From where I’m from it is said that, inside one cloudy forest, there’s a spirit named Takarami with infinite wisdom and the ability to give guidance to anyone in order to fulfil their destiny. A long time ago, during a walk through said forest, near a trunk, I saw a wild racoon picking berries from the ground. Suddenly the animal noticed me and, step by step, walked in my direction. Now being as close to me as a hungry woodpecker is of a tree trunk, the raccoon stood up and calmly said “Everyone is a world”.
That sentence confused me. How could that even be possible? Aside the scientific impossibility, philosophically speaking it also didn’t make any kind of sense to me. I argued continuously with the animal but to no avail. Despite my pleas for enlightenment, the raccoon refused to elaborate, only saying “once you understand all your misconceptions about our nature and take a look inside, you’ll know”. Shortly after this last sentence, the pesky animal left, disappearing into the misty clouds.
Enraged by Takarami (or maybe even an imposter) leaving me with more questions than answers, I left my small town and swore to dedicate my life to disprove what the raccoon said to me on that fateful day. My townsfolk tried to reason with me by saying that Takarami worked in mysterious ways and that it usually tells a person, not what they want to hear, but what they need to. Despite their efforts, I didn’t listen. From my point of view, they all seemed like empty shells spewing nonsense.
And so I travelled through every corner of the world to find an answer. Suffering from an immeasurable thirst for knowledge, I searched for enlightenment in the world’s greatest minds: from prestigious scientists to mountain monks. From renowned philosophers to unknown hermits. From them I learned incredible facts, theories, theorems and images that my simple mind could never imagine. Our creation, the meaning of it all, every little thing that happens in this infinite universe and how that affects each and every one of us… everything! Well… everything except one. None of these people could help me with what I was really looking for: what Takarami meant in our encounter.
While on my quest for the answer to the doubt that had haunted me, I have to say that I lived a successful life. Looking back on it, I had everything one could ask for and maybe a bit more. I became a college professor, wrote some well received books about my experiences and made pretty common appearances in the media. With my gained respect and popularity, I made sure to spread all my knowledge to the world, giving people advice and guidance if they so desired. Still, I felt incomplete. Despite having had a fulfilling life, discussions with some of the greatest minds ever, and inspiring people looking for answers, I felt like I failed.
My older years were filled with melancholy and intense nihilism. Most days, the only thing I’d do was take a long walk (and only because my doctor forced me to). One day, while on one of those walks and with the feeling that my end was near, I took a look back on my life, how much I changed and the people I met. Then I contemplated the complexity and uniqueness of everyone throughout my life and then… somehow… it all made sense.
Everyone is in constant change. Everyone is gifted with a marvellous diversity of emotions, rivers of blood, forests of hair, clouds of thought (at times with complete brainstorms), and at the core a heart, sometimes of gold, sometimes of stone. Everyone is beautifully unique. Everyone is a world.
Reflecting more about my life I notice that what my people used to say about Takarami turned out to be true. It was because of that wise racoon and what it told me that I embarked on my life-long journey in the pursuit of knowledge.
Coming back to reality after a long journey through my world, I notice that I’ve been walking far longer than my legs should allow at this point in my life. Feeling tired, I lay down near a trunk in the forest. “Ah! Just like the good old days” – I think to myself. Some time later, feeling born again and, now feeling a bit hungry, I decide to pick some berries from the ground.
Rodrigo Rato (12B) – May 2023
Camões Creative Writing 