‘This is a rock’
‘But also a chair’
‘It’s a rock’ Peter re-iterated forcefully.
‘But if I sit down and lean against it… what’s the definition of a chair?’
‘Who cares, you are just manipulating words’
‘I am trying to make a point’
‘Okay what’s your point?’
The two friends had been walking for the last three hours from the campsite to the base of the granite spires. The path had levelled out and the rocks grew up around them, huge white faces towered toward the sky and thick green undergrowth surrounded them. Peter had joined reluctantly on his rest day, on the promise of ‘understanding more about life’.
‘Okay, the point is it doesn’t really matter what it is, it depends on what you are taught, how you grow up and the beliefs you hold yourself accountable to.’ Joe smiled to himself inside, that came out pretty clear. He hadn’t had it that clear in his head before.
‘Okay well I was taught that this is a rock’.
‘Great, but that doesn’t mean it’s a rock to everyone’.
‘So it’s a chair then, who cares’
Joe laughed, Peter was tired.
‘Well no-one in fact, that’s the beauty of the world, we can all choose our different rules as long as we appreciate the fact that not everyone is playing the same game.’
Peter looked at Joe, he frowned, had his mate brought him all the way up the mountain to look at a rock and try to explain that people are different.
Joe continued, ‘not care, should actually be care, you care that everyone has a different perspective different set of rules and you will actually get on better with everyone’
It clicked, Peter looked at Joe, ‘Your talking about Emily aren’t you?’
‘Yea… she is just playing by her rules, the only way she knows how, she see the world different from you, she expect different things.’
‘So what I just get hammered all the time and take her shit. What about my rules?’
‘Your not accepting, you’re demanding’
‘Oh Fuck off Joe’
Joe put his arm around his mate, a friendly giggle came out, ‘now you are thinking.’
Peter pushed him away unable to stop himself smiling inside.
‘Nice fucking rock’! He raised his middle finger and continued along the path.
Life From the Dirt 