A sea of sand. Leonardo floated across
it, under the stars. ‘They are even brighter here than they were in Tangiers!’
he thought as he finally sat down. Hot sand, hot evening breeze… hot
everything. Sweat ran down his face and neck and even down his bare chest. More
than two hundred meters now separated him from the guide, the camels and the
other couple of travellers. He was alone in the desert at last.
The escape had finally been consummated. Society was left behind, albeit for a reasonably short, limited period of time. But this was what he had really wanted all along. He had lived in Europe almost his entire life but he couldn’t stand European life anymore. He couldn’t understand what the point of all that was, all those parties, and drinking and shallow talk and weed and drugs and cigarettes and promiscuity and night clubs… Were people really so uncomfortable in their skin that they needed to alter their minds so frequently in order to enjoy themselves? What purpose did all of that serve? It was just so disappointing.
The escape had finally been consummated. Society was left behind, albeit for a reasonably short, limited period of time. But this was what he had really wanted all along. He had lived in Europe almost his entire life but he couldn’t stand European life anymore. He couldn’t understand what the point of all that was, all those parties, and drinking and shallow talk and weed and drugs and cigarettes and promiscuity and night clubs… Were people really so uncomfortable in their skin that they needed to alter their minds so frequently in order to enjoy themselves? What purpose did all of that serve? It was just so disappointing.
His mind drifted to the
system, the houses, the big, fancy cars, the jobs, the materialism, nationalism
and small thinking. He thought of Maria,
his cousin with whom he had shared so many great experiences. She was the only person who had seemed to
understand him when they were kids. With
her fiery eyes and mischievous smile, she could get him to do anything. They explored forests and canoed rivers
together, both in awe of the beauty they encountered away from the rest of the
busy city. She hated that people put so
much importance into money. She vowed
never to own a car or buy new clothes or work a job that didn’t matter just so
that she could purchase a big house with expensive furniture. She was so passionate about it that she
inspired him to give away half of his belongings so he could live a simpler
life. But she slowly succumbed to the
lifestyle she hated most while she was in college and now lived in a stylish
apartment with her boyfriend in Paris, working at a desk job like a zombie,
performing meaningless tasks for an evil corporation so that she could pay for
her €1000 wedding dress. What was the
point of it all? Was she truly happy?
She had turned into everyone else. There was just so much that he
couldn’t comply with anymore and he wanted to escape from it all. He felt
intoxicated and wanted out, even if it
was only for one night.
Stars, billions of them burning bright, the sky sheltered from Civilization. He looked at the celestial corpses, placid in their eternity. Under the silver sky, feeling the hot sand caressing the bottom of his feet, he observed as beacons of light travelled millions of years at the speed of light, finally cutting through the black night above him, only to tell him how insignificant he was in the grand scheme of things. Like a grain of dust, he embraced his smallness carried by the nocturnal breeze.
Stars, billions of them burning bright, the sky sheltered from Civilization. He looked at the celestial corpses, placid in their eternity. Under the silver sky, feeling the hot sand caressing the bottom of his feet, he observed as beacons of light travelled millions of years at the speed of light, finally cutting through the black night above him, only to tell him how insignificant he was in the grand scheme of things. Like a grain of dust, he embraced his smallness carried by the nocturnal breeze.
The Traveller is listening to:
Society (Eddie Vader, 2007)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy6iwP9Ux3A
No comments:
Post a Comment