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A round peg in a world of square holes...

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

The damndest lie



       'Mother and Father so very disappoint,' he said quietly. 'So they stop talk.'
       Then he sat up and pointed to one of the slatted sun-blinds at that moment hanging partially down over a window. We children, he said, were like the twine that kept the slats held together. A Japanese monk had once told him this. We often failed to realise it, but it was we children who bound not only a family, but the whole world together. If we did not do our part, the slats would fall and scatter over the floor.

[ . . . ]

       'Like that blind there' — I pointed — 'if the twine broke. Everything might scatter.'
       Uncle Philip stared at the blind I had indicated. Then he rose, went to the window and touched it gently.
       'Everything might scatter. You might be right. I suppose it's something we can't easily get away from. People need to feel they belong. To a nation, to a race. Otherwise, who knows what might happen? This civilisation of ours, perhaps it'll just collapse. And everything scatter, as you put it.'

2 Comments:

Blogger zeenie said...

Strange that i should be listening to Level 42's "Running in the family" while reading your post. =)

May 24, 2007 9:50 AM  
Blogger -ben said...

LOL! It was playing over the radio when CF Babe was driving back from Changi Village :-D

June 10, 2007 9:55 PM  

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