In a Nutshell

Victor Pelevin “The Sacred Book of Werewolf”

‘I’m so happy for you, darling!’ I said.

Not many were-creatures know what it is t feel happy for someone else.  And tailless monkeys know even less about it, all they know how to do is smile broadly in order to boost their social adaptability and increase the volume of sales.  While imitating the feeling of happiness for someone else, the tailless monkey actually experiences envy or, in the best case, remains indifferent.  But I really did experience that feeling, as pure and transparent as the water in a mountain stream.

‘You can’t imagine how happy I am for you,’ I repeated and kissed him again.

This time he didn’t move away.

‘Really?’ he asked.  ‘But why?’

‘Because after all this time you’re in a good mood.  You’re feeling better.  And I love you.’

His face darkened a little.

‘I love you too.  But I keep thinking that you’re going to leave me.  You’d probably be better off if you did.  But I won’t feel any happiness for you.’

‘In the first place, I’m not planning on going anywhere,’ I said.  ‘And in the second place, the feeling you speak of isn’t love, it’s a symptom of egoism.  To the male chauvinist in you, I’m merely a toy, a piece of property and a trophy status symbol.  And you’re afraid of losing me in the same way a property owner is afraid of being parted from some expensive item.  You can never feel happy for someone else that way.’

‘So how do you feel happy for someone else?’

‘For that you have to want nothing for yourself.’

‘You’re telling me you don’t want anything for yourself?’ he asked suspiciously.

I shook my head.

‘But why?’

‘I told you that once already.  When you look inside yourself for a long time, you realize that there’s nothing there.  How can you want something for that nothing?’

‘But if there’s nothing inside you, there’s nothing inside anyone else either.’

‘If you think about it properly, there’s nothing real anywhere,’ I said.  ‘There’s only the choice with which you fill emptiness.  And when you feel happy for someone else, you fill emptiness with love.’

‘Whose love? If there isn’t anybody anywhere, then whose love it?’

‘That does not matter to emptiness.  And don’t you get hot and bothered about it either.  But if you want a meaning for life, you’ll never find a better one.’

(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

 Loading ...

Posted on November 28th, 2009 under Literature, Quotes • Tags: "The Sacred Book of Werewolf", egoism, emptiness, envy, happiness, happy, Love, meaning, meaning of life, symbol, Victor Pelevin. • • RSS 2.0 feed • Leave a response, or trackback