Zen Pencils by Gavin Aung Than for July 07, 2014
Transcript:
I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree in the story. From the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig, a wonderful future beckoned and winked. One fig was a husband and a happy home and children... …and another fig was a famous poet… …and another fig was a brilliant professor… …and another fig was Ee Gee, the amazing editor… Ladies Day …and another fig was Europe… …and Africa and South America… …and another fig was Constantin and Socrates and Attila and a pack of other lovers with queer names and offbeat professions. And another fig was an olympic lady crew champion… …and beyond and above these figs were many more figs I couldn’t quite make out. I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death, just because I couldn’t make up my mind which of the figs I would choose. I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest. And, as I sat there, unable to decide… …the figs began to wrinkle and go black… …and one by one… …they plopped to the ground at my feet. - SYLVIA PATH, THE BELL JAR
Ida No almost 10 years ago
When one door closes, a whole bunch of other doors close at the same time.
StellaMaris almost 10 years ago
Why should one choice automatically exclude all the others?
j2p2 almost 10 years ago
Oh my…Not quite uplifting, but powerful nonetheless…
ziggman14304 almost 10 years ago
Thus the phrase “He who hesitates is lost”.
Katwoman almost 10 years ago
:-( Now I’m depressed. Maybe I can find some figs covered in chocolate.
MeGoNow Premium Member almost 10 years ago
When you try to assign potential futures into categories, trying to choose which is best, you almost inevitably fail, because no one is wise enough to see true outcomes. This is the same as regrets. Having regrets is futile, because no one is wise enough to know what would have happened. The truth is that you may wonder what would have happened if you have followed another path, but each different path is equally liable to success or failure, joy or horror. The truth is that, if you never do anything, never eat at least one fig, you are assured to never know sweetness. And that is indeed a kind of madness. If you eat your one fig with total attention to appreciation, you need not ever wonder what the others would have been like.
greenearthman almost 10 years ago
A famous poet, yes…inspirational? Depression, disappointment, madness.The first Zen Pencils I have not appreciated.Poor girl!
agoldenlife almost 10 years ago
The point is to NOT be caught in indecision. Any of those futures are awesome, don’t get caught by indecision, but choose and live it without looking back at “what if”. Those are the people that are remembered throughout history. The longer you delay, the more worthless your life becomes.
Tricia A. almost 10 years ago
She chose to kill herself.
hawgowar almost 10 years ago
Like most people…can’t make a decision. Wallflowers naturally shrivel and die.
The cowardly never start and the weak die along the way. That’s why actual leadership, willingness to make a decision and act upon it, is a rare and valuable commodity. Most of it is concentrated in the military, on police forces and in firefighters and surgeons. Those people have to make life and death decisions on a regular basis. The first three are grossly underpaid, by the way.
Brass Orchid Premium Member almost 10 years ago
And then I realized that I actually don’t give a fig.Roll with the changes. That is the lesson of the Bodhi tree.
ZBicyclist Premium Member almost 10 years ago
This is different than the usual Zen Pencils, but just as inspirational. (an earlier source is the fable of the donkey who starved to death between two piles of hay because he couldn’t choose).
Make the best choices you can, and then move on!
Or as the race drivers say, don’t drive in your mirrors.
nawsa Premium Member almost 10 years ago
In my experience, the figs show up gradually as one travels the road.
kaffekup almost 10 years ago
If you choose no fig, one will be chosen for you.
Liam Astle Premium Member almost 10 years ago
“And then I stuck my head in the oven.”
Liam Astle Premium Member almost 10 years ago
What do you expect from a person who killed themselves."
kaffekup almost 10 years ago
If you’re going to be insulting, at least learn grammar.
tornadomaster over 9 years ago
I’ve had enough! Good bye to the one that is just trying to get the work out on time.