there is a Melville tale that’s not about a whale. there is this office worker named Bartleby who day by day works less and less. there is no reason for his descent into inactivity. when asked to act, he simply says, “I prefer not to.” as the story begins to pick up speed and urgency, the reader gets caught up in the narrator’s angst. And then, like missing a stairstep in the dark, we all stumble into the truth. This isn’t a story about Bartleby. This is a story about how everyone reacts. it is a story about us.
it’s time we figured that out. while we still have the grains of sand in our open hand, while we are still, at least, a little free, we can choose who we want to be.
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