tales for dreamers: the three wise men by the window sill

The three wise men hang around by the window sill all day long and dole out prophecies to innocent passersby.

Trouble is, no one can hear them. Even if they do, the passersby just pretend that the voices coming out of nowhere are only figments of their imagination.

But that does not stop the three wise men from sharing their wisdom with the world. They now resort to shining brightly to grab the attention of the accidental receivers of wisdom.

The wise man on the left starts to shimmer and glitter if he knows your past is about to catch up with you. The past may well be long gone, but nothing stops it from shaping your present and your future, he believes.

The one on the right glistens and glimmers to let you know a glorious destiny awaits you, whatever your past may have been. Obviously, he is always at loggerheads with the one on the left, and both try to outdo the other in guiding the passersby. Today he shines so brightly you are blinded by the promises of what the future might bring; so you forget your past and trip over today in reckless haste.

The wise man in the middle rarely shines. People rarely notice him, so he ignores them too.

He shakes his head at his quarrelling partners.
“Fools,” he laughs.

We know not whether he is ridiculing his partners or his mockery is aimed at you, you who runs from your past and hurtles impatiently into the future.