Of course the most common sets of rules for achieving a happy life are the down-to-earth wisdom contained in proverbs and the common-sense cautionary advice traditionally given to children.
But one difference is that both proverbs and the cautionary advice given to children only address the basics....
Compare the proverbial advice to 'look before you leap' with the recommendation contained in this perverse little parable by pseudo-Surrealist Guillaume Apollinaire:
Come to the edge, he said.
They said, We are afraid.
Come to the edge, he said.
They came. He pushed them.
They flew.
from The Secret History of the World by Mark Booth, p.378.
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This is a very interesting "story". Makes me think if we all really believe, we can do anything, even fly. Trust thy fellow man, as those who went to the edge finally did. And their fear was rewarded with the gift of flight!
ReplyDelete"look before you leap" has been construed as permission to avoid leaping. Appolinaire seems to be saying, it doesn't make a difference whether you look or not, you must leap regardless. Flight or fright, that's our choice.
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