A cockleshell. alone on a wide wide sea.Add a human being, the balance changes.
One oar, two oars. With one oar.. round in circles. With two, progress .. left and right.
It is, of course, possible to scull standing with one oar, but how many of us have that sort of skill.
A rower navigates by looking backwards, judging the ephemeral wake of the trail; with the occasional glance to a predetermined destination.
Balance. Put two humans in an unstable cockleshell and there needs to be co-operation. If one leans to the right, the other needs to lean to the left.
Put three humans in the cockleshell, add some wind and waves .. What price democracy?
9 comments:
and yes, there is an engine on that boat. Have had five other people on it, but the basic principle remains the same. Co-operate .. or get wet .. or drown.
One of my favorite metaphores. And built upon nicely.
You may not have seen my treatment as it was quite a while back.
wow davo, this is brilliant stuff ... great photo and the whole reality of democracy. good post ! cheers !
Your reason and your passion are the rudder and the sails of your seafaring soul. If either your sails or your rudder be broken, you can but toss and drift, or else be held at a standstill in mid-seas.
For reason, ruling alone, is a force confining; and passion, unattended, is a flame that burns to its own destruction.
Therefore let your soul exalt your reason to the height of passion, that it may sing.
Kahlil Gibran
At he risk of sounding like a Luddite of some sort..the biggest problem with "natural" balances is probably the "engine". Can remember quietly rowing along the side of a river, observing the mangroves, fish and birds .. when a 40' twin engined Riviera came powering around a bend about half a kilometre away. They saw me, of course, but didn't slow down; waved as they went past.
The result of their 'bow wave' was a swamped dinghy, and a person in high dudgeon wishing for a rocket launcher of some sort. They didn't look back.
(and the 'Bushites' wonder why they have an insurgency on their hands)
put another very inebriated human in that little cockleshell and i get accused of "rocking the boat". Nah, sorry folks. Can cope with that sort of cockleshell, but if we both get tipped out due to inadequate balance .. it is basically me who has to cope with lost equipment.
the nice thing about a cockleshell is that if you are doing anything wrong you get immediate feedback!
I keep returning to look at this pic. It is really lovely... serene, complete in itself: but enticing me 'round the next bend to adventure...
'round the bend' .. is an interesting expression.
Chinna.. forgive my long cogitation, but cannot think of anything to top your comment.
Yes, that small, instant feedback.
(too pissed to go into the unwieldy ethics of nationwide politics)
Post a Comment