The spider which jumped along the water

    
  A spider jumped over the water. He had never, for one moment, until now, stopped to think why was he thus created and why he should be moving about as he did. This is simply because he was up to his years in his search for food. On the way it is true, he would have from time to time melancholy thoughts on the meaning of life. . .
- Oh, what is happening to me! He shook his head and dashed on across the water. Fish could not grasp him as he sped past them. The fattest among them hardly paid him any attention, as he sped by, and looked through the glass of the water despondently. He ran across the surface of the water, jumping a bit rather joyously.
He thought that the meaning of life was doubtlessly contained in speed.
“Speed is all”. Such was the credo of the spider. From this point of view, all living creatures slowly dragging themselves along all sorts of pits and bumps and ruts on the earth, seemed to him exceedingly antediluvian with no prospects.
- Oh, how curious it is to see him borne about – thought the snail, at the sight of the rushing spider, and this thought travelled through its consciousness eternally. The spider was annoyed by the dragonflies. But even if they were absent, this too would have irritated him. On the whole, he taught himself to pay them no attention whatsoever, but this intention always failed. They scurried about all over the place and it was his opinion that they created chaos on the water.
- What is it that they are snatching at everything without thought? The spider asked himself and noticed his own increasing irritation. Then he rushed on in order to forget all about it. Indeed he soon forgot the whole matter.
- The most important thing is not to think a lot, whatever the subject, as then there would be a halt, to movement growing irritation, an explosion at the end… Thus thought the spider, not without grounds as he ran over the water.
- Perhaps this is the key to Truth, the mystery of existence – the spider continued ruminate in a melancholy state of mind, as he sped all the faster, with his legs flying up over the water.
- Oh, what am I doing? Thinking so long about one thing only – as then there is a halt to movement, a collapse, and nothing but boredom, despondency and nothing more…
And he rushed ahead, thinking of nothing at all, like an illuminated Buddha.

                1991