Feature Image: Flow of Time by SvenjaLiv courtesy of DeviantArt. Click here for more of SvenjaLiv’s wonderful artwork.
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For those who haven’t read “Momo” or who have missed the previous articles about the book, please check out the first article of this series for a brief summary of the story and to read about the magic of a good ear: Momo: Part I
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Crossing the Red Line
The importance of a well-done job—enjoying what you do and doing what you enjoy. We hear and read about it everywhere, and it all sounds great, doesn’t it? But if you think of all of the humans on planet Earth in this present moment, how many people are actually experiencing this reality?
This was once considered normal life in Momo’s little neighborhood, however. Everything was as it was meant to be—as it is meant to be in a somewhat healthy society.
Momo’s friend Beppo, the old street sweeper, knew this well and applied it to his daily work. Step by step, one sweep and one breath at a time, he finished his work on time every single day. Perfect job, no hurrying, no stress and no delays. What was his secret? He was fully present, in the present, viewing time as a present. (Could it be a coincidence that we use the same word for all three definitions?) Each one of his hours was given to him as a priceless gift and he used them wisely. The same thing happened when he talked: he took his time and he thought before speaking. People tended to think he had a few screws loose because of this—imagine the world we live in, when people are thought to be nuts when they actually know how to use their time!
Momo’s other friend, young and bubbly Guido, the storyteller, also knew how to use his time. He did it in a different way, though. His own unique way, which involved making up stories for a few coins from his astonished audience. The few lost tourists who ventured outside the city and found the small amphitheatre wanted to hear exciting stories about it. And that’s when Guido got the chance to give them what they wanted. From the day Momo entered his life, Guido got so inspired by her listening, that he never needed to tell the same story twice. Inspiration and passion, combined with a huge thirst for life and communication, ruled Guido’s life—this was his way of wisely using his time. He always had time to tell one more story, there was always time for a daydreamer to fly.
Then the Men in Grey took over the city…
(check out the previous article on the Men in Grey) Momo II
Life was never the same after that. Not even for Momo, who was the only person the Men in Grey couldn’t steal a single second from. They were in fact terrified of her because, unlike the rest, she could see them and remember them.
Momo never changed, but everyone around her did. Suddenly, old Beppo started sweeping faster and faster, but for the first time in his life, he couldn’t finished his work in time. There was always more. He didn’t have enough time anymore, and being an old man, he soon became stressed, overworked and exhausted. In the same unexpected way, Guido was “discovered” one day by some agency, and just a few days later, his stories were being broadcasted on TV. Oh, his dream come true! It all went up quickly for our fascinated storyteller until the audience started wanting more than he could give. Suddenly the red line had been crossed, and he, too, started becoming stressed and overworked. Soon, his worst nightmare came true: he started losing his inspiration and had to start remaking his stories, recycling old ones, and even telling them twice, only to find that the audience didn’t even notice! Were they really listening to his stories, or simply consuming them, like fast food, to momentarily entertain their minds, only to be forgotten the next minute?
Does this sound familiar? Constant overloads of information that people rarely remember having read/watched/listened to just five minutes later, or one day, or one week later, it doesn’t matter. Stories getting lost…music getting lost… our overconsuming society is based on swallowing more than our minds can digest. Once again, Momo, having been written in the 70’s, is speaking to us in 2015, about this wasting attitude, this lack of appreciation, that seems to have become the norm.
Our world has crossed the red line. We crossed that red line a long time ago…
Another example of this is how books like Momo—which apparently was very well known just 20 or even 10 years ago—are complete strangers to people nowadays. Along with Momo, thousands of other stories have quickly been forgotten. This happens with authors, with musicians and movies. It’s even happening with people’s own memories. By daily swallowing these massive amounts of information, our minds are being programmed to forget what happened just a few days ago, just in order to make space for the next load.
Momo invites us to slow down, pay more attention, listen and enjoy life. Live life before you die, but live it well. Living faster won’t get you more life, because no matter how fast you go, life will keep flowing one hour at a time, one second at a time. By accelerating, you will only make it less meaningful. Slow down, and start to live, one sweep at a time, one breath at a time, one story at a time.
More Hour Lilies will be given away for our best commenters and readers. 😉
(Wanna know what an Hour Lily is? Keep reading Momo and you’ll find out…)
