By Recently, I came across what you could call a bizarre story. This is a short story is called ‘Wakefield’ by the author Nathaniel Hawthrone. One fine day (maybe not-so fine), Wakefield decides to absent himself from his life and goes into self-banishment. He tells his wife that he is going on a short trip and he takes residence in a place close to his ‘home’. From that residence, he observes his home and looks at the changes in his family over the years – how they slowly get accustomed to life without him. He often dwells upon the reaction of his family and friends if he suddenly shows up. The story ends with him returning after 20 years as it he never had disappeared.
This story is a reality check for all those who think that the world would come to a standstill without their intervention. Don’t we all think so – perhaps the world makes us believe it while you live; but this experiment of disappearance would give you a reality check. The truth is YOU ARE NOT IMPORTANT. In a few moments of your death, people will think about the disposal of your body, will shed a few tears at your grave and life will go as usual – yes for those closely related – life might be difficult for a while, but just as you got through, they will get through too. It is not worth carrying the guilt of importance in your heart – it is time to realise – YOU ARE A NOBODY – YOU ARE NOT A HERO of anybody’s story; even your own.
What if one day you decided to walk away from everything that you ever identified with – friends, family, work, colleagues everything. You can see your world disintegrate with time. You will realise that there is no PAUSE button in life – with your disappearance, the ‘idea’ of you will too have disappeared.
Can you slip back silently – No. ‘You’ no longer remain. It is not that you cannot step into the same river twice because the water is a constant flux – ‘YOU’ have changed. You have already committed the murder – the murder of the ‘idea of you’. Can you tolerate that?
Perhaps it will be better to prepare your own coffin, for people who were to do it for you have foregone that idea. You will have to bid farewell to yourself and throw the last handful of sand to bury yourself. YOU NO LONGER EXIST.
(While researching for this article, I found that there is a movie made on this story in the year 2016, by the same name – will try to watch it soon.)
