A bit of context to begin with. This text was originally written in 2023 during a time when I enjoyed taking experiences and cutting everything specific out of them to create a pure abstraction that captures the core of the experience itself. I hope you will enjoy reading this slightly refined version :)
But before that, I spot a rope on the ground. I mindlessly pick it up.
I wouldn’t be human if I didn’t start questioning the destination, the destination to which the path leads. I can’t see into the distance, so I can rely only on my own speculations with the rope in my hand.
After walking for a while, I meet a stranger. He claims he had a vision and knows what is at the end of the path. It’s a pity, but he insists that he can’t tell me more. He only adds that I should tie my legs with the rope and jump the rest of the way. Supposedly, it’s necessary. Otherwise, nothing good awaits me at the end. I kindly thank him for his advice and keep walking.
As I keep walking further, I encounter jumping people. I find it funny, but I don’t laugh. Mostly, they don’t block me. One by one, I carefully walk past them. Sometimes, I find someone who blocks me and has something against my walking. At first, I try to convince them to walk too. Shortly after, I realize there is no chance of convincing each other. That’s why I start to ignore them.
Even though the path seems endless, I am sure it ends somewhere. As I meet more people, I discover various ways to cope with this tricky situation. Probably, there are more people convincing others of their visions. After all, I was also trying to convince people to walk just like I do.
I’m intrigued by a person with a rope over his eyes. He chooses not to see the little that we can. Another person tied his arms instead of his legs. For some, the situation was so frustrating that they decided to step away from the path and hang themselves on the nearest tree.
Every use of the rope fascinates me, although nothing convinces me. I’m starting to feel puzzled.
If everyone receives a gift at the beginning of the path, it’s not the rope but rather its infinite number of uses. Also, it cannot be a coincidence that everyone I met accepted the gift. That forces me to replace mindlessness with helplessness.
We receive the gift because of our helplessness and inability to refuse.
But does the gift become a part of ourselves in a way that is irreversible? I carefully put the rope on the ground. I leave something taken for granted behind me.
I have questioned my decision multiple times. Sometimes, I want to take it back. On the other hand, there is a feeling of relief. It creates an infinite number of thoughts. The first thought contradicts the second. The third is refuted by the fourth. As it goes on, nothing lasts. There is only emptiness.
It’s a paradox, because I used to think that the more I know, the richer the world is. But it seems that this is being refuted by the emptiness.
The path still seems endless. It reminds me of the rope, where I could clearly see the beginning and the end. In contrast, the path is infinite because I don’t remember the beginning and I can’t see the end.
In the unremembered and unknown, I again find emptiness. I don’t know why I smile while facing it.
Since then, my view of the path has been turned upside down. I’m gradually discovering that the options the rope offered could be easily outnumbered. I’m starting to feel comfortable with this ubiquitous emptiness. So why not keep walking?