RedCrystal

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All right, so I finally hit upon an idea that will keep me posting for quite a long time on a regular basis.

I have an edition of AEsop's fables. It's a facsimile reproduction of the 1912 edition from Avenel Books, New York. My Aunt Pat gave me this for my 9th birthday. Not many things of mine from then have made it with me this far; in fact, I think this may be the possession I have owned the longest.

The premise of my new postings are captured in the title of today's entry, The Mock Pit. I will take one fable at a time, and examine it from whatever viewpoint suits me. Often, this will be a somewhat dry or sarcastic analysis directed at what I see as the silliness in mob psychology around me in the world today. I will be mocking people (sometimes myself included), using fables for leverage. The image to paint for yourself is something like a mosh pit, where rather than moshing, the participants in the mock pit are:

Mockers (played by Moshers)

demonstrate their mental strength and superiority by verbal assault and derision (much like throwing your body at someone else)

Mockees (played by Moshees)

gets blows to their self-esteem by taking something said by someone else (usually a Mocker) too seriously and personally (like getting a body thrown at you)

Victims (played by hurt Moshers or Moshees)

blames others for injuries sustained in the pit, both real and imagined

Critics (played by Critics)

standing on the outside of the verbal fracas, feeling too superior to the people inside the pit to join, perhaps mocking their meaningless battles

Pacifists (played by Pacifists)

standing on the outside, constantly fretting over the likelihood that someone will be hurt by what happens inside the pit

I will not be including the non-participants of the Mock Pit. These are the people who are simple too self-absorbed to be bothered by what happens in the pit. (At a concert, this would describe the vast majority of people who are only there to get high and listen to some tunes.) Some may be temporarily entertained by the mosh pit or mock pit, or both, but only until it's time to take a drag or groove to the beat.

I'm not a cruel person. My point in mocking is to illustrate the absurdity of some of the notions that our modern world has taken on, not to merely humiliate people for my own amusement. The absurdity is found in the way that we've abandoned, in many cases, a basic understanding of character and the human condition that can be found in fables that have survived mostly untouched for thousands of years. Why do we act so silly? I do not know. Perhaps it has something to do with information overload, and our natural desire to distinguish ourselves from others without coming out on the short side of that battle. Everyone wants to be, or perhaps just to believe, that they are at least a little better than most other people. So, I'm going to do what I can to present a practical moral to each fable, one that might apply to a modern day audience. Perhaps some of the people in the Mock Pit will recognize this as my way of reaching down into the pit and helping some of those trapped inside to get out. (You certainly didn't expect me to believe that I'm in the Mock Pit myself, do you?)

And, so what? Well, nothing really. Maybe this is useful, and maybe it's just so much mental masturbation. Either way, it works for me. So, here goes.

The Fox and the Grapes

A HUNGRY Fox saw some fine bunches of Grapes hanging from a vine that was trained along a high trellis, and did his best to reach them by jumping as high as he could into the air. But it was all in vain, for they were just out of reach: so he gave up trying, and walked away with an air of dignity and unconcern, remarking, “ I thought those Grapes were ripe, but I see now they are quite sour.”

Original Moral: Any fool can despise what he cannot get.

Mocker's Moral: The Fox is pathetic, and should know better than to try to get Grapes that he can't reach. Get a life, Fox.

Mockee's Moral: The Fox just hasn't tried hard enough. Keep trying, Fox! Keep trying! You'll get them! I just know it!

Victim's Moral: Whoever built that trellis so high was clearly being mean to Foxes. From now on, all trellises should be built low enough for even poor, small foxes to have all the grapes they want.

Critic's Moral: Foxes don't eat grapes, people. Foxes eat rabbits. What kind of moron wrote a story about a fox that wanted grapes?

Pacifist's Moral: Would someone please give the Fox some Grapes already? I would, but it's a Fox, and I'm not sure whether it will try to bite me.

What's the modern moral? All people want things they can't have (yes, I'm talking to you, too, Person who just said "Not Me"). It's only human. There are many different ways to handle this frustration.

1. Despise the thing you can't have (or, in AEsop's words, be a fool).


2. Stop wanting things you can't have (or, give up and be happy with what you have).


3. Want those things even more (or, pursue a fool's errand)


4. Find fault in the circumstances (or, demand that other people hand you things that you want because you feel like you deserve it more)


5. Philosophize about the value of wanting things you can't have (or, never actually face your frustration and powerlessness)


6. Hallucinate having the things you want (or, mock the fox with unrealistic ideals)

What would you choose? What I try to do (not always successfully) is this: When I want things I can't have (and I'm sure it's not just limiting beliefs that keep me from having them) then I just feel a little sad and powerless for a little while, and then I find something else to do that will make me happy and help me feel more powerful.