Alo and De Omens #40
(PD) Alo and De Lake on Land.
Copyright ©2018 October 16, 2018
Yan: The land was not what it appeared to be, when I first saw it years ago... the land has changed... trash piles can now be seen on nearby lands, the stream's water now smells of pollutants, and the access from the south land will no longer be open... the new land owners are wanting money, a lot of money... and, so, it is a good thing that we discovered it now, rather than being faced with the problem in future years.
Jun: Then, what we already have, is our only option for now?
Yan: Yes... Alo and I, we will talk to the elders, and explain why the land is not suitable. We are presently considering the idea of maybe just buying more land around us, to keep outsiders away, and to grow tall trees so that we cannot see surrounding mountains, nor the people see us.
Alo: Increase our gardens, sell more produce to pay for more land... become slaves... already we suffer, because of outsiders.
Yan: If we do choose to buy adjoining land, then hopefully it will not take more than a few years... then, return to as we are now... except, of course, having to sell more produce each year to pay for more taxes.
De: Already the outsiders have harmed us... the community's spirit is already hurt...
Yan: Yes, and, there is nothing that we can do... the outsiders, it is, as-if, like protecting ourselves from bears, wild dogs, and other wild animals... it is a necessary fact of life... cannot be changed.
Alo: The outsiders cannot stop their aggression... their hunger burns to intrude on others, to destroy everything they touch. They destroyed their old home, they came here, destroyed this new land... now they will destroy our home. The houses on the north mountain, an omen... regardless of what we do, regardless of how we prepare, our community must now suffer. Surviving within a negative way of life, is, itself, a negative way of life.
De: 'Extreme mindfulness, his way is able to know his nation-home will flourish, and his nation-home will certainly have favorable success. His way, to know his nation-home will perish, will exist a devil ghost — appear as within the divination of yarrow stalks, and tortoise shell divination, casting-off groups of four — will damage happiness, will damage extreme good, must. For him to previous know not good, him certainly previous know, him therefore extreme mindfulness as if divine.'
Alo: Yes... mindful of one's environment... mindful to observe, and reason, the ratios... not divine though... just common sense.
Jun: Common to us...
Alo: True...
Yan: But what choice do we now have? The elders, they worked hard to achieve success... the devil spirit on the north mountain, it effortlessly harms all that see its face...
Alo: Lands to the south... hot, humid, insect swarms... lands to the east, industry and farm chemicals fill the air... lands to the west, dry, no water, stockyard stenches... lands to the north, much colder, more bears, more wild dogs, some with mosquito swarms...
Yan: Really big houseboat! Drift on the ocean!
Alo: Ha! Actually sounds inviting!
Jun: But really, maybe ten years, twenty tops, the outsiders will be at our front door... there will be no keeping them off our land.
Yan: Agreed... I once spoke to an outsider while I was selling produce by the highway... he had respect for our land... he was a thoughtful man, very courteous. He told me that there are many people hoping to find solitude from the hoards... he told me of several different approaches. Some people are aggressively defensive, some other people join communes in the mountains... the two approaches that stuck in my mind... one was of building a large wall around one's home, like a castle, or like the long wall that separates west nations... the other approach was to permit one's self to live in the middle of the hoards... portray the appearance as being one of their own kind, except, portray the appearance of not being of value... have nothing seen that is of value... outsiders rarely attack cheap things... outsiders usually only attack what they believe has value to be stolen.
De: Ha! Sheep in wolves' clothing...
Yan: Ha! Yes!
Alo: That is funny... might be the best solution also. Tall walls... would that not be an invitation for outsiders? To hide a thing within a large safe of locks and steel doors, does that not tell outsiders that something is of value within?
Yan: Yes... tall walls might keep out most animals, but the sight of walls would surely give as an aroma of meat that would lure the outsiders... their hunger would drive them to enter inside of the walls...
Alo: I heard a story once... a man who visited the homes of hundreds of thousands of people, he said that he had met a good man from the west, a wonderful man... one man, only one within hundreds of thousands of people... and the wonderful man lived in a poor home, located in a city's poor neighborhood. The man telling the story said that he was astonished, and wished that he himself could become a quality man also. Contrasted to our topic, the wonderful man lived in peace with his family... lived in peace while surrounded by wild dogs... the wonderful man's family was also of quality people... and now, I wonder... might that become a favored option? One worthy of serious consideration?
De: Devil ghost omen on north mountain... mountain itself, not omen...
Alo: Ah, yes... that is an interesting observation... perhaps our focus has been all wrong... not become the beasts that fight the other, but, rather, become the mountain... the outsiders cannot see the mountain...
Yan: My big smile... I find the idea to be so ridiculous and to be so reasonable at the same time... hide where we cannot be found... the outsiders' aggressiveness is aimed outside of themselves... then, be inside... be where bears and wild dogs do not search...
Jun: But no lake... no gardens... no trees... no community... children learn from neighbors...
Alo: True... ah, but, then... become mountain, steep cliffs, impassable?
De: Yes... good omen... community people kind... concerned for others... flourish...