Oral Transfer
In N.J. Dawood’s translation of Tales From The Thousand and One Nights, he introduces the stories as “spontaneous products of untutored minds, which would reach out in search of the most imaginative and extravagant fancies and then relate them to the universal constants of this life.” Also known as The Arabian Nights, the folktales were passed down orally until the 9th century and then compiled into an collection of differing written versions and translations. If you want to read the “whole thing,” you must first ask: Which one?
No one can point to the true version. The tales have been told and retold for centuries. Due to their explicit sexuality, the stories have been hidden under mattresses and kept locked in cupboards, yet they are lauded as some of the most important and complex historical origins of literature. The Nights speak to desire. When we consider desire’s nature, we’re left with a frame story older than time.
* heavily plagiarized from Joe Fassler, The Altlantic
Desired Direction
Humanity’s canon is dominated by the quest for God and/or meaning larger than one’s self. Mental health and spiritual awareness are inextricably linked. How, is up to the individual.
When given the room to relate their experience to a universal constant, people push their boundaries. Connecting to something larger than self is the rock every 12 step group is built on.
When avoiding steps, I turn my attention to a spud. Spud’s can be planted, used as a tool or begin an oil well. A S.P.U.D. story can do the same. All of our lives contain tales of spontaneous products of our untutored desires. When we examine our nature from that perspective, the gap lessens between ourselves, others and divinity.