The Fish Tank Theorem

A Poem by P. Bienert

A study of the kind of superficial society we have in today's generation.

Oftentimes, I lie in bed 'till six in the morning just wondering what my life would be like if I wasn't who I am today. There's that orchestra of whispers in my head that keeps me up all night long. But when I really start to listen, I hear nothing but absolute silence. And I feel comfort in knowing that I'm alone, but I'm not lonely.

The general consensus seems to be that I lack the spirit of life and liberty. I despise that sort of thinking. There is nothing melancholic about revelling in my own universe of thoughts where I am not required to pretend to be anybody, and where my creative process functions best.

We live in a gigantic tank with the water only up to our knees, yet a lot of us are still drowning, only because we are too stubborn to try to swim out of the whirlpool we ourselves created. We are all different species of fish despite that we all have the same fins and scales. Everyone is so fascinated in the swirling waters, you see that reflected in their eyes. What a beauty indeed. But not until the force of it sucks you under, sooner than the sharks can get to you.

I am so tempted to sit back and just laugh at the hypocrisy, the exchange of poisonous spit, the unending chorus of bittersweet words that are uttered by mouths of mannequins behind glass. But I don't, because I fear for the future of us. I am not selfish nor a snob. In fact, I care a lot about what all the other fishes think. Perhaps, that's why I feel so out of breath all the time.

I'm swimming too hard knowing fully well I am not in any real danger, but I do it anyway. Not entirely sure whether I'm attempting to move closer to or farther away from the rest, or I might just be splashing around quietly in pursuit of who-knows-what.

Sometimes, I just try to find the surface to see the world above me - to see the reality that is the tank is actually circular, so there is only so far I can go until I realize that I'm going in circles. I am nobody's servant - I do not take orders on how to be happy and when to feel it. That's why I have a heart and a brain. I just have to keep reminding myself that, because I tend to forget. I am just a fish, after all.