An allegory.
The ship is going to sink. At first I don't even know it's hit an iceberg, I'm just merrily dancing away to the quartet. But if I pull myself from the dancing and merriment for a second, I myself can feel the ship sinking, ever so slowly. Someone offers me a place into a lifeboat and I quickly climb in. There are still people dancing away, drinking, living it up. Oblivious to it all. You see them have a good time, laughing. The ship is going to sink, you shout up from the little dinghy. Get in the boat before it's too late! Of course not, they say, the music is still playing, everyone is enjoying themselves, don't be such a worry wart. You can believe what you want to believe but don't intrude on my fun and spoil the evening for me. This ship couldn't possibly sink. But it is.Surely if I cared about the people on the sinking ship, I would continue to warn them despite their dismissal of my warnings. I would keep screaming at the top of my lungs to talk reason into them because the water was filling in rapidly as we spoke, every second was crucial and I had no idea when the ship would finally give way and they will be swallowed up by the darkness of the sea. No matter how much they laughed off my suggestions, or even laughed at me, I would continue and persevere because time was running out. My heart would flutter at every jerk and groan of the ship, fearing that this was when it would finally snap, and it would be too late.
Yet after one or two warnings, I seem to give up. If they don't want to listen, let them drown. Hey, I warned them didn't I? I shrug and just sit with the others on the boat. Peering on to the sinking ship, I start to sing along to the music on the ship, tap to the beat of the rhythm. I look on to the circus acts and even laugh and applaud, from my little boat. I forget that I am on a boat which will save me, and they are on a ship which will kill them.
For the sake of my credibility, acceptance and fear of rejection, I have stopped my warnings and just sat on the boat silently. When the ship finally dips into oblivion, can I live with that?
posted by me. @ 1:23 AM
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