A man named Society punched the clock, left his factory, and made his way to the field. There, Society found a tree whose fruit was called silence. Society looked up at the silence, remembered the tales his grandfather spun about it. Silence was sweet, his grandfather said, and if you looked at it just right in the evening sun, you could see a reflection of your truest self in its skin. Considering his ancestor's tale, Society wondered: What is my reflection? The tree was tall, though, and as he contemplated how he might take hold of the silence that was just beyond his reach, his smartphone pinged in his pocket. Again. Again. Again. And distracted from the desire to know his truest self, Society pulled out that phone and gazed into it, going about his way after first stepping over the ladder he’d not noticed lying at his feet. As he went, Society decided that silence was less desirable a fruit than the noise his pocket produced.

***

The above is a short adaptation of Aesop’s famous fable, “The fox and the grapes.” It’s a story I shared last week in my monthly newsletter, and as I continue to put myself into the story, I wonder: How much do I value silence?

How much do you?

Contemplate this question this week, then come back tomorrow for more on the topic of silence.

*Photo taken with the Fujifilm X100S. For behind the scenes content join the inner circle.