*laughs
"I guess you think I'm weird, and if you're asking that question, then you think I acknowledge my own weirdness."
"Sorry, I don't want to say you're weird,..."
"Some people just look too long into the abyss, you know."
"Come on, speak to me like I'm an idiot here; I don't want to misunderstand anything."
"It's not that hard to understand... Look, everyone knows the poem about the road not taken, right? I mean, you know it, I'm sure of that."
"I know it."
"Well, if you go off the beaten path and travel too far, for too long... there's a good chance you're not going to make it back. Maybe you forgot how to get back. Maybe you don't want to go back... Maybe you don't even remember what "back there" is."
"So, you're saying you lost your way somehow?"
"No... No, I'm not saying that. I'm saying I'm one of those who don't want to go back. My eyes are wide open, brother."
"..."
"Look, lots of people go on a journey of self discovery, and at some point, maybe because they didn't like what they learned, or maybe because they didn't learn anything at all,... they just give up and go back to being the same old cunts they always were. I guess most people who embark on such a journey end up that way."
"So, you're saying you've reached some point of enlightenment?"
"I believe there are two rules everyone should follow...
- Know thyself, and
- To thine own self be true.
But, those who really accomplish number one are few and far between. Many come close, but when they see themselves for what they are, it scares the shit out of them, and they end up denying it."
"So, you're one of the few who actually figured himself out, and the rest of us are just walking around blind?"
"I wouldn't say 'blind'... self delusional, yes. We spend so much time focusing on the self. Through years of accretion of sensory experiences, we have come to the conclusion that each and every one of us is somebody, when in fact, each of us is actually nobody. Of course, most people would deny that with every fiber of their being and go on following the programming."
"So, then what's the point? Why bother?"
"A kid doesn't turn down a trip to Disneyland just because it'll be over eight hours after it gets started. I enjoy falling asleep in a kayak on a calm lake on a summer day. I enjoy sexual experiences, I..."
"OK, I get it. Is there any Scotch left in that bottle?"
"Not much, but I've got another in the cupboard."
"You better get it out then..."
"But you are hard pressed to look and not come off looking like somewhat of a loon for veering off the well known path of life/conversation/self."
ReplyDeleteKeeping up appearances is important, but where they're required to be kept up, there aren't many possibilities for decent conversations anyway ;)