Escaping Corners

I'm enjoying laughing my way through January. Christopher Moore's risque humour in "Lamb: the Gospel According To Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal" is just the tonic I need. But the book comes with gin too - a hard look at exclusive religion is just below the surface.

I think religious people the world over have more in common than not in common. We might pray and practise in our small corners but our belief that life is more than satiating physical needs, acquiring more, and seeking pleasure unites us.

Talking of corners a friend recently told me this story:

It was at the airport in Tonga. A group of ex-pats were huddled around the double-doors to a room sniggering and laughing. The subject of their humour was a fellow painting the floor of a large storeroom. So absorbed was he in this task, that it seemed he had no idea that he was painting himself into a corner. Hence the sniggers and laughs. The long awaited for moment came when he looked up to notice both his audience and his dilemma. Unperturbed, he bent over, painted the soles of his feet, and walked out.

Sometimes in life we paint ourselves into corners. Sometimes we are painted into corners. Sometimes we laugh at, and despair of, the cornered predicaments of others.

At those times, let's remember the guy who painted his feet and walked out!