Possession

R has constructed a parable that I've been remembering a lot lately: a man decides to take sannyaas, to leave the burden of material life behind. He abandons his possessions, relationships, obligations, goes out to the edge of town and sits meditating under a tree. He feels that he is free. But then, something begins to disturb his meditation: it is a small mouse, which also lives among the roots of the tree. The man acquires a cat to kill the mice. The cat needs milk, so he buys a cow, hires a woman to take care of the cow, sleeps with the woman who bears their child…. and he's right back where he started.

We have been so like that man lately! When the power surges it damages the electronic stuff. So we buy a better stabiliser. When that isn't enough we install an automatic phase changer, and new earthing, and and and… because we feel more secure about the power supply, we buy another something, to protect which we need a better watchman…

"maze" by Ramesh Gandhi