Who is the fool?

Being totally absorbed by one's self, blinds us to the reality of the world we live in.

Preoccupied with our own narcissistic introversion. We often travel through life blinded to the obvious truths that surround us and yet, so evident, to lightened souls.

I was travelling along a meandering road one day, cursing at the overhead sun. I felt the malaise of its penetrating radiance which caused thick salty drops of sweats to slowly trickle down the sides of my pulsating temples. As I lumbered along this isolated and inhospitable landscape I came across an old man seating in the shade of a lush tree. To my surprise, this tree seemed to have erected itself out of nowhere. The bogan watched me stumbling along the treacherous track and began laughing hysterically.

“What is the source of your amusement old man?” I asked furiously, finding no merriment to the state of my plight.

He looked at me with glee and responded, “Heavy is your load and yet you seem to carry nothing that should cause such discomfort.”

At this point, my already inflamed temples felt as if they were about to pierces through the skin that covered them, “What do you know of what I carry, let alone of my discomfort?!” I replied.

Then angrily I continued, “You know nothing of my travel, nor of the torments this road has caused me. He who has probably spent most of this day ridiculing passer-byes as you seat there arrogantly within the oasis of this tree. Surely, a greyer so close to death must have better things to do with his time!?”

“That is true,” he replied in a contemplating tone. 

“I do know nothing of your travels, nor am I the least bit interested in their account. And, It is also true that my days, which once were as plentiful as fragments of sand, I now count grain by grain. However! Your anger is uncalled for my friend. Is it not of your choosing to travel the traitorous trail of Dante’s inferno?” he said.

 “Upon looking at the great pain that you endure, only two kinds of men would choose such maltreatment! One who enjoys the torment and hopes to gain great benefit from its troubles, or, one who has lost all faculty of his mind and is, therefore, a fool!” he laughed out.

“Finally, it is also true that I have spent the day mocking passer-byes such as yourself, while seating beneath the majesty this old tree.  However this shade it not mine to enjoy alone, you are quite welcome to partake in its freshness if you wish.” He added sympathetically.

I watched his hands. They gestured welcomely towards the shading of the tree. But seeing only ridicule in all of this I responded laughingly by saying, “Old man! Too long has your head been exposed to this inferno sun! I would not share this tree with you even it was the last to be found!”

He then looked deeply at me and said in a quiet voice, as if he were about to convey a great secret, “Oh but my friend, this, is not the only tree!”

“Don’t be a fool old man! I see no other trees around us!” I exclaimed.

He responded in an even more mysterious tone, “Aaah, there you go my friend. If you were to lighten your load, you would see that there are many more trees like this one. Do you not see them?”

He chuckled, “Look around you! We are surrounded by them.”

His chuckle turned to laughter, “Do you see them? Hahahahaha, you don’t see them!”

And now the laughed turned into hysterics, “Hahahahaha”

“You are mad old man!” I yelled out.

“Mad!?” he responded abruptly.

“Tell me who is truly mad? He who sees life’s obvious truths, or he who chooses to remain blind to the realities that surround him? Tell me my friend who is truly mad? Hahahaha, hahahah…..”

By Patrick J Sorrentino (2013)

Reviews

[Sarah_Lady]

Interesting, trees represent almost too many metaphorical ideas though! Although that can work to the writer's advantage, because it allows the reader such a broad scope of interpretation. The same is true of light and shade. In today's social climate of Selfish and social media accounts it it is crucial to maintain a dialogue on perception! And this piece opens up that possibility extremely well.