Practical Evanescence
I was feeling as though my day to day life lacked meaning.
As was often the case at such times I decided to go for a
drink alone to think things over. I was not alone for long. I met a man in the
bar. He told me that he had met another man in the same bar under similar
circumstances. He told me that the man had passed on valuable knowledge. That
this knowledge had helped him when he needed to evaluate his life. That the
stranger had done this for the price of a drink and then disappeared.
I pride myself on not easily being taken for a fool. I had a
good feeling about this man. He had a sincere look in his eyes, like one who
had gained wisdom, perhaps at some cost to his peace of mind.
I bought him a beer.
We talked for what seemed like a long time but immediately
he had gone I consulted my watch to find that time had barely moved on. As we
talked he told me what he had learned from the man he had met in this very same
bar. As we talked I became aware of music playing quietly in the background,
Bach's suite for unaccompanied cello. The recording sounded old and distant but
quite beautiful. I recall no other sound but that of my acquaintances voice. He
spoke in the form of a series of instructions. What he told me was a
revelation. My humdrum life changed from that moment.
When he finished speaking he disappeared.
If we you and I should ever meet in a bar I will be willing
to pass on that knowledge imparted to me by the stranger. For the price of a
beer.
