorphous house (the subject of this short story) is short one pillar.  Why do I call it amorphous?

It is necessary in the house that the pillars remain equidistant from each other, in order to maintain symmetry and balance.  It is not so and therefore the house is amorphous.

The house tilts as a result, precipitating a need for external support.

A single bamboo shoot supports the house today.

Bamboo shoots support houses made of bamboo and not of cement and brick.

Bamboo shoots cannot guard against cyclones.

Common sense says a house of cement and brick is much stronger than a house made of bamboo.

Worms gradually eat into the bamboo making it weaker and hollow.  We cannot blame the worms.  Bamboo is of use to them.

Bamboo shoots break when a concrete house leans on it.

It is not the function of the bamboo to support the house of cement and brick.

The residents of the house cannot see the house tilt.

They cannot see because it is dark.

It is dark because there is no light in the house.  Worms thrive in the dark.

There is no light because the electricity has been turned off.  In addition, the shutters have been pulled down on the windows.

The residents pride in their ability to see in the dark (like bats).  Unlike bats, they stumble and fall in the dark.  Scars, bumps and abrasions prove this.

The light is barred from the house because it blinds the residents.

Reality surfaces when there is light.

Reality exposes all illusions and breaks all dreams.

It is essential to differentiate between vision and a dream.  Vision is a flower on the stem of reality, which in turn, is rooted in life.

© Nitesh Kotecha

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