Rock Soup

A fib anyone?

Its an original French tale … of a tramp … who managed to weasel … a soup from a lady … rather than ask for a handout. The tale has a lot of lessons … to the man today … who's viewing his past actions … and relating that … to the social norm … that he used to deny. But its an experience of going over the falls … in a barrel … to land below .. and pick up the pieces.

At the teenage level … a kid is simply putting down everything he sees … and why not? … its obviously not matching up to the youth … and shine … of what he represents as possibilities. However … having given the dump on everything, when that kid … is trying to turn his act around … at Grandpa's level … he faces some peculiar difficulties. He's trying to come back … and say … he understands it now … what the ladies were on about … the way mother kept house in the home. But how does he do that?

He's isolated completely … in his passions … with all sorts of excuses … defenses … tales … and a manner akin to dismissing him … with a panty that's printed with the words … ' let the arsehole get what he deserves.' At Grandpa level … the man is going to be saying … ' oh! … come one … .' But it doesn't help very much … until there's a consensus … in the passions … that says … ' he's old now … he sounds like he really regrets it … poor thing ' … and so forth.

But how to start? Who makes the first move? Its not forgiven … not by a long shot … but nobody likes the idea … of putting the screws on someone … who has come to accept that … he may have been over the top … a little … in his manner. But how to start?

So they let … ' down-and-out ' … Grandpa take the initiative … and follow his guide … on how to make soup … with a rock. But isn't that what … the man in grandpa's shoes … was doing all the time? Possibly … but he has a great manner … this time … smooth silky voice … that draws on the passions … and like Charlie on … ' Charlie's Angels ' … sounds just right … and distant … from his usual overbearing … raspy manner.

To the ladies … it represents an opportunity … that they had only dreamt about. To be in contact with the ' father ' aspect … as an equal … and friend … is a gift … to the quality of life. Had they insisted on being that … at a younger age … we would probably have a large population … in the nunnerys … of the world … by now. May be its a better idea … to work on that … after you have finished your duties … as wife and mother … and then … take a look at it again.

So how do you make rock soup? Chop up some onions and garlic … leave the skins on. Put it in a pot … with some water. Add salt … pepper … a slice of ginger … a tablespoon wine … and a small pebble … washed thoroughly under the tap. Serve with … chopped crispy fried onion leaves … sprinkled on top. And there you have it. And when you are done … wash the pebble … and place it on the mantlepiece … as a symbol of your willingness … to re-engage the ' father ' aspect … including the man … posing as grandpa.

Its an act … that's meaningless … in our pre-occupations … of the mind … and yet it forces … the mind to view the act … and to realize that it means something … in the context of friendship. That happens a lot to people. We think that … in the faith of our passions … we are obliged only to bring to the ' father above ' … only what is good and charitable. Not true! We are at liberty to bring to him … what makes no sense to us … and have him … return to us … with his responses.

It opens us up to a new world … in which we are now living … and you would think … we needed a bit of gap … between the old ways of dreaming it up … in comparison … to feeling it in the flesh. I know I would … to allow for the mind … to create a response … that is not at the same time … a little clownish. As they say in the dictum … ' More haste less speed.' Its the ultimate price … for those … who took the trouble … to do it well.

And then … life begins anew. What we thought we had given up on. Boy are we gonna be busy. But it takes place … in a nice way … entirely suited to rationale … and the meaning we bring to life's activities. We figure we want to tell someone about it … need to … and we find ourselves … organizing ourselves to communicate the experience to others. The publishing phenomenon … in these times … is certainly … an indication of it.

There are those … who … having discovered the experience … may stay … in relation to the ' father ' … and basks in the waves of affirmation … that the world brings to the person. It leads to a far greater experience … of the understanding of love … and the role of love in the lives of humanity. Love does indeed make the world go round. And it assures us … that its been that way all along.

In our thoughts we encounter … past issues. For instance … it pauses at the issue of weapons of mass destruction … and the fact that … there were none. And it points to the haste of decision making … and allows for the passions … to create their own responses … in the shape and time … and place … in which they may respond. And we realize that the issue of even … crime and punishment … is wrapped in the cloth … of human understanding … and is not unlike the tale of the rock soup.