Intro: Pounding bass note and a stirring fanfare of horns. Welcome to another edition of Things to Think about. Here's Stacy. The horns continue with a keyboard note held.
Relaxing piano music is in the background.
Welcome to the Things to Think About podcast, where we use fables and fairy tales to come to deeper truths about our subconscious world. I'm Stacy Casson. And today's story explores boredom. Lately, I rarely take a moment to myself. Even when I shower, I play videos or listen to podcast. We will explore the need for constant stimulation in a tale I call, “Bow Down”. And now, get comfortable and relax. Take a deep breath in.
And exhale. A deep breath in and exhale. A deep breath in and exhale. And if you'd like, you can slowly close your eyes.
Once upon a time, there was a bored god. Their name is too much for you to comprehend so we’ll call them O G or OG. OG surveyed the latest monument the mortals had built in honor. This sculpture was baroque and included many different aspects of OG. There was OG as the fearsome dragon, Honar, OG as the temptress, Deliria, OG the inscrutable, and so many more. Strewn between the various representations were carved skulls tying the piece together. OG was bored with immortal life. Anything it wished came to pass. It was like those sand sculptures which were built up and washed away, built up and washed away. “What is the point?” OG sighed. What drives the puny mortals to build? Everything crumbles eventually.
OG decided to walk amongst the humans. It saw one riding a two-wheeled contraption and decided to hitch a ride. The mortal’s mind was easy to push aside. “Sleep,” OG cooed and took over the body. The bicycle wobbled a bit as OG got familiar with the controls. It wouldn’t die but it wanted to ensure the host survived. Feeling the wind against the skin was a novelty. OG wondered why they had never tried this before. This fresh perspective was exhilarating. After a few miles, OG felt the body weaken. There was an unpleasant sensation in the legs and OG found the host breathing heavily. It slowed down and let the host rest and catch its breath. I forgot how puny the mortals are, OG thought to itself. It left that body and the dazed man looked around wondering how he got there. The human stared at the ocean the cliff overlooked in wonder. Thank goodness I stopped in time. OG muttered, “No thank OG.”
OG dove beneath the waves and took over a dolphin. This mind was vastly more difficult than the human. OG enjoyed the challenge and soon enough was leaping out of the water and crashing back into it. After a bit of tail-walking, OG noticed the creature was hungry. It hunted and captured some fish and puzzled over the strange sensation as this body swallowed the fish whole. OG felt robbed as it was used to reveling in blood sacrifices. The humans had sacrificed less and less and OG relied on remote people all over the world to continue the practice. OG did less and less and the world become destabilized. OG liked to watch the large swirly formations that travelled across the ocean and listening to the orchestra of glaciers crumbling.
OG was feeling more alive. It cast off the dolphin’s mind and left the creature sleeping on the surface of the water. As OG waded ashore, it came upon a curious structure in the shallows. Someone had balanced three disparate rocks. There was an arrow-shaped one at the bottom, a large rough diamond-shaped one in the middle, and balanced at the top, a small trapezoid perched precariously on its side. Perhaps the humans are more clever than I thought. OG marveled at the feat of engineering. It admired how the forces of nature had shaped each rock more skillfully than the human carvers. OG took some of the other rocks laying around determined to build bigger. It was more difficult than it seemed. Time after time, the rocks tumbled after the third one. How did the mortals do it? If you see rocks tumbling, you may be in the presence of a god.
How do you deal with boredom? What would give you a new perspective?. And now you can take a deep breath in and exhale. A deep breath in and exhale. Deep breath in and exhale. And when you're ready, wiggle your toes. Wiggle your fingers and slowly open your eyes. If you're enjoying this podcast, please tell a friend.
Closing: Closing jazzy keyboard and thrumming bass. Hope you enjoyed today's segment. Tell a friend. See you next time. Music fades.
