HUMANMAN

2004

Irish Granite

0.88m x 1.65m

Private Collection

WHERE DO WE GO .....

 The rains were non-stop at times now for the last three weeks and the fishermen could not go out to sea nor could they stay in their homes , they were out-door people and staying under a roof other than to sleep was not in their nature , so they would meet up in the coffee shop passing their time in playing cards , telling worn out stories and debating about the weather .  Some times the debates would turn into miner rows , they were edgy over the weather and this was understood amongst the men , they needed to go to sea , money was getting spent and nothing coming in , it's enough to make any man uneasy .
Two old fishermen were sitting in the corner of an even older coffee shop that seemed to be always there , smoking and looking at the younger men and thinking they have it all ahead of them , young fools .  The older of the two by three days turned to the other man , a life time friend , never seem to be apart that most people thought they were brothers for it was the older man's mother who reared the two when the younger man's mother died giving birth to his twin brother not too far from where they were sitting ,  in fact in the back room of the very same coffee shop they were sitting in now . The older man by three days asked , with some concern on his face ,   '' Where do you think we go when we die ''? .....   '' Why do you ask , do you think we came from somewhere and that we go back to it , and what kind of question is that , you never struck me to be one thinking about such things like that '' .....   '' Well I have been giving it some thought for some time now , so where do you think we go when we die ''? .......
The other old man was now feeling older than he was never gave such things like dying any thought , it just wasn't in him to think such things but now it started to play on his mind that when he looked at his friend he was looking at his twin brother.  Both men sat there in their one thought and looking at the younger men getting excited over the cards , some losing badly needed money that would be hard to make up again and others trying to make up for the lost of earnings at the cards , that at times you could feel the tension in the air along with the smell of coffee , stale cigarette smoke and rain.  The owner of the coffee shop , now third generation coffee shop owner , even though he was glad of the business had been through times like this before , but now he would be happy to see the rains stop , and when passing the older fishermen in the corner said ,   '' They are getting restless with no where to go but here , cooped up in this place as if it was their coffin , I wish they go to sea soon and for this rain to stop so things can go back to normal ''
The older men now turned to each as if the answer came to them both at the same time but the one who was asking the question did not speak but just had a grin on his lips and seemed now to be at ease with himself , as for the other he just smiled and said ,  '' We go to sea .''

THE NATIVE and THE MISSIONARY

A young fourteen year old native boy is sitting outside the longhouse cross-legged on the bamboo ruai [ verandah ] with his grandfather. The afternoon sun after the rains was rising in temperature and the dogs lazing near by waiting to see was the old man going hunting, a way of life that had not changed much with the old man but for the grandson it was a different matter altogether. The missionaries had come and young minds are curious to hear new and far away stories of lands especially when they are promised a better 'after life' if the life they live now is kept to the rules of a book that was written in more years past then there are trees around the village.

The grandfather decided not to hunt that day because he could see that the boy was not his talkative self and had something on his mind, besides, yesterday's hunt brought a lot of meat into the village to be shared out. The dogs knew it was now getting late and there will be no hunt today started to move off towards the river. The old man was always telling the boy to speak his mind and not to carry the thought around like baggage for it will weigh him down both in body and mind. He was just about to ask the boy what it was that was on his mind when the boy saw the missionary coming towards them avoiding the puddles of rain water in such a way it gave one the impression that if he stepped into one he was going to burn like the flames of the hell he was always talking about. The boy stood up so quick that the grandfather thought the boy was going to run in the opposite direction but instead stood his ground. Before the missionary reached them the boy had already started to speak, the grandfather taken aback sat upright and listened ...

''Why missionary man you tell me about your God, before you came here grandfather told me the way of the spirit-of-the- forest but you tell me about this heaven and hell place that I cannot see, smell or walk into like the rain-forest ... and now ... I am afraid to move from this place, but when I only knew the spirit-of-the-forest my life was easy for me ... but now not so. I live in fear of this God you talk about.'' The old man looked at the missionary who looked away for he knew deep inside himself that the boy just might be right. For the man to impose his 'beliefs' on another should not be done without the permission of the other for there is too much to answer for now and in the future. The grandfather, lost for words and full of pride for the boy moved off towards the river to be with his hunting dogs.

The boy now left standing on the bamboo ruai and looking towards the river was more 'lost' then ever before. He never got his 'truthful' answer form the missionary who walked away stunned, no longer caring about the puddles of rain water and questioning his own 'beliefs' and his way of doing things of imposing his God on a culture to change their ways just by his words.

The moral of my story is ...
Before we act we should think about the result and consider that each and everyone is responsible for what they have done in life and for the people they have influenced .

CAIN and ABLE

Two old men , Cain and Able are ending their days in a home where people go for many reasons . They have all of their lives worked , raised family's , paid their taxes and prayed to their God and now are paying to end their days in ' comfort ' and spend most of their time going over in their minds  ' What if I had it all over again ' syndrome . The two in a way depended on each other for consolation in the  ' What if ' syndrome , things they talked about was just not talked about outside of themselves and their friendship grew deeper in that , for each was telling forgotten secrets .

One afternoon , Able , who was partly deaf in both ears turned to Cain who was blind in both eyes but also ' blind ' to many things in life , did not do a lot if thinking for himself and therefore was quite content to go with the majority for the sake of a ' quite life ' .......... '' CAIN '' ...... Able shouted , '' No need to shout you can ' see ' I am right here beside you '' ........ '' Yea ..... sorry , but I just had one of those thoughts that stab you like a knife from behind ''........ '' This should be good '' answered Cain and getting himself ready for some heavy duty ' insight ' lit another non-filter which reminded him to get another pack regardless what the doctor said . Three packs a day and still going but always said throughout his life '' It won't be the smokes that will kill me but somebody back stabbing me will do the trick ''.

Able , keeping in mind now to keep his voice down and looking around him quickly always had this fear throughout his life that someone was sneaking up on him said , ....... '' You know we have been the best of friends now for the last couple of years we are just like ' brothers ' in fact you can almost say we are ' family' '' ....... '' O.K. cut the crap and get to the point '' said Cain showing his short temper that at times could make Able feel the air around him turn cold . '' Well as I said it's just a thought , but I never really did ask you what you did in your early years for a job ''.

Cain , uneasy with what he had just heard but giving it a long thought and blowing out rings of smoke that looked like halos drifting towards Able decided to answer truthfully , might as well say it now than go to the grave with it , .......  '' I was a mercenary  '' ...... '' Well I'll be damned '', said Able ,  '' Who would have thought that ...... a missionary ''.

THE YOUNG NATIVE

A young native of the rain-forest lived all of his life in nature thinking and knowing that it was the giver of all he needed in his life .  He respected the nature and knew it's ways that was passed from father to son and was doing the same for his own son who was also going to school during the week and returning home at the weekends to his family .  He was not keen on the separation but the distance by river was too much to travel each day . 

One weekend , father and son were out hunting and the father could see that his son was not the happy boy he once was when out hunting before . The father sat the boy down on a fallen tree left by the people who were cutting down the trees for profit and in doing so forcing the young native to travel further into the rain-forest to hunt for food for his family , but he also knew that man cannot replant the rain-forest and in time it will claim back it's ground but not fast enough for him to be able to hunt in this area again . 

The young native sitting on his hunkers and thinking , how easy it is to become a father and how hard it is to be a father was now looking at his son and seeing himself , not for the first time in his son when he himself was a young boy and maybe having something of the same thoughts said ,  '' There is something on your mind that has taken you away from the hunt ''.  The boy holding on to his blow pipe so tight that his knuckles were turning white answered ,

'' Father you tell me to go to school so I can have a better life and I want , but I also see you happy in your ways in the rain-forest and I am between the two worlds as to where my future is ''.  The young native realising his son had given this a lot of thought tried to answer in an honest way that his son would not lose heart and said , '' When you look around you here in the rain-forest you know you are in a safe place but more when you are in tune with your surroundings and respect the nature , but no matter where in the world you are you can still be in a safe place , the world is your rain-forest now and education , not just in the school is your travel ticket .  For a father to expect his son to fill his place is not fair to his son ''. 

The boy now relaxing his grip on the blow pipe and that smile returning that his father knew so well , realised that the days he was now spending in the rain-forest with his father , the young native wise for his age , is the way he wants to remember his father , for these memories will be his guidence and comfort in his own adult life .

THE LETTER

Two long time friends are sitting on the same park bench as they have always done . One of the men , folding up the well read government letter telling him that his only son will never be returning home , and putting it into his pocket with a long sigh said , '' Do you think that if we were two brothers or a father and son that we could sit here for most days not speaking a word and be content in our own company ''. His friend , who was well use this kind of talk from his friend asking ' life and death ' questions , stretched out his feet and said , '' I don't know , but if so it would be the best friendship that anyone could ask for in a life time ''........... '' yea '' ........... and the government letter came out again for another read in the hope that the words would have a different meaning .

'' Everyone , with no exceptions has past misfortunes but they also have their blessings . To pine over what cannot be undone is to die a slow death ''.

A DOG'S LIFE

Two dogs , one black , one white and both loyal to the hand that feeds them are sitting on a bank of a paddie field in a hot sun , half dozing but alert to the sounds of their owners bent over planting rice and talking , some to themselves in a complaining tone which the dogs are use to hearing .  One of the workers slowly straightens himself up in a slow stretch and looking at the dogs says ,  '' It's a dogs life ''.  The black dog hearing this been said so many times asked the white dog ,  '' What does he mean it's a dogs life ''?  The white dog scratching himself answers ,  '' Our owners see only what they want to see and say only what they want to say in words that suit their feelings , even though they have it all up side down '' 
    '' That's funny '', said the black dog ,  '' They have their backs bent  for the most of the day , hands in mud and looking at the earth all their lives planting to survive , they are always up side down ''. The white dog stands up watching some movement in the water behind his owners back said ,  '' Yea ....... and every dog has his day ''. 
The two dogs now standing and alert watching the movement in the water making it's way towards ' the hand that feeds them '  barked 
'' SNAKE ''  and ran at full speed towards the paddie field .

TWO FOXES

Two foxes are sitting on top of a hill looking down at hens going about their daily business .  One of the foxes was a lot older and more experienced in catching hens and tended to take his time , surveying all that he saw and to be sure he was going to come away with a hen or two when he made his move .  The younger fox getting all excited in seeing so many hens and looking for the biggest sack he could find was working himself up into a sweat thinking of the number of hens he was going to come away with when he made his move . Now the older fox was so relaxed that he took a nap but this was too much for the younger fox that he was getting all stressed out , heart beating at twice it's pace , feeling weak and starting not to think straight , all he wanted was to move on the hens .  The older fox , smelling stress and fear opened one eye and looking at the younger fox told him , take it easy , sit and relax , smell the air , but the younger fox all he could do was smell hens .  Look , said the older fox , the hens are going nowhere so what we do is wait till they had their fill then when we move they will be so full they won't be able to run that we just pick them off like fruit of a tree ...............


'' It is best in all aspects of life to have a little patience and understanding , this comes with maturity and lessons learned from the past that bridges in the future can be crossed ''.

J. and S.

Two shepherds , J. and S. are watching over their sheep grazing when one of the shepherds , S. speaks ,  '' we have been friends since childhood and neither of us have ever been outside of these hills in our life so what we see here we feel is the same everywhere else , do you ever think about that ''?.  The other shepherd , J. looking out at his sheep and having to stop counting answered in a soft voice ,  '' no , with a grin on his face '' and started back to count sheep again , when his friend S. said ,  '' why are you counting , just like me you know exactly how many sheep you have and just like me you have 666 , never any more and never any less , but the only difference is all of your sheep are black where as mine are all white , do you ever think about that ''?.  J. , having to stop his count again , but with calm and in his soft voice answered ,  '' no , what is here is the same all over , black sheep and white sheep and the day will come when all will be taken away, this is what has been said since all shepherds have been counting sheep ''.
The two shepherds , J. and S. friends for all time and content with their way of life in their hills as it was and as it will always be , started to count sheep .

THE FROG AND THE SWAN

 A frog is sitting on the edge of a pond looking at his reflection in the water and feeling very sad and dejected when a swan came up to him and said , '' O.K. froggy , I have been watching you most days now like this and I have to say you are getting me down , so what's the problem ''.  The frog falls back onto his back and looking up to the sky as if the answer might be there written in the clouds says , sometimes in my day I feel I am drowning but I try never to let it get me down and in time I come around and jump up and down but then I just might get that drowning feeling all over again ''.  The swan looking at the frog with a smile says , '' that's a normal feeling when you are getting old , don't you know that everything is in flux , your body , your mind and everything else in nature , all in a flux , so if you can do it gracefully go with the flow in everything and life becomes a little more easy to cope with in living and in letting go of it ''.  The swan swims away knowing that the frog is dying but he has not come to terms with it yet .

THE OWL AND THE CENTIPEDE

 An owl is perched on a branch doing what owls do [ being a hoot ] when he sees a centipede making his way towards him , after some time the centipede is in the owls shadow , the centipede looks up at the owl and says , '' Mr Owl are you going to eat me '' , the owl taking his time in answering finally says , '' Why did you keep coming towards me when all the time you saw danger , your built in instinct tells you that you are food to me of course I am going to eat you ''. The centipede in his stupidity thought the owl would have compassion or had already eaten .
'' Take nothing for granted '' .

THE FOX AND THE FROG

 A fox is sitting by the road side watching life go by when a frog hops past , stops and asks the fox , '' every day you sit here in the same spot and don't move , why ''.  The fox answers the frog , '' why should I waste my energy and time hopping about like you when all things will come to me in their own time , I will just sit and wait and when the right opportunity comes by then I will hop on it ''.  The frog hops off none the wiser .

THE SNAIL

 A snail is making his slow way when along comes a child , picks it up and puts it down to where he thinks the snail is going , the snail looks up at the child and said , '' how would you like it if I was to pick you up and move you on a couple of years , can't you see I am getting there .

MOON BEAM ON A CELTIC STONE

2005

Gray Granite - Ireland
White Marble - Italy

1.80m high
Private collection