It began as a simple distraction as he walked to and from work. Counting trees. The hard part was remembering the order in which he acknowledged them. Because it was not about merely knowing the number of trees - it was about discerning one from the next. Saying "this tree is not just a tree, it is the fourteenth tree I count on my way from home to work". Giving each tree an identity, a place in the world. This is what had always troubled him about nature: its randomness, its devotion to futility, its determination to let each and every creation get lost and become meaningless. A product emerging from a factory is given a number before it is sent out into the world, and thus has an identity, and can be called a distinct thing. A tree is only a manifestation of nature, one protruding piece of the endless, meaningless entity of nature. These thoughts became an obsession, and the obsession has followed him through life. Look at one of the trees in his city and you will see his mark, and you will be able to say "Yes. Yes. This is Tree Number 2782."
No comments:
Post a Comment