Man of the Earth Earthy (1)

Author Unknown (translated from Dutch)

A certain person whose name was Of the earth Earthy lived in a very old, run-down, and crooked house where the walls were everywhere split open, bent, and forlorn-looking; in short, it was not much more than a rejected building, fit to be razed, that was still called a home since the aforementioned Of the earth Earthy lived there and called it his home.

Now it happened on a certain day that a sensible and wise Architect passed by the house and, with a knowledgeable eye looking upon it, wondered that it was still inhabited because of the danger which existed for the resident since, with the coming of the least little storm, this dilapidated structure would cave in and bury him under the rubble. With a heartfelt love towards his neighbor he knocked on the door. The owner of the house opened the door himself and asked the Architect what he wanted. He answered that the reason for his knocking was because of wonderment and fear for the life of the resident of this dangerous home. “I am surprised,” he said, “that someone still dares to live and to trust in the stability of this house, for I fear that it will suddenly collapse. I am thinking with sincere love about your protection and safety; therefore; I would suggest that you find a safer place to live.”

The occupant of the dilapidated house answered and said, “Sir, you bring me a heavy message, but I do not share your concerns about my dwelling. I have lived in it my entire life; yea, I have even been born here, and I am so used to it that I would gladly stay here and not move somewhere else. I also have no desire to renovate it, for that will cost me too much money. I have a firm hope that it will remain standing for the rest of my life.”

The Architect answered, “My dear man, think of your danger. I am saying it to you out of love and for your survival. Do you not see that crack in the sidewall which runs from the top to the bottom? Do you not see the sagging and leaning of the front porch? What about the holes in the roof and the worm holes in the almost destroyed beams, the back porch which is giving way and not supported, the sinking of the floors, not to mention the unsuitableness and many shortcomings of the rooms, the doors, windows, dining room, provision cellar, etc.? There is not a door or window which closes properly, and the window panes are so weather beaten that even in the day time one cannot look through them. To tell you the truth, I do not believe that you have ever cleaned the place as long as you have lived here. For just to dust the home in the fall of the year, even reasonable people who value their homes do not consider that sufficient to truly clean and freshen their dwellings. In short, my good man, I am convinced that if there should come a heavy thunderstorm during the night while you are sleeping without any cares, this house will collapse upon you at a time when you had least expected to meet your untimely end.”

Here upon the man answered again, “Listen to me, sir, I know that my house is old and not in very good condition and that by far I am not the cleanest individual, but I often think of the proverb ‘creaking wagons run the longest,’ and I believe that as I have lived in my poor little house for a long time, I will be able to live in it a bit longer.” With these words the two men parted from one another.

Shortly hereafter, the occupant of the house decided to give his house a look over. He plastered here and there the cracks and the holes in the walls with some loose plaster, and where the house was falling down, he placed some beams to keep it from falling any farther. He did some painting on the outside of the house, fixed up the front porch, the windows and the window frames, and the top and bottom of the front door, saying to himself that now no one would be able to make any further comments about the house.

What happened? The above-named Architect passed by, and seeing that a few outward changes had been made to the house, again knocked on the door. The owner of the house, quite satisfied with himself, opened the door and now expected to be praised for taking the time and effort to improve his house somewhat. The Architect who was very knowledgeable and who possessed an enlightened and discerning spirit said, “O my friend, Of the earth Earthy, it is true that you have done something to your house, but with what you have done you show me that you did not understand me, for it is but patchwork and daubing with un-tempered mortar. It will really not be of any benefit, no matter how nicely it has been done. It is true, here and there you have placed a support because the flimsiness was quite visible, but the ground whereon those pillars are leaning is not firm and sure; it is but sand, mud, and rubble. It is unfit to bear any weight, even much less the support of an entire building wherein a person is trusting the safety of his life and goods. Let me warn you once more that with the coming of an unexpected storm or high wind, your home is in danger of falling, and the unstable ground upon which the house is standing shall certainly give way; the fall of your dwelling will be great.” Having said this, the Architect wished him well and said goodbye.

(To be continued)

Deze tekst is geautomatiseerd gemaakt en kan nog fouten bevatten. Digibron werkt voortdurend aan correctie. Klik voor het origineel door naar de pdf. Voor opmerkingen, vragen, informatie: contact.

Op Digibron -en alle daarin opgenomen content- is het databankrecht van toepassing. Gebruiksvoorwaarden. Data protection law applies to Digibron and the content of this database. Terms of use.

Printen