GB No. 4(19)/95
I rambled about the Beskid Niski once. It was late Autumn, shepherds' huts were abandoned, sheep went far away to Podhale. It was empty, quiet and wonderful. Near one of the huts there was a small shed. It had a tiny door whose hinge was a sneaker sole nailed to it. It made a really splendid hinge - solid, quiet and for free. The highlander who had made it could not have dwelled on it: he simply wanted to repair a broken door and he used whatever came in handy. He was a Master Of Doing Something Out Of Nothing, not limited by aesthetics, need for perfection or prestige.
The door hides in itself the Great Secret of the Universe: EVERYTHING IS EVERYWHERE. Everything that we need in a given moment lies within our reach: in a dustbin, in an attic, in forest, in a cellar. Like any other secret, the One is obvious for people who tried it in practice.
Many survival schools springing up in the world prove that we can find things needed: food, medicines and a dwelling place, just EVERYWHERE. The only problem are regions polluted by civilisation.
Those who follow their own spiritual path can also find anything they need. Temptations, demons, good and evil witches, signs in the sky, hidden treasures, dragons, ghosts - all of them exist, we can meet them everyday. If we do not let our sensitivity go dull - neglect the temptations, exercise the demons, negotiate with dragons - maybe some day we will find the hidden treasure.
In fairy-tales there is often a motif of three brothers wondering in search of Happiness. They get to a crossroards: the cleverest brother chooses the straight and sure road; the middle brother goes the middle road and the youngest, the simpleton, does not care for any signs: chooses the "no chance" road. Whatever the goal of their quest is, whether it is a princess, a dragon, a treasure or all of them together, the simpleton accomplishes it. Why? Because no signs could mislead him. He did not believe in the material paradise: the latest make of cellular phone or the most fashionable car. He likes making love on a meadow - he does not need linen washed in a tv-advertised washing powder. He simply "smiles to the Sun and sing for the stars" as a song goes. Certainly, he does not like crowds. He knows that there are no straight and sure paths. Fashions, ideologies or religions that define the paths - lie.
A few months ago, when I was hitch-hiking, I entered Gdansk in a van. The grounds in the direction of Elbl1g were all excavated. We passed by traffic diversions and building works: concrete, complete mess. And suddenly I saw a palace! Glass, metal, it was all shining: you could smell money from afar. It was the SOCIAL INSURANCES OFFICE. Isn't it interesting? Also the van driver could not helped commenting it. And I thought that the fact that SIO could afford such luxury meant that many average doors to average apartments had hinges made of sneaker soles. And that many people practised making something out of nothing and the art of survival - quite involuntarily. Happily, there is no cloud without a silver lining. We still have Providence, it never fails. Howgh!
Jacob
reprinted from Mat' Pariadka 11/94
translated by M. Maciejewska