Analogies

A garden.

Plant a seed deep, feed it, nurture it and it will grow. Plant hundreds of seeds at once and they’ll all struggle to grow at the same time, battling for dominance over the limited space. Feeding them equally is virtually impossible, as some have different needs and thus some will die while some will live. Feed one constantly, even though it causes other seeds to die out, and it will endure and grow. You always reap what you sow, but you can eventually root out some plants. It matters not that they may be part of your garden, always being there while the garden underwent events and transformations and time. If it’s bad for the garden, kill its root and destroy the seed that threatens the health of the system.

A sea.

Some creatures dwell near the surface, are easily spotted and are easy on the eye. Anyone can see them, anyone can touch them if they want to get wet. They can admire them from afar if they don’t want to get wet. Some fish live further down, and are mysterious, hidden at first, and only through effort can one gaze upon their beauty. They are rare, delicate and can quickly elude even a trained eye, and they require either daring to come up close, or just insane amounts of courage. Some are dangerous and one can quickly become frighten by these majestic beasts. And then there are the others. The deep ones. The beings so deep under the sea that even seeing one is not just a phenomenon but also a majestic display of purity. A beast of this calibre can be massive. It can be dangerous, deadly even. It can be beautiful though, or a brutal display of untouched and pure force.

A river.

Always flowing, always going continually towards a purpose. It can nourish life on the way. It can become a source of energy, a source of life or a source of destruction. It can one day turn into an unstoppable torrent bashing everything in its path, and then return to the life and love giving nature of everyday. It can change the course and grind rock, cut a path through impenetrable odds, and shape the world it runs through. It cannot stop, and will not stop until it reaches its destination. It will one day run dry, but by then it would have left a mark on all those who have seen it, touched it or felt it in any way. 

A tool.

It was designed for a purpose. It was made for a specific task, and it will excel at that task. Sure you can use it for any other possible task and it may do a good job, but it will not do a perfect job. To get the job done perfectly, you need a tool specifically designed. It can also double as a weapon. The exact opposite of its design intent. It was not made for wrongdoings, it was made for other purposes. Given a specific tool with no job at hand, it should be obvious that the job becomes finding the job that fits the tool. Until that job is found, that is the main purpose, and any other misuse of the tool will only make it dull, and eventually unfit for the job.

A fire.

An unstable form of matter. Burning is by itself no means of something to exist forever. It is destined to run out of fuel and extinguish itself. The shape bears no meaning. The colour it yields depends heavily on the fuel it’s using. It can bring life, nurture and safety. It can bring death, destruction and chaos. It can bring tears of joy and tears of sorrow. It can brighten the darkest night and bring a glimmer of hope in the gloomy world.

It can be many things, but what is it? Why is it here? Why was it made? Who made it? How can it know what it is? How can it invent a system to name everything, including itself? How can it possibly know it exists? Did it create itself out of sheer will? Is will a property of it or is it a consequence of will?