Unexplainity

A Deepessay by

Andreas Thelander Bertelsen & Per Jespersen

Late summer light over the landscape. The sun is shining orange with
almost vertical beams casting long shadows everywhere, as if the world
was about to being created once again. The sparrows are twittering from
the branches of the low trees, ready for the darkness, until they get
disturbed by a sneaking cat. In anger they fly away – having to find a new
place for the night. Could they speak human language they would have
said: damn this cat who always disturbs our calmness before the sleep.
Twilight over landscape.
Tranquillity.

The marshland is so flat, that the sky seems eternal and without
limitations. It reaches way out into the unknown space. The sky is turning
green and purple, and the red houses seem to twinkle as pearls, thrown by
an unknown God. The smell of meadow is everywhere, and a flock of
hundreds of geese fly towards the sea behind the dikes – a thought in
God’s mind or instinct? Nobody knows – not even the geese.
The colours of the landscape change almost every minute.
Without explanation.

A small village – only a few houses – very few people, whom you do not
see except for some playing children enjoying themselves with the football
in the yards of the former school. A single blackbird caws before going to
sleep in some hidden trees.
God dreaming?
Or Nature?

The old charming house. Five hundred years of age. The windows are
almost hidden by leaves. Trees lean against the roof, as if they were so
depressively tired – some swallows twitter eagerly from the dead trees.
Night is near.
God’s resting?
Nature’s rhythm?

Inside the house a cold entrance and with blankets covering the front door
to keep the cold out. The first door has the year 1757 cut out in it. Small
rooms – you have to bow your head not to touch the ceiling. First room is
the kitchen, the next a huge scullery with lots of doors leading to tiny
rooms.
And a very special room:
There is a strange table made of a tree trunk with natural forms – lots of
empty bottles and cans and chains of paper clips made by the kids coming
here. And on the walls different banknotes, empty CDs held by small
needles. On the table two pyramids, a crystal and lots of old coins left for
remembrance by the kids coming here once a week.

The room is not empty now. Two persons are sitting at the strange table. A
boy of thirteen – grey-brown eyes – slim – a smiling face and with a
special neckless. And a man of sixty-two – brown glasses – dressed in jeans
and jacket – blue-brown eyes – the natural shoulderlong hair uncombed.
Thoughts and words are flying across the table as they always do, when we
are sitting together in this room, where words and thoughts are hanging in
the air like the bottles and cans, so we only have to grasp them and put
them together into deep meanings. That is the magic of this room.
”Magic has something to do with happy things, supernatural and
unexplainable things,” Andreas says.
”Yes, and I think, that there is magic everywhere,” Per answers.
”Maybe everything has both a subjective and an objective side.”
”In fact, I think you’re right, but where is the magic, the unexplainable, the
undefinable – where is it?”
”I would say in the subjective side,” Andreas says firmly.
”I do agree with you, and that’s the reason why it’s so difficult for people
to find magic.”
”Yes, we don’t think subjectively, so we won’t find magic, because we try
to think objectively all the time.”
”I wish that many more people would understand this. Then the world
would be different. The school forces you into objectivity.”
”Yeah, cause the school tells us, that objectivity is the one and only thing,
that it is essential in order to get a job and a good life.”
”What does the school neglect, then?”
”Subjectivity, magic, and emotions.”
”And what is the result of this, Andreas?”
”Non-subjective persons. But I think we are too tough in our criticizing the
school – that’s not my idea – but still – it changes people’s emotions.”
”And maybe their personalities, too?”
”A little, I think. There is not room enough for it. It is not allowed to
express itself, because many schools think, that it is not necessary.”
”I feel that it’s crucial for the personality to express itself,” Per says.
”It needs to be shared with other people.”
”Why?”
”In order to be pure and ---”, Andreas hesitates.
”--- to find itself in the sharing with other people?”
”Yeah, because otherwise it gets confused, lonesome, regressed.”
”A dimension?”
It is twilight outside, and we can hear the blackbirds sing for the last time
this day. We think deeply, trying to be really profound – and the birds are
singing.
”Sure, a dimension,” Andreas says eagerly. ”A dimension that can’t unfold
– you feel you can’t do things together with other people.”
”So do you mean, that the personality cripples,” Per asks.
”A lot of things you can’t share with your children – the topics you discuss
with your friends get blunted. Things bolt for you, and you turn into a kind
of person, who only chats about superfluous things, or you get unsocial:
the lost dimension. The longer you live like this, the more tough it is to get
back into your own life. You only get friends with the same problems – a
vicious circle.” Andreas looks at Per, perhaps thinking that this is a
catastrophe.
”As you put it,” Per says, while it has turned almost completely dark
outside, ”it looks bad for the future of mankind. But I do agree with you,
and I really don’t know what to do about it. What you just said I know
from myself – I think you do, too – I think a lot of people do – but I fear
that they don’t want to be confronted with it. But Andreas, I do see a light
at the end of the tunnel.”
”What kind of light?”
”Philosophy.” Per knows that Andreas knew the answer on beforehand.
”I’m not satisfied with one word. I don’t see what you mean deep down,
when you only give me one word. So I quote ”Oinkyness”, which we
wrote together: Explain!!!”
”You got me!! I think, that philosophy, especially for children, is the issue,
that can give us the lost dimension back. Because philosophy provides the
opportunity for children to express themselves. Philosophy breaks the
vicious circle for people, who scarcely know who they are and what they
really want.”
”But how can children meet philosophy?”
”In the schools, at home, everywhere.”
Andreas continues: ”But what can make children think and talk in
philosophical terms?”
”I think, that society moves away from philosophy in the Western world.
Unfortunately. Could you help me, Andreas?”
”No.”
”How come? I’m not satisfied with one word. Explain!!!”
”I don’t know. Well, you see – what I mean – it’s something. Hey listen!
It’s a task for teachers and teachers for teachers and mostly for parents. I
should like to see families discuss philosophical issues on a down-to-earth
basis. To see them talk to their children about the world and what happens
in it. To see parents talk about – let’s say about the fighting, that one of the
boys had taken part in. And then they could discuss what happened – listen
to the child – let him express himself without giving him the words – and
then start a down-to-earth talk about power, showing power, and feeling
power.”
”Andreas, I couldn’t agree more. You’re a deep thinker.”
”That’s nice. Thank you.” Andreas is looking at the mystic pyramid on the
table, thinking deeply, while the bats outside the windows are busy
catching butterflies. ”Why on earth do you have two pyramids on your
table?”
”To create a good atmosphere. You see, most of the things on the table
do not belong to me, but to the kids coming here. This is the kids’
room.”
”Are you saying, that this room is the kids’ room?”
”In fact, yes. Isn’t that some kind of magic?”
”Yeah, I think so.”
”Do you feel this magic here, too, Andreas?”
”Yeah, very much. Every child, who has been here, has left a thought, not
only a thing. It can be physically cold in here, but very heartily warm at
the same time.”
”I will confess something to you, Andreas. This is my house, but I feel,
that it belongs to something higher – I don’t know what – there is some
sacredness.”
”A higher meaning,” Andreas answers. ”Something – undefinable.”
”I find the undefinable parts of Life most interesting, almost sacred. I
really do.”
”I follow you. I feel the same way.”
We both feel a strange kind of interdependence. Therefore, I continue:
”I think, that small children live in a magic world. They wouldn’t be
surprised, if a beautiful princess all of a sudden popped into the room.”
Now Andreas breaks in, ”Until they are told, that it is not so. They get
rational explanations. But we can’t totally break their magic world.”
”Yes we can. We can spoil it completely and destroy their lives.”
”No way, we’re not on the same track here. I mean, we can’t leave them in
the beautiful, magic, undefinable, and unexplainable universe. They have
to step into the world of reality.”---Pause.--- ”That’s not entirely, what I
mean. Gosh, it’s difficult!”
”Andreas, I’m a patient man. I have time to wait.”
”Sure, sure.”
”And I’m waiting.”
The darkness is deep outside now.
”We have all night, Andreas.”
”Was that supposed to be funny?”
”Yes.”
”Per, won’t you help me now?”
”I’m always ready to help you – but I should like to hear you try to
express, what I misunderstood.”
”I’m trying to use my words to explain, what I intuitively know.”
”You pinpoint, what philosophy is. Because philosophy deals with the
whole unexplainable world. That’s what makes it so fascinating. I hate
rationality and love Unexplainity.”
”For me hate is a strong word, but I feel that, too.”
”But Andreas, you’re thirteen, you’re a boy –”
”I know that.”
”Still a child – and yet you are able to feel these things. You’re not only a
deep thinker – you have a sensitive intelligence.”
Silence.
Deep silence.
Profound tranquillity.
I love this tranquillity and unexplainity, and the words and the thoughts are
flying around the room: we know each other’s thinking. The tranquillity is
physical, and the spirituality is alive and kicking.
”That’s the way I want the world to be. It would be Paradise for me,” Per
says.
”You are the unexplainable positiveness,” Andreas says. ”I love the way
you handle things and I love your unexplainity.”
”Hey Andreas, are we praising each other here?”
”Yes we are – and I should like many more people doing that to
each other.”
”Shortly: compassion.”
”It’s so important to be positive and possess openness. If not – there’ll be
no dialogues – people would avoid talking to negative-minded people.
You can always learn from other people. If the man, you talk to, is not
open – you can sort of open him by sacrificing a little of yourself.”
”Don’t you run a risk, Andreas; isn’t there always a risk here?”
”What you don’t die from makes you stronger.”
”So you are willing to take the risk?”
”I’ll tell you something. I think that many people today dare not take that
risk it is to be open to friends and family. They are scared because of some
kind of inner loneliness.”
”I do agree with you. The up-bringing you have got has forgotten to show
how to socialize. Everyone becomes what they are brought up to.”
”What has happened to the upbringing? How has it changed, if it has?”
”Some go to church every Sunday. That’s the highlight of the week for
many people. But that’s not the way it is in the western world.”
”We’ve lost something. Is that what you mean,” Per asks.
”Sure, we have lost. Religion is both good and bad.”
”What’s the good side, and what’s the bad side?”
”It’s a good side, that religion gives people something to rely on. But they
get the answers from the Church. I think philosophy gives you your own
answers.”
”How crucial is it for people to have something to rely on?”
”You would have no background – as if you dropped out of a jail – here I
am – what do I have? I have nothing.”
”I am nothing?”
”Yes, I think so.” Andreas is hesitating for a while.
”Is it necessary for human beings to have connections to something
unchangeable, something unquestionable – something spiritually firm?”
”Very much so. Life is like hanging in a branch of a tree on a huge rock. If
you don’t have this connection, the branch breaks and you fall – it’s tough
to grasp another branch in your falling. If you succeed in surviving, you’ll
try to climb up the rock to get the first branch. So Life is searching – deep
longing – grasping after ----”
”There’re some words missing here,” Per says.
”Yes, the navel string to the heartbeat of Life.”
”Andreas, is compassion a philosophical concept?”
”Jesus preached compassion. But I think, that he first and foremost was a
human being. His compassion was pure, natural, but also unexplainable.”
”So Andreas – do you see Jesus as a philosopher of compassion?”
”Very much so.” Andreas looks totally convinced.
”I am very impressed. You touched my very soul!”
”Thank you. But I do mean it.”
”So, compassion is a necessity for all of us – we both mean that – do you
think, that philosophy can help us refind the lost ability of feeling
compassion?”
”Of course, you know that I mean that!”
Per laughs. ”Explain!!!”
”Something has to wake you up – you can meet deep thinking people, who
can give you a brand new philosophical perspective. This changes
something in you in a profound way. Maybe it’s very little – a tiny push –
and you see the world with completely new eyes. For other people it might
look as nothing special, but for you it can change you and give you trust in
yourself. But it can also be totally different – this push can break you
down or wake you up.”
”This is the risk, isn’t it?”
”Yes sure. Both parts run a risk, but you can’t live a real life without
taking risks. Then it will go the wrong way.”
”I follow you. For me risk has some sort of joy in it.”
”Very much. There you go: the discussion is there.”
”Compassion is risk and joy at the same time,” Per says.
The darkness outside seems to be the opposite of the spiritual light we are
talking about. Perhaps the trees are kept awake, because they want to listen
to the dialogue between the two of us.
”Yes,” Andreas says eagerly. ”So why fear?”

The old trees outside the room are whispering secretly together in the
darkness.

There will be no manual to this last deepessay: it is meant for enjoyable reading.

The six deepessays were created on “Reading Line” (LÆSELINIEN) in Randerup by the boy Andreas and the philosopher Per Jespersen.

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