Fiction Friday: A Far-flung Blog Collection

Walls and Other Placebos

Originally posted by Bodhi Khan on alexisdonkin.com blog, 2-19-16

I'm going to give you a little piece of advice and say walls don't keep people out. Anyone who really wants to get inside a place, will. A fox will find a way into the farm. Ants find their way into a cupboard. A monkey will find his way into a kitchen and grab a sack of potatoes. Hell, a toddler will scale a gate once they've decided that's how to get the good stuff. Walls just don't work.

In ancient China, the Steppe peoples easily scaled the Chinese walls. In ancient Britain, the Scots easily crossed the Roman walls.

Let's not pretend this is about keeping people out. This is absolutely about the people in.

Building a wall is like burying yourself under your comforter after you drew your curtains. It's an ostrich with it's head in the sand. It's an opossum standing still when it's been caught – hoping the predator – the boogeyman will disappear.

But look, problems don't just go away. That's not how this game is played.

You've got to deal with your problems. You can't just sit locked in your room, humming to yourself with your eyes shut.

I mean, you can. I guess you can. If you want things to get worse, you absolutely can hide from what's going on. You can absolutely choose to avoid understanding the root cause of your problem and let it fester.

Everyone has that choice.

But if you want things to get better, there's really only one choice.

I feel bad for Rowan because he's been trying to build walls. He thinks that if he plays things safe he'll come out all right. Of course it won't, not with the government and...well, others looking for him. He can't do this long term. When so many different people want something from you, you have to come up with a real strategy. Running is not a long term strategy. Hiding is not a long term strategy. Avoiding who you are isn't even a short term strategy.

As uncomfortable as it is, Rowan has to take his head out of the sand and face these things headed his way.

So I'm telling you what I told Rowan: don't avoid your problems. Don't hide under your blankets hoping things will change without your action. Recognize this is scary, but it has to be done. Confront your fear, and things will start happening. You've got so much to do, there's no time to waste.

*****

Bodhi Khan is a character of my work-in-progress novel, THE CHANGELING TREE. Stay tuned for more about him and Rowan Gray.