Ink Blot

Written by Mark Adam Crow

"So what's that?", Simon asked, pointing at the envelope.

Jack places a hand on it and slides it out of the way, "We'll get to that in a second. First, I just want to ask you a couple questions."

Simon's eyes stay fixed on the envelope as he answers, "Yeah, sure. Ask away."

"What day is it, Simon?"

"Saturday."

"Right. Now, if you had said today is March 31st, would you have been wrong?"

"No."

Why?"

"Because, today is March 31st."

"Okay. What if you had said that today is the day after yesterday. Would that not also be true?"

"Yeah, that's also true, so..."

"Now let's change gears a bit." ,Jack steps away from the desk and heads over to the water cooler across the room. He grabs one of the glasses off of the table and fills it, bringing it back and placing it on the desk in front of Simon asking, "Now, what is that?"

Simon raises an eyebrow, "A glass of water?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Well you didn't sound too sure there for a second."

"I just don't understand what you are doing? I feel like your testing me, or something."

"This isn't a test, Simon. Just some simple questions. No tricks. So, that is a glass of water, yes?"

"Yes."

"You're sure this time?"

"Yes."

"Good. Is it a container of fluid?"

"Yes."

"So is it still a glass of water?"

"Yes."

"And it is a container of fluid?"

"Yes."

"Is it not also a vessel holding melted ice?"

"Sure, I guess. Now, you're sounding a little weird."

"Stick with me here."

"Can you speak Spanish, Simon?"

"No, why?"

"Well, if I had asked a Spanish speaking person the same questions, would they have had said the same things, or would they have used different words?"

"I think they would've had the same sort of response, but they would've have answered in Spanish."

"Are English words and Spanish words the same?"

"No."

"So if the responses are spoken in Spanish, are they still correct?"

"Of course, they are just in Spanish."

"Now, we can sit and use a hundred different descriptions in a thousand languages, to try and communicate what is sitting here on this desk, but does it change what is right in front of us?"

"No, it's still just a glass of water."

"So, what is more important? The actual words being used, or the message they carry?"

"I guess the message. Otherwise, there wouldn't be a need for the words."

"Now, what if I had a machine that ran off of water, could I not then say that this is a glass of fuel?"

"I guess so."

"So, is this a glass of water, or a glass of fuel?"

"Both."

"Okay, now if I did not have a machine that ran on water, but I still called this a glass of fuel, am I wrong then?"

"Could you show me how it is used as fuel?"

"No."

"Then yeah, you would be wrong?"

"Why?"

"Because then you wouldn't have any proof. If you call it a fuel, you have to be able to use it as a fuel to call it a fuel, otherwise what is the point of the word?"

"If I told you that the world was round, but I didn't have any way to show you, would that make me wrong?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because, we know the world is round. We've gone out to space and we have seen it, before that we had science to show us."

"But, if we had never gone to space, and had no access to modern scientific knowledge, and I told you that the world was round, would I still be correct?"

"Yeah."

"Would it make any difference if you agreed, or disagreed with me?"

"No. It would be the truth, no matter if people disagreed or not."

"The planet does not change its shape or nature according our ideas, nor does this glass of water. The planet is round and it makes no difference if we have the tools to see that or not, truth is truth. The glass of water is a glass of fuel, regardless if we have the tools to use it as such. The nature never changed, but rather the understanding of that nature that changes."

"Okay. So, what is with the envelope?"

Jack moves the glass of water out of the way and slides the manilla envelope into its place. He calmly opens the clasp and pulls out a small stack of paper. He pulls a sheet from the top, holding it up for Simon. "What do you see?"

"Oh, this is one of those tests, where you hold up a picture of some ink splattered on a piece of paper, I tell you what I see, then you tell me I have mental problems, right?"

"I told you already, Simon. This is not a test. Just some questions, no tricks. No worries, just tell me what you see."

"Hmmm...it kinda looks like a chicken on a mailbox."

"Okay, and this one?" ,Jack holds up another sheet.

"That one looks like a dolphin running a hot dog stand."

"And this one?"

"That one...hmmm...I don't know. It just looks like a mess."

Jack puts the papers back onto the stack, returns the stack to the envelope, and closes the clasp.

"What if I told you that you got the second one wrong?"

"Huh? How could I have gotten it wrong?"

"You couldn't have gotten it wrong, because there is no correct answer. You could have said any number of things, and there is no way for me to say that you did not see what you say you saw. If I look at the same picture and see something completely different, which one of us is right and which one is wrong?"

"Neither. We both see things differently. It isn't right, or wrong. That's just us being individuals. Not everything is about what is correct or incorrect."

"And that is the point."

"What do you mean? What point?"

"Life is like these sheets of paper. Just like the planet, or that glass of water, the nature of this paper does not change. You and I can both agree that these, " holding up the envelope, "are sheets of paper with blotches of ink on them. That much is true, and our interpretations do not change the paper. We could use a plethora of words and languages, and always it will still be just a piece of paper with blotches of ink."

"I still don't understand."

"Life only has value, when we look past the obvious. When we internalize our universe. We can see life as a piece of paper splattered with ink, or we can see it as a dolphin working a hot dog stand. Neither is right, and neither is wrong, but, if every time I showed you of these pictures you told me it looked like ink on paper, you would've answered correctly, but would've also defeated the purpose of the activity all together. It is our imagination and personal interpretations that make all the difference. Life is like that. There are always things that remain true, regardless, but if we look a little deeper than right on the surface, that is when we open the doors of possibility to new experiences and, in turn, new knowledge."

"So, tell me, why are we doing this? Why are we even having this chat?"

"This chat is just a piece of paper, with some ink on it. It only has the value that you give it. Its meaning is only what you decide it to be. Perhaps, it changes your entire outlook on life, or perhaps, it has been a waste of time. I'm just here to splatter some ink around."

"Sometimes I wonder about you, man."

"Yeah, me too."