The Coin and the Well

The Coin and the Well

A metaphorical philosophy by Andrew Swain

As I pace in this attic, this place of age and memories, at a time not long before the final hour of my life, I stumble upon a not so distant memory, enclosed in pages. As I open my past memoir, knowing exactly what I will see, taped into the front page is my curse, my life, this useless piece of matter, this coin. As I read, it all comes back to me, why I am so miserable, why I am so unsatisfied with myself and my entity, why I had been an inferiority among everyone that was doubted by myself, my mind, when it was still pure... still hoping... and when it still knew a purpose. What is this exactly? Well, you will just have to wait and see, as my half-witted hands turn to the first page...

"Through all the cities of the world, the grass and the sky, the desert and the ocean, and this mad society of industry and order, there was once a time and place where I was only a young lad, in this stupendous world alone. And all through this busy, rushing world and the mysteries of the size of this world's knowledge and amplitude that intrigues my old mind still, nothing will ever compare to the importance of a man. A man who, although now deceased, still affects my wondering life today. This man was one of a handful of people who believed in a prophecy. A prophecy that somewhere, in this comprehensive world of ours, exists something quite offbeat. Along with it is a well. A well that will grant you any wish that you like, as many times as you like. Of course, I have already come across this well, and it has been discovered by a cult of people, whom I am at agreement in belief with. And engraved in this well is a coin-shaped hole. For what purpose? A coin, of course. A coin that, many years ago, by a man who's name is on everyone's tongue was placed somewhere in this substantial world; that coin. Some people had looked their whole lives for it, but to no avail. Call me a fool, call me naive, call me whatever. It makes no difference to me. This matter is too important for your words to taint me from the truth.

So important that, from childhood, I have not developed any talents or avocations, I had gathered no plans, nor have I thought about my future, unless that future involved whether I can find that coin. And each day, in front of that well where many people will pass by, I stand and I preach that this prophecy is real, and along with those who have joined me, we sing, we preach, we argue, and most of all, we search. We search in this very area that I had told them where that very man told me it should be. But is it this very place? Oh no, of course not! I am not that foolish. In fact, I am currently making my sacrifices and traveling to the real place, where I will, in all my efforts and the only efforts I had ever made, be the first successor of this search. Who ever knew that such an old man, who had lived his life with almost no concern, could ever be the most wise, the most powerful, the most famous and the most talented being on this planet? Definitely not those non believers, whom I shun daily and hope for them to join me in my search for consummation. Hopefully one day, I will be known as the man who passed on the coin to poverty, depression, and deterioration itself, and took it all away right upon that well which everyone has doubted for so long.... hopefully one day, Our dream of sanctity will come true.

And with these thoughts I am now arriving at the place where I shall find the query of my life. Yes, I have looked everywhere but this one place, and I know with all my heart that I shall find it in all my faith and wisdom. As I step into this area, I remember all those who had casted me aside as a hopeless buffoon, all those who will continue to live their lives in insufferable normality. And I have kept my mind closed from their words, so that I knew that I would never change and that I would seize this moment, right now, where I have found this coin without surprise, and hold it between my fingers, like I will soon be grasping the world with."

A tear comes to my eye as I remember my downfall, when I had realized that this was all just a lie... when my wishes poured out of my mouth like lava from a fresh volcano... and the moment after that coin clashed with the very bottom of the well without the expected reaction, my words of hot plasma burnt through my skin, and destroyed this ancient yet ironically sensitive pride of mine. I realized and had my very first true thought, for the first time I had true knowledge; yet, with this knowledge came depression; I was stricken with sudden pointlessness. Reality and truth had chastised me like the courtroom to a criminal; like a barricade to a blind wanderer; like actuality to the feeble minded.

Since that moment of an extreme sorrow, I had learned my lesson; I tried desperately to use the only knowledge I know from this experience to save my followers' tainted minds from this despondent end... but they believe that I was not the successor. Despite the length of my time with them, I never uncovered the fact that they do not believe in this coin for the for the triumph, not for the hope, not for the journey. But for the mere purpose of living life with eyes closed, the blindfold that shields their sensitive eyes from reality, so that when they meet their end they will not realize all of the wrong turns they made because of this blindness. And with each day, they will continue to tie the knot, so that even when truth itself shines it's brightness into their slightly blinded eyes, it will only be mild, so that it will fade away from their poor, misguided minds in a short matter of time.

Indeed my life lesson is quite a sad story; but take my word seriously; for I and my followers were not the only ones looking for a coin. There are many of these out there; coins of religion, coins of higher achievement, wealth and status; coins that you and everyone around you are looking for. But no matter how drawn you are into it's shining and it's false worthiness... Desist yourself! For you are alive, and you have the ability to untie this knot that has been deceiving you for so long, and you will be drawn to an already cracked open door, so that your new found sight can lead you through easily, and you can find this coin you have been looking for for so long; but ironically, you will have the ability to notice how common it really is in this vast world. But only if you realize will you be able to have ascendancy over many coins that were originally there, for you. And only if you free yourself and see things as they are in certainty will true opportunities gleam into your eyes.

Stop searching forever for something you will never find... let your surroundings spring into a new autumn. Break this chain holding you to the heavy brick of lies and let your light body float away into the fresh air. Enter the real world, so that your arm will no longer struggle to grasp so little. Come to your dreams, do not rely on them to come to you. Shout out the truth and let your voice be there. Those who will join you in breaking the chain shall come with you; those who will remain changed by the world around them will suffer, but will have no one to blame but themselves. You can be this person. All you have to do, is Realize.