Philosopher Kenneth Burke wrote:
"Imagine that you enter a parlor. You come late. When you arrive, others have long preceded you, and they are engaged in a heated discussion, a discussion too heated for them to pause and tell you exactly what it is about. In fact, the discussion had already begun long before any of them got there, so that no one present is qualified to retrace for you all the steps that had gone before. You listen for a while, until you decide that you have caught the tenor of the argument; then you put in your oar. Someone answers; you answer him; another comes to your defense; another aligns himself against you, to either the embarrassment or gratification of your opponent, depending upon the quality of your ally's assistance. However, the discussion is interminable. The hour grows late, you must depart. And you do depart, with the discussion still vigorously in progress."
The quotation above is a metaphor for life. When we are born, we are all invited to this dinner party. We get ready to go, do our hair, put on our nicest shoes and head out to the dinner party. When we arrive, we need to take some time to catch up with those who arrived before us at the dinner party. They talk and talk and talk and laugh and cry and yell and talk again; finally, you think you know what they are talking about! Excitement bubbles up inside of you because this is the moment when you finally find out what this intricate conversation is all about! You speak. Your input in the conversation may lead to some controversy as it is an idea not yet considered. Some of the members may attack you, some may defend your point of view, some may agree with you completely. Others may question your idea, while many may take it as a given. Whatever your remark at the dinner table was, the course of the conversation will be altered. The conversation may take an 180-degree turn after your remark, or the conversation may become deeper, comical or even melancholic.
As you enjoy your dinner (that comes with many courses, includes many pieces of silverware and plenty of napkins) you observe your surroundings, you notice that some guests have to leave and new guests continue to arrive. Some guests leave after they have had one, two many drinks, some leave before desert, some are kicked out by other members, some leave if they don't like the food and some leave after finishing their meal and saying "goodbye" to their friends at the table. After a while, you begin to feel tired, and decide to call it a night.
As you begin to get up and go, some members will be sad to see you depart, while others will not even notice your absence and they will continue to converse. Regardless of how many people noticed your departure, your input at the dinner party changed the direction of conversation just a little (or maybe a lot). The conversation will go on all night and into the next day. As long as there is still food to be served, guests will continue to arrive and depart from the dinner party.
This dinner party is life. And each and every person is a new idea that is proposed at the dinner party. Not all the members will like the new (or old) ideas, but they will all be moved in some way by each and every idea ever proposed.
Just like every idea counts for something, every person who is ever born into this world counts for something. The fact that not one single person on the planet is the same means that each and every one of our existences will alter the world just a little bit.
What will you say at this dinner party that is life?
