Whale

One thing I like about the way Douglas Adams writes "Hitch-hiker's Guide To The Galaxy" is that he does not use the main characters and plot to get his point across, but he uses minor characters and subplots. That way you don't really have to read to whole book to get the gist of his message.

One of my favourite minor characters is the Whale. The Whale appeared suddenly out of nowhere on top of a planet called "Magrathea" alongside a pot of flowers (which also appeared out of nowhere) falling towards the ground. The Whale had a very self-aware existential life of discovery which sadly lasts only a minute before it impacts the ground, leaving a large crater and quite a lot of atomized whale remains. During the short time when it was alive, the whale asked questions like, "What am I?" "What is my purpose in life?" and things like that before falling to its death.

I think the whale represents all of us, the moment we appear on this earth we are already hurdling to our deaths. While we try to search for the answers to life it will already be too late, we would already leave a crater on the ground, the pot of flowers falling alongside us would be the flowers someone would leave on our gravesite.

I know all that sounds a bit morbid but it is the truth. The good news is that this apparent "freefall" in our lives is avoidable. If we know who to turn to. I do, do you?