Degrees of Truth
Abdullah, my marionette friend has given me an insight into human behaviour. Whenever I engage with him or think of him it is as a wise old man, a repository of stories and wisdom that has come from his long and varied life. He enjoys a dance or two and is an advocate of contemplation and sleeping. However I witnessed a great transformation in his personality in the presence of Moriah. He was naughty! He ran around, slid down the banisters, took lollies out of a jar and threw the papers on the floor. All in all he was very badly behaved.
And then he spent some time in the company of Roman. He told a joke, then a funny story about the time a camel kicked him, causing his leg to be dislocated. Abdullah the fool. The wise man, the naughty boy, the fool; all aspects of the same being and dare I say reflections or of our respective selves. In discovering the 'true' nature of Abdullah I am reminded of the ancient Indian story of the Six Blind Men and the Elephant.
There were once six blind men who each had the opportunity to touch an elephant and divine its nature. Each man took a turn. The first one felt the elephant's leg and thought the animal was like a tree trunk. The next one felt the elephant's tail and thought it like a rope. The next one felt the elephant's trunk and thought it like a snake. The fourth one felt the elephant's ear and thought it like a fan. the next one felt the elephant's belly and thought it like a wall. The last man felt the elephant's tusk and thought it like a spear. As each man described the elephant to the others, arguments ensued as each man was adamant that his version of the elephant was the true one. Eventually they came to understand that truth is a matter of perspective and there are numerous degrees of truth.
Artwork: The Truth According to an Elephant by Roman Schatz
