(photograph copyright: Octavia Hunter)
"The purpose of a fishtrap is to catch fish, and when the fish are caught, the trap is forgotten.
The purpose of a rabbit snare is to catch rabbits. When the rabbits are caught, the snare is forgotten.
The purpose of words is to convey ideas. When the ideas are grasped, the words are forgotten.
Where can I find a man who has forgotten words? He is the one I would like to talk to."
~Chuang Tsu
A Chinese philosopher of the 4th Century BC, Chuang Tsu is also well-known for The Butterfly Dream:
He dreamed he was a butterfly flitting about, but upon awakening, was not sure if he was a man dreaming he was a butterfly or a butterfly dreaming he was a man.
I've had a recurring nightmare for over 20 years and sometimes, for a brief moment, I truly cannot discern which is which, reality or dream. The other is so very real that it encroaches on my mind even as I feel I am awake and for a split second, I am sure the other was reality and what I thought was reality is the dream. Where can I find the man who knows? He is the one I would like to talk to.