Life: Instructions not included
by Rob Burlinson
Being born on Planet Earth is like suddenly finding yourself in the middle of a vast cosmic board game wherein you move from square to square with little or no understanding as to why these moves are happening at all. You don’t remember when or why you agreed to play the game, and most annoyingly, the game seems to come with no instructions or guidance as to any rules. You don’t even know what you win if you ever get to the end. Yet you have little option but to play.
You and your fellow participants are given many labels during the game, and these sometimes impede or help your progress round the board: son, daughter, brother, sister, husband, wife, mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, student, teacher, lawyer, doctor, soldier etc. Sometimes if can be very confusing keeping hold of who you really are within all of these roles and names. You also appear to be all wrapped up differently. Your temporary outer packaging has a certain shade or colour that can often differ from other players. You seem to be only able to communicate with some players and not others. It all seems so limited! You also have a sense that this isn’t the first time you’ve played the game and that your outer packaging has frequently been very different.
As you move round the board you begin to wonder what the point of the game is? Where are you heading? How do you move forwards? You notice that some other players have very important sounding roles and playing pieces and they proclaim loudly that they know exactly why you are all here, and that you should all do exactly as they do. At first this seems an attractive proposition, putting your faith in these special looking participants, but then you notice many are further back down the board than you. If they knew more than you, wouldn’t they be further forward? You watch what happens as other players follow them and start doing as they do. From a certain angle, it does look indeed, as if they are now all heading forwards, but then the squares beneath them seem to be getting very slippy, and everyone starts slipping and sliding all over, until with one dramatic skid the important looking player completely falls over, knocking everyone behind them down too, and they all disappear sliding off together back into the distance where the board is darker and more shadowy.
You and your fellow participants are given many labels during the game, and these sometimes impede or help your progress round the board: son, daughter, brother, sister, husband, wife, mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, student, teacher, lawyer, doctor, soldier etc. Sometimes if can be very confusing keeping hold of who you really are within all of these roles and names. You also appear to be all wrapped up differently. Your temporary outer packaging has a certain shade or colour that can often differ from other players. You seem to be only able to communicate with some players and not others. It all seems so limited! You also have a sense that this isn’t the first time you’ve played the game and that your outer packaging has frequently been very different.
As you move round the board you begin to wonder what the point of the game is? Where are you heading? How do you move forwards? You notice that some other players have very important sounding roles and playing pieces and they proclaim loudly that they know exactly why you are all here, and that you should all do exactly as they do. At first this seems an attractive proposition, putting your faith in these special looking participants, but then you notice many are further back down the board than you. If they knew more than you, wouldn’t they be further forward? You watch what happens as other players follow them and start doing as they do. From a certain angle, it does look indeed, as if they are now all heading forwards, but then the squares beneath them seem to be getting very slippy, and everyone starts slipping and sliding all over, until with one dramatic skid the important looking player completely falls over, knocking everyone behind them down too, and they all disappear sliding off together back into the distance where the board is darker and more shadowy.
That’s something that has intrigued you in this game. As you move up the board and look back, the areas you were before seem much darker, indeed they disappear off into the shadows so you can’t actually see where the board first began. Ahead of you, in contrast, the board gets lighter and brighter, and as you move forwards you seem to be able to see more clearly. It feels your memory is coming back, though what of, you’re not sure. You also notice, as you go forwards, a heaviness is leaving you and you feel happier, more at peace. Strange, you hadn’t noticed you’d been in a dark, glum or ‘denser’ place before. The contrast is only now obvious.
You’re still wondering how to play the game. But the more you play certain clues reveal themselves...
Many players carry a lot of luggage; suitcases and bags bulging at the seems with thoughts, feelings and beliefs, some new, some ancient and covered in dust. This luggage slows their progress, and means they are also forever toppling over. Some players land on squares only to collect more baggage, then find they are now so heavy they lose their balance and are propelled hurtling back down the board. However, when a player is able to successfully release some luggage on a square, they then regain more of their centre of balance and move forwards on the board with more Grace.
You at first thought the structure of the board was random. But now you see the squares are arranged in different patterns. You’ve noticed too that when you leave one pattern behind, to move to a new pattern, you go forwards a little quicker, and everything is lighter. The further you go the more harmonious, pleasing and ordered these patterns become. Not too long ago you noticed you were not always walking on squares, now more often they are triangles and diamond shapes, and every now and then you’ve even stood on a hexagon.
Initially it seemed that events on the game board were random, and the game seemed unfair; with players bemoaning against whatever devious game masters could be behind it. Sometimes a participant would land on a square and there would be a blinding flash and a set of scales would suddenly appear with a very delicious piece of ripe fruit in one scale and a small seed in the other. The player, unable to resist the ripeness of the fruit would take a bite, at which the scale would drop on one side, and the square they were standing on would drop from beneath them, and they would disappear down a chute to a spot further back down the board . The ripe glistening fruit was unable to be resisted by anyone, even though they knew the consequences. However, the one consolation was that sometimes the scales didn’t move at all when the fruit was taken, and the square on which you stood instead sprang into the air and shot you further up the game. One player had been catapulted so far that they seemed to melt completely into the light ahead.
You had believed that the strange appearance of the scales happened for no reason, but then you noted some players forever being sent back down the chute to the same spot. These players had been going round in circles like this for as long as they could remember. Recently, when some scales appeared for you, you were able to resist the ripe fruit just long enough to notice there was something stamped on it. It appeared to be a date, time and place. Just as the floor dropped beneath you desperately tried to remember what had happened on that date - but all you got was an uneasy feeling.
Another thing you’ve noticed is that every now and then you can be going square to square vaguely thinking of something absent-mindedly, say, a pineapple. And then several moments later, you’d find a pineapple. Or you’d be thinking of a speckled butterfly. Sure enough, a little later on, a speckled butterfly would cross your path. You began to realise this had something to do with your thoughts. The more you focussed on something and the more you wanted it, the quicker it would appear. But you also kept attracting things you didn’t want too, until you realised this was because you’d been focussing too much on how you didn’t want them. It was only when you were able to not think of them at all they stopped appearing.
You have been playing this game almost forever yet never glimpse the end of the board ahead. This puzzles you because the further you go the fewer and fewer players you see, most are still gathered in certain patterns now left far behind you. You wonder if it’s possible to ever finish the game, and there are times it appears no-one is ahead of you at all. It seems that other players moving further into the light just suddenly vanish.
You’re still wondering how to play the game. But the more you play certain clues reveal themselves...
Many players carry a lot of luggage; suitcases and bags bulging at the seems with thoughts, feelings and beliefs, some new, some ancient and covered in dust. This luggage slows their progress, and means they are also forever toppling over. Some players land on squares only to collect more baggage, then find they are now so heavy they lose their balance and are propelled hurtling back down the board. However, when a player is able to successfully release some luggage on a square, they then regain more of their centre of balance and move forwards on the board with more Grace.
You at first thought the structure of the board was random. But now you see the squares are arranged in different patterns. You’ve noticed too that when you leave one pattern behind, to move to a new pattern, you go forwards a little quicker, and everything is lighter. The further you go the more harmonious, pleasing and ordered these patterns become. Not too long ago you noticed you were not always walking on squares, now more often they are triangles and diamond shapes, and every now and then you’ve even stood on a hexagon.
Initially it seemed that events on the game board were random, and the game seemed unfair; with players bemoaning against whatever devious game masters could be behind it. Sometimes a participant would land on a square and there would be a blinding flash and a set of scales would suddenly appear with a very delicious piece of ripe fruit in one scale and a small seed in the other. The player, unable to resist the ripeness of the fruit would take a bite, at which the scale would drop on one side, and the square they were standing on would drop from beneath them, and they would disappear down a chute to a spot further back down the board . The ripe glistening fruit was unable to be resisted by anyone, even though they knew the consequences. However, the one consolation was that sometimes the scales didn’t move at all when the fruit was taken, and the square on which you stood instead sprang into the air and shot you further up the game. One player had been catapulted so far that they seemed to melt completely into the light ahead.
You had believed that the strange appearance of the scales happened for no reason, but then you noted some players forever being sent back down the chute to the same spot. These players had been going round in circles like this for as long as they could remember. Recently, when some scales appeared for you, you were able to resist the ripe fruit just long enough to notice there was something stamped on it. It appeared to be a date, time and place. Just as the floor dropped beneath you desperately tried to remember what had happened on that date - but all you got was an uneasy feeling.
Another thing you’ve noticed is that every now and then you can be going square to square vaguely thinking of something absent-mindedly, say, a pineapple. And then several moments later, you’d find a pineapple. Or you’d be thinking of a speckled butterfly. Sure enough, a little later on, a speckled butterfly would cross your path. You began to realise this had something to do with your thoughts. The more you focussed on something and the more you wanted it, the quicker it would appear. But you also kept attracting things you didn’t want too, until you realised this was because you’d been focussing too much on how you didn’t want them. It was only when you were able to not think of them at all they stopped appearing.
You have been playing this game almost forever yet never glimpse the end of the board ahead. This puzzles you because the further you go the fewer and fewer players you see, most are still gathered in certain patterns now left far behind you. You wonder if it’s possible to ever finish the game, and there are times it appears no-one is ahead of you at all. It seems that other players moving further into the light just suddenly vanish.
With every step you notice you feel lighter and happier and more uplifted. The things that used to bother you don’t seem to bother you any more, and you are now carrying very little luggage. Sometimes it feels like the smallish bag you carry is the only thing even keeping you weighed down.
And then you realise - there is no ending of the board. Instead, ahead of you, you see another player land on a square and dropping their last tiny bag. As they do so, they begin to float off, with nothing left anymore, no wants, desires or unfinished business to keep them going round the board. Off they disappear until you can’t make them out anymore above you. Perhaps they are going to a different, more pleasant game, at a higher level. Soon, with a bit of luck, it may even be your turn.
Photos by kind permission of Milan Lysak
And then you realise - there is no ending of the board. Instead, ahead of you, you see another player land on a square and dropping their last tiny bag. As they do so, they begin to float off, with nothing left anymore, no wants, desires or unfinished business to keep them going round the board. Off they disappear until you can’t make them out anymore above you. Perhaps they are going to a different, more pleasant game, at a higher level. Soon, with a bit of luck, it may even be your turn.
Photos by kind permission of Milan Lysak