Imagine yourself atop a mountain peak. Beneath your feet is the cold rough rock splintered by millennia of weathering. The ridges below quickly disappear in a thick white cover of clouds. It seems as if you are standing atop a tiny rocky island in an endless sea of white. All around however you notice other peaks jutting out of the same impenetrable ocean. And on each of these islands other people stand, close enough for you to see and talk to but still not really reachable.
This is you in your normal state. You look around and see the world in its fractured essence. Nothing belongs together and everything exhibits clear boundaries. More importantly you can’t even see what lies beneath the cloud cover. You can’t even imagine what could exist down there. In any case you have no clue how to get down from this peak. There seems to be no escape. No path leads down safely.
But maybe you really do want to know what lies beneath. Every time you mention that thought the others on their islands just smile at you and nod numbly without really grasping what you are saying. Why would they?! They can live comfortably up here on there mountain tops. Even though once in a while terrible icy winds may sweep the peaks, they don’t think that their lives could be any other way. After all, nobody can really pass beneath that cloud layer, could they? Only lunatics thought they could do it and nobody wanted to hang out with them anyway.
But you have convinced yourself that you want to know. The others may want to stay up here in their “peace and quiet” but it’s not enough for you, living your life without understanding why. So finally, when the others aren’t looking you just jump.
Cold air rushes through your hair. You feel yourself move awfully close to that sharp rocky cliff face which was so safe a moment ago. Then the cloud cover nears. Suddenly you catch a glimpse of a dead tree branch you could save yourself on. If you only stretched out your hand… But you don’t. You have got to find out now.
Then you hit the cloud cover. Like a shock the moisture touches your skin. Never before have you felt anything like it. Everything is white and bright. And that incredible tumbling sensation! Then suddenly, the clouds clear. Below a landscape appears out of nowhere. It is a landscape so, so different and unimaginable.
Valleys stretch all around. As far as the eye can reach green vegetation and trees spread towards the sky. Lakes and rivers flow through the lush jungles. And with a splash you land in one of them. The warm water is soft and engulfs you for a second before your head breaks the surface again. Your lungs breathe in the heavy laden air around. So many different flowers you can smell, and the rich and sweet aroma of fruits you have never tasted. Struck by the wonders around, you climb out of the water. You can’t believe the beautiful chirping of birds, the light summery fragrances wafting through the air and the feel of warming sunshine on your skin. You had never ever really experienced any of this. Then suddenly you notice the biggest change. Above you, there are no clouds! Only a few lazy stragglers float across the azure blue sky, lit by the warm golden sun.
And as you look around you recognise your own mountain, so bleak and yet co different from this angle.
You have got to tell the others about this! It is completely and utterly incredible! So you sprint up the mountain and scramble to the top with such ease you couldn’t have imagined it possible. As you reach the peak, nobody seems to have noticed you were gone however. You look at the people with a beaming smile and start telling them about those wondrous things. Can’t they see all those green trees and the grass growing below?! Heavy laden with fruits and flowers, were brilliantly coloured birds and flutterbyes dart around in a joyful dance?!
You try and explain desperately. And just a slight tad of understanding dawns in their eyes but then the clouds seem to thicken for them and they tell you: “Sorry, I haven’t got any time now. Can we talk later? What you are saying is really interesting, but I have got to get this done, it is really important you know.” And with a sad smile you have to let them go. They can only jump on their own. You can’t push them off their own little mountain, but maybe you can help them stumble.
No comments:
Post a Comment