FENCE : NATURE = GREED : BENEVOLENCE

On Christmas Eve, we were watching a thriller on the TV in the lounge and suddenly there was a big thud. It gave us all a start. I looked out and to my horror; five panels of our fence had fallen on the driveway. It was very windy and raining. We could not go out and do anything so we continued to watch the film. As soon as the film finished we went out and tried to lift the panels but we could not. The panels are heavy and they had become heavier with thorough soaking by the continuous rain for the last few days.  With Christmas and New Year, I do not think we can get any workman to fix these in a hurry.

This fence is not really for any protection, no one is trying to encroach on our garden or stealing our plants but still not having a fence made us very uneasy. May be it is just because we had become used to seeing the fence all the time since we moved in this house some 20 years ago  and it had become a habit, a part of the norm.

Alternatively, maybe, it is something deeper in our psyche.

The desire to put a fence around ones' property is so universal. Not just the humans but also many of the animals do it.  We all carve out our little spaces so as not to feel insignificant in this vast Universe.  We try our best to individualise our surroundings, mark little territories to impose our pathetic sense of possessiveness and self-importance.

Nature is benevolent and does not approve of this. It tries to remove the barriers and make everything available to and for all. The fences fall, the houses collapse, the towns turn into jungles and the countries vanish from the map but we still jealously erect our fences and try to keep a bit of this vast universe just for ourselves. We grab bigger and bigger spaces and to protect it erect higher and higher fences.

If everyone had their fare share of space, based on need rather than greed (innate desire to possess more) there will be no need for fences. However, in a capitalist society with its high emphasis on the individual’s material achievements, it is a futile dream. Inequality in terms of material possessions does produce envy and societal discordance. The fences are here to stay.

 I have to go now and look in the Yellow Pages to find a builder.

Note: With the help of our guests who came to celebrate Christmas with us, we managed to lift the fence and temporarily fix it, thus averting the need to get a builder immediately.

However banal it may seem but the feeling that "my space is secure" is back. Now I can enjoy the rest of the festivities. Happy New Year to you all too.