Thursday, January 12, 2006
Page 12
The boy stopped his preparation of the food, he was tired, overworked, and he didn’t feel as though he were doing anything wrong at all. He put down the sharp stone he was cutting with and looked up.
“No, you’re not doing anything wrong, but you’re not doing it particularly right either, do you see what I mean?”
Learner shook his head and sighed, but he waited eagerly for instruction.
“Everything you ever do must be done with a certain care. The way you walk, the way you breathe even. As you work up from those basic things nothing else needs more care and attention. Work when you are tired and focus on the most basic aspects of it, the more you do the better you will be. You cannot help but to improve, even at the simplest skills of hunting, foraging, and food preparation.”
Pointing to a part of the animal that the boy was cutting the old man asked, “Do you see this seam right here running from the belly to the neck?” When the boy nodded he continued, “You would have an easier time if you cut along it, the skin would peel easier and you would be able to work better with the meat and removing it from the bone, do you see?”
A nod and less of a frown was the assent he received.
“Good, now look here…” And so the lesson continued for over an hour even as the boy was already exhausted, he strived to remember everything. Demonstrating on the large lizard that they would be eating, the master pointed out and gave examples of all the ways in which it could be dissected for purposes of cooking and eating. He took great pains to emphasize that not only were the fruits of his efforts cleaner, but it was shorter and required less effort.
The boy took to the lesson well, though it was a strenuous effort. His focus was constantly shifting from words about anatomy and cutting to reprimands and reminders to focus on his breathing and even it out. It was, however, the perfect time for it all, as the longer he worked at it in such an exhausted shape the better formed his movements and the more memory of what to do he retained.
After the first was complete under the watchful eye of the teacher, the boy did another one on his own, practicing what he had learned. When he was done with that the teacher spoke again, saying, “Very, very good. Now, when you’re done, I want you to go about preparing a third for good measure, after that, you should sleep”
With that, he closed his eyes and began drowsing.
“All things need resources to live, however they choose to do it. A farmer needs land, a trader needs people, a lord needs servants, and so on and so forth.”
The pair followed along a trail of one small growing thing after another as the lesson was taught. Each plant seemed to thrive in its own way. The teacher then went on to say, “Plants this healthy need soil, not sand, and water more than what comes from the rain here.”
“Where does the soil come from?”
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“No, you’re not doing anything wrong, but you’re not doing it particularly right either, do you see what I mean?”
Learner shook his head and sighed, but he waited eagerly for instruction.
“Everything you ever do must be done with a certain care. The way you walk, the way you breathe even. As you work up from those basic things nothing else needs more care and attention. Work when you are tired and focus on the most basic aspects of it, the more you do the better you will be. You cannot help but to improve, even at the simplest skills of hunting, foraging, and food preparation.”
Pointing to a part of the animal that the boy was cutting the old man asked, “Do you see this seam right here running from the belly to the neck?” When the boy nodded he continued, “You would have an easier time if you cut along it, the skin would peel easier and you would be able to work better with the meat and removing it from the bone, do you see?”
A nod and less of a frown was the assent he received.
“Good, now look here…” And so the lesson continued for over an hour even as the boy was already exhausted, he strived to remember everything. Demonstrating on the large lizard that they would be eating, the master pointed out and gave examples of all the ways in which it could be dissected for purposes of cooking and eating. He took great pains to emphasize that not only were the fruits of his efforts cleaner, but it was shorter and required less effort.
The boy took to the lesson well, though it was a strenuous effort. His focus was constantly shifting from words about anatomy and cutting to reprimands and reminders to focus on his breathing and even it out. It was, however, the perfect time for it all, as the longer he worked at it in such an exhausted shape the better formed his movements and the more memory of what to do he retained.
After the first was complete under the watchful eye of the teacher, the boy did another one on his own, practicing what he had learned. When he was done with that the teacher spoke again, saying, “Very, very good. Now, when you’re done, I want you to go about preparing a third for good measure, after that, you should sleep”
With that, he closed his eyes and began drowsing.
* * *
“All things need resources to live, however they choose to do it. A farmer needs land, a trader needs people, a lord needs servants, and so on and so forth.”
The pair followed along a trail of one small growing thing after another as the lesson was taught. Each plant seemed to thrive in its own way. The teacher then went on to say, “Plants this healthy need soil, not sand, and water more than what comes from the rain here.”
“Where does the soil come from?”
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# posted by BentSea @ 1:00 PM 
