a very dear friend of mine asked "what's the problem with NOT being a rolling stone?" the question was rhetorical (because i know he loves to travel), but it set me thinking.
you see, i have another very good friend who epitomises the very concept of a rolling stone: he very rarely, if ever, sticks to one place for more than a month. he has an overwhelming need to keep moving, keep shifting geographic locations.
i can empathise with him, because i too (like a million other people, i'm sure) have this fantasy whenever i go on a long ride: i wish that the road (and the petrol in my bike!) would never end, that i could keep going forever...
there is something about perpetual movement that is alluring, and tugs at us at the very core of our beings. the desire to be 'somewhere else', to journey onward, to become restless when we remain in one place for too long.
this genetic necessity to travel, is of course, the reason why humanity has not stagnated, and has spread to the farthest corners of the world (and will someday make us reach out to the stars).
wise people have said: "movement is life, standing still is death." there are myriad versions of this saying that apply to every aspect of life, whether it is personal, societal, or civilisational.
in my next post, i'll explore the 'mossy' part of the equation.
Rolling stone, you!!!! Hahahahah...you who have remained in Blore for as long as I've known! What do you call me then? Just kidding...I know there are many ways one can travel and keep moving. But tell me, what does it really mean, a rolling stone gathers no moss? Is it a good thing or bad thing? I haven't been able to figure out this one. So typical of you to come up with this in one of your first posts, head-up-in-the-clouds, feet-not-touching-the ground fellow archer!
ReplyDeletedear uma,
ReplyDeleteas you can see from the above illustration (specially the words 'smooth' and 'character'), there are both 'good' and 'bad' (words i'm very uncomfortable with, since i don't believe in labels) parts. that's why i've called it an 'equation'.
...and can you remember a time when my head has EVER been out of the clouds? the art of levitation is tricky business.
Well, I've always suspected that there are some people who take to levitation like fish to water..I mean it's a natural state for them...I've also held a strong suspicion that you are one of them ;)
ReplyDelete