Thursday 23 May 2013

Home


What does it mean to be at home?

Affinity:
  • when you speak using a certain inflection and the other knows exactly what you mean;
  • when you leave a sentence hanging in mid-air and it says more than any words;
  • when you make a small gesture and it conveys a whole story;
  • when you don't say anything and everybody understands;
  • when you don't mistake your friends for adversaries and adversaries for friends;
  • where there is no need to retreat into a state of separateness in the face of some negativity.
Customs:
  • when you do the right thing with no instructions needed;
  • when everybody behaves the same way because the situation means the same to everybody;
  • when something can be handled at a distance because direct feedback is unnecessary;
  • when a group performs in unison without a specially prepared script;
  • where simple silence is just as meaningful.
Background:
  • when the beginning of a story is enough to evoke its meaning;
  • when a memory from one's youth can be shared as if it had been an experience for all;
  • when the intent behind a myth serves as the explanation;
  • when a piece of history can be used as a gateway by everyone;
  • when there is a problem and all parties speak from a similar context;
  • where criticism does not automatically imply the categorising into some 'other', simply because there is no 'other'.
How many of us can say the above happens to them once a day, once a week, once a month - ever?

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