A Meditation on the Weird and Wonderful (satire)

Sometimes, out of fear a person would deem me weird, rather than acknowledge their fear and grow from that knowledge.

Labelling me weird means you are afraid of someone else being different from you.

It also means you do not care to know me, but wish to remain ignorant of the fact that I am mostly harmless and am a very loyal friend to those people who are willing to abandon their fear of me and to love me just as I am.

Knowing this, I understand why I have few friends because truth telling like this is certain to scare away people unable to handle the truth.
They will deny it to be true, and accuse me of insulting them, telling me "You don't know me."

Of course, I do not know you but the truth is, my own fear of you do not end with me projecting it onto you, and labelling you "weird". That would be too easy to do.

Instead, I would meditate on why people label other people they barely know as "weird", and come to realize that such labelling is based on ignorance about the "weird" person and the unwillingness to get to know the other person and truly acknowledge them as a human being.

Perhaps we project our anxiety about "being different" onto other people, mainly because we want to fit in, and keeping out people who we think don't fit in is for the greater good.

Sadly though, creating a "them versus us" scenario violates the human rights of the person who is merely different from you, even if it may be higher intelligence, being more patient than Job, or having the biggest collection of plush toys.

For myself, I find that I grow from the knowledge about other people who are my closest friends. This comes through sharing our thoughts about our lives, and overcoming our fears about what concerns us, such as food, shelter and entertainment. Often it requires promises of commitment followed by honoring that commitment.

Perhaps it is possible to be weird and wonderful. Perhaps weird morphs into a new kind of difference which arises out of love and respect for each other. Maybe it's time to embrace the fear and transform our inner weirdness into something wonderful.

For love conquers the fear of being different.

Sister Moon Conquors Terror

Smiling her radiant smile,
this fine lady grows from a pale ghost
with age spots on her cheek
into a beautiful princess, shining brightly

This princess spins a coat
for a rabbit who forsakes carrots
for cheese, which is found everywhere
in this eternal kingdom.

Where is this kingdom?
Now it is waning into the new;
in a fortnight, it waxes full.
What is its true name?


One day the shining princess found a rabbit, licking spilled milk. Nearby, a cow with wings munched on corn stalks.

"Hulloa, flying cow! You seem heavy with milk Why is this rabbit lapping at your excess?"

Without a word the cow took to the sky. "The children in a far-off kingdom are crying!" it mooed.

Soon darkness fell, and the princess became splotchy. Fretting, she picked up the rabbit and stroked its fur. The rabbit shuddered, and spoke:

"Those children cry because of a monster!"

"What monster?" she asked. "Please tell me, Sir Rabbit!"

"The same one that chased away Sir Cow!" replied he. "It has ravaged their village across the Narrow Bridge in the Lowlands!"

"Then I must go to Brother Sun to ask his help. No children should suffer a monster such as this!"

So the dark princess went before the Sun and curtsied.

In a booming voice, Brother Sun said, "Sister Moon! Welcome back! What brings you here?"

"Brother, Sir Rabbit tells me a monster of the Lowlands now makes children cry."

"It's true!" declared the rabbit. "I tasted spilled milk from Sir Cow!"

"This will not do! Hide me from the Lowlands, sister!"

And the dark princess, Sister Moon, obscured the sun from the Lowlands.

Soon, faintly they hear a keening cry.

"Oooooh, these lands be dark. I've no humans to eat, no terror to bring them, and hear only the crying of children. It makes me so lonely!"

So Sister Moon let Sir Rabbit go. Then she gathered up her armour, shield and sword.

She slipped across the Narrow Bridge, and challenged the monster.

"Foul beast! Eaters of humans, monster who makes children cry! Stand still and let me slay you!"

Under this barrage of insults, the monster rose high and towered over her.

"Ah, pretty woman! I eat you too!"

In an instant, Sister Moon grew to match her adversary. "Who are you to chase the flying cow, Sir Cow, away? And to frighten children? Have you no shame, monster?"

"I am but the desires dark, and passions deep!" roared the monster. "My name is Terror. What be yours, my pretty?"

"Sister Moon, the bright princess!" cried she, and struck at Terror.

Mortally wounded, Terror fell and disappeared like fog under the sun.

Then Sister Moon found the children.

She took the crying children and comforted them.

Then she took them away to the moon and brought them to her kingdom to live.

Sometimes you can see her up in the sky when the moon is full, her adopted children hiding on the dark side of the moon.

So when you look at the moon when full, wave to Sister Moon and her adopted sons and daughters.

You might not see them because they're far away. That's because they actually live in your heart.