"...gathers no moss"

personally, i'm not a big fan of moss (the human variety). after all, wasn't it she who started all this 'size zero' mess more than a decade ago? i'm referring, of course, to kate.

...but it's not her fault, either. it's the fashion gurus who projected hers as the 'desirable body type' that led to the tragedy of the 'malnourished-by-choice' trend that is prevalent among young girls even today. imagine the destruction of so many lives because of the 'artistic' whim of a few self-absorbed individuals!

er... i seem to have strayed from my topic. what was it about? ah, the proverb that seemingly praises migration over settling, movement over stasis.

if you look back at the cartoon, you'll notice that the rolling stone is 'smooth' (all the meanings you can infer from the word!), while the settled one is textured and mossy (it has acquired 'character').

the question was: what's wrong with 'staying put', 'growing roots', 'settling down'? it is, after all, the sign of evolution, of progress. civilisation, society started when the stone-age hunters began to cultivate land and gather in settlements, rather than keep moving after the migrating beasts.

...which of course, led to the recurring themes of population explosion, necessitating further migration, finding new lands to settle, ad infinitum...

so it looks like stillness is vital--perhaps even more than movement--for growth in any of its myriad aspects.

you only have to think about the ancient sages who sat/stood still for years in meditation to attain their insights. for the more scientifically-minded, i'd point out the classic image of newton lazing under the apple tree.

MOVEMENT provides information/knowledge/experience

STILLNESS bestows awareness/wisdom/maturity

i'll elaborate on this topic in future (please feel free to provoke me if you have any comments) but there's something else i've been wanting to write about on this blog.

coming up: Innocence and Beauty!