A Fable

I was speaking the other day to a friend’s teenage daughter about “weirdness” and not being “normal”. Here is what I said:

Let’s go way back. Imagine that there is this tribe in a forest. The forest is a frightening place. Full of monsters and unknown powers.

Now, there are all kinds of people in our tribe but let’s focus on a few. There’s the woman who is in the middle of the tribe who is saying, “let’s stick together!” “No need to venture out into the forest. It’s dangerous!”

There’s the guy at the gates of the village who watches people coming in and out. He says, “The forest is okay as far as I can see. Some exploration is acceptable.”

Then there’s the hunter or adventurer who launches into the forest for food and just to see what is out there. He says, “Hey, come on, everyone, there’s opportunities everywhere!”

So the chief sends out three explorers into the forest.

The first returns, bursting through the bushes, and announces, “I have found this plant! When you rub it on your skin, it heals!”

The second returns, out of breath and panting, “I found this other tribe! They want to trade!”

The third returns, consternated. The chief asks, “What did you find?” He replies, “I found something called a fence. And on the other side of the fence were roads and cars and airplanes. We need to get our shit together!”


Okay, there are several points to this story.

One, there is value in the forest;
Two, don't be afraid to explore;
Three, don't cross the fence and cause a traffic accident.

The final point is this: whatever puzzles you solve, whatever conflicts you face and resolve, whatever worldview you share, you never know what is on the other side of the fence. It may be nothing, or it may render archaic all your big ideas, schemes, systems and structures. To discover oneself an anachronism is to awaken.

Thanks to M. Night Shyamalan and "The Village" for inspiration.