The Reed's Meditation, a Rustling Monologue (Episodes 1-5)
(Final Episode 5) Roots, the Unseen Solidarity
We seem to sway alone, but beneath the surface, we are all holding hands.
In the deepest darkness before the dawn, I focus my consciousness on the deepest place, my beginning and my end: the roots. My form above ground is nothing but a single thin and feeble stalk. A fragile being that sways in the wind, bends under the weight of a bird, and falls in the downpour. But my true essence, the source of my unbreakable strength, lies in this cold, damp mud.
Here, there is no light, no sound. It is a world of silence, untouched by the song of the wind or the comfort of the moon. But here, there exists a solidarity hotter than anything else in the world. My roots are tightly entwined with the roots of my neighbor, like capillaries, and their roots with another's. Above ground, we are scattered as tens of thousands of 'I's, but below ground, we exist as one great living entity, 'we.' This unseen network is what sustains me, what allows all of us to live.
Conversation here is not made of sound, but of vibrations. When one reed absorbs ample nutrients, that energy of abundance flows through the roots to a poorer neighbor nearby. When one reed senses an attack from a dangerous pest, the signal of crisis is instantly transmitted to us all, so we can prepare to defend together. We do not compete. We simply connect. Here, a taller stalk or a more splendid tassel is meaningless. The only measure of existence is how tightly we hold onto one another.
Humans regard each other as competitors, endlessly comparing and fighting. They trample on the person next to them to climb higher, and deceive each other to possess more. They seem to have forgotten that they all stand on the same earth, that they are connected through countless unseen relationships and histories. What they should extend to each other is not a sword, but a root.
In this deep earth, I feel a true sense of stability. No storm in the world can sever this strong solidarity of ours. What sways is only my weak stalk on the surface; the strong 'we' underground never sways. The source of the strength that allowed me to endure yesterday's downpour and to raise my head again today was right here.
The dawn breaks, and I raise my consciousness back to the surface. Soon the wind will come. I am not afraid, for I am not alone. I am not a reed standing alone, but a part of a vast forest. My swaying is not a lonely struggle, but a great dance of solidarity sent by the unseen roots.
Epilogue
In the season I have emptied myself of everything, I finally dream of eternity.
My green leaves have all lost their light, and all the moisture in my body has been returned to the wind. Now, with an empty husk, a rustling dry stalk, I face the harsh winter. People see me like this and say I am 'dead.' They might think the flame of life is extinguished, and even the trace of existence has faded. But I know. This is not death, but a state of the deepest meditation.
I have emptied myself of everything. Without the greed for life that thirstily drank water under the hot sun, without the lingering desire for growth that sought to rise higher, I stand only with the most essential form of being. This gaunt appearance is the most honest and pure form of me, the reed. Only after casting everything off could I finally face the true 'me.'
In this form, I will endure the silence of the harsh winter. While accepting the fierce blizzards and the weight of the frozen ground with my whole body, my roots will still be tightly entwined with other roots underground. And when spring comes, from my deepest part, from the unseen roots, I will sprout a new shoot again. Swaying, emptying, filling, and emptying again—this seemingly transient cycle is my path to eternity.
So, look at me and no longer call me fickle. My swaying was the most humble dance to communicate with the world, and my emptiness was the greatest vessel to embrace the entire universe. I stand here again today, listening to your stories, to all the sounds of the world. And with my own language, a rustle, I offer you quiet comfort. Telling you it's okay, it's okay to be swayed. As long as you don't break. And that someday, after you have emptied yourself of everything, the most beautiful 'new beginning' will find you.
My Thoughts!
When you feel lonely and weak, feel the ground beneath your feet. You are connected to countless unseen roots. Family, friends, and all the connections and history that have brushed past you. That unseen solidarity is the greatest strength that will never let you fall. Are you facing the winter of your life? Do you feel that you have lost everything and only emptiness remains? That is not the end, but the time to face your most essential self! When you have emptied yourself of everything, you are finally ready to welcome a true spring. A new shoot is already budding in your roots, and your empty space will become a vessel to hold a greater love.
