You do not like the horse. The horse does not like you.
At the moment, you are completely dependent on the horse. The terrain is impossible to traverse on foot. There is no way to travel without a horse. You wish that would change, but when you tell other people, they laugh and call it impossible. A few get angry.
You must spend hours each day feeding, cleaning, and taking care of the horse. You must spend even more time working to earn enough money to pay for the horse's needs. The horse is often unsatisfied with your offerings. No matter how expensive and time consuming your efforts, the horse will desire something more unique, exciting, or comforting.
The horse also requires a third of your day to sit and do nothing. During this time, you cannot do anything or go anywhere.
If you do not comply with the horse's desires, it will make your life miserable.
People tell you that, as the horse's rider, you have complete control over the horse. Somebody must have forgotten to tell the horse this. If the horse is hungry or thirsty, it will draw your attention towards its needs at the expense of your own. If the horse is afraid of something, it will run away with you on its back. If the horse is hurt, it will whinny and curl up and refuse to move, even if the injury itself is not severe. If the horse sees a sufficiently attractive horse of the opposite sex, it will drive you towards it, regardless of the embarrassment it causes for you and the other rider. There is nothing you can do about any of this.
Some people find great joy in pampering their horse, giving it the sweetest and most varied meals or grooming and garnishing it with the most beautiful decorations. Others take pride in the strength and ability of their horses, winning competitions, playing games, and achieving great feats. You're happy for these people, and respect the hard work they invest into their horse. You wish they wouldn't judge you for refusing to do the same. You wonder what these people will find joy in once their horses are old, once they are no longer healthy or strong or beautiful.
Oh, yeah. Once the horse dies, you will be completely cut off from the world and everyone in it. Most people believe you ascend to another world, better if you were virtuous and much, much worse if you weren't. Some people think that you cease to exist at all. Regardless of your thoughts on the matter, you would rather choose the time to exit this world, rather than staking it upon the horse, which is notoriously fragile and inevitably deteriorates beyond repair.
When you express this to other people, they shake their heads and tell you that you need to accept the passing of your horse. You don't see why; technology is becoming more advanced each day, with people attaching increasing sophisticated carts and plows to their horses, attaining increasing sophisticated knowledge regarding the relationship between horse and rider, and even creating funny little automatons which could roll without a horse at all. You once proposed that someone create one large such automaton for you to ride around in, horse-free, and people sighed and called it a wonderful dream. Many people who are smarter, more resourceful, and more influential than you have tried and failed to build it. You wish you could help.
Many act as if you were opposed to the concept of leaving the world at all, citing the justice of the next world, the meaning that the scramble to do everything and meet everyone you desire before your horse decays gives life, and the sheer impracticability of a cramped world from which no one could escape. This hasn't changed your opinion much; you aren't opposed to death, you'd just like a choice.
After your anti-horse positions became known to your companions, they attempted various lines of reasoning to return your common sense. One told you that the horse was made in the image of God, which doesn't sound right, because God doesn't need a physical form to get around and, without a rider, the horse is just a dumb beast, no different from any other. Another told you that she couldn't imagine life without a horse. You can. A third told you to be grateful that the horse is healthy and able, and that there are plenty of people who want nothing more than to have a sighted, able horse with four working legs and without dysfunctional organs or chronic pain. You feel sorry for those people. You wish that there was a way to remove them from their failing horses and give them something functional, or even superpowered, to ride. When you said this, your friend glared and called you unfeeling, although you expect many of the people he claimed to sympathize with wish the same.
You did not choose, nor can you change, the horse that you are given. Regardless, most people will judge you by the appearance of your horse rather than the content of your character. Some will judge you by the horse's color, sex, and breed. The more enlightened will insist these traits are meaningless, and judge your horse's face, stature, and mane, even if they deny it. If your horse is sufficiently unattractive, your career, relationships, and self-confidence will suffer, irrespective of your ability, virtue, or achievements.
You wish your time, your reputation, and your very life were not defined by the horse, a mere beast whose only purpose is to carry you and perish. You dream of a world in which nobody rides a horse unless they want to, in which people think and experience in ways that horse riders couldn't imagine, in which nobody would be forced to leave the world before they are ready. Unfortunately, you fear your companions are right and such a world is impossible. You want to prove them wrong, but you have no idea where to start. In the meantime, you will go to work, you will dream of a better world, and you will take care of your horse.
You have a horse.
You do not like the horse. The horse does not like you.
At the moment, you are completely dependent on the horse. The terrain is impossible to traverse on foot. There is no way to travel without a horse. You wish that would change, but when you tell other people, they laugh and call it impossible. A few get angry.
You must spend hours each day feeding, cleaning, and taking care of the horse. You must spend even more time working to earn enough money to pay for the horse's needs. The horse is often unsatisfied with your offerings. No matter how expensive and time consuming your efforts, the horse will desire something more unique, exciting, or comforting.
The horse also requires a third of your day to sit and do nothing. During this time, you cannot do anything or go anywhere.
If you do not comply with the horse's desires, it will make your life miserable.
People tell you that, as the horse's rider, you have complete control over the horse. Somebody must have forgotten to tell the horse this. If the horse is hungry or thirsty, it will draw your attention towards its needs at the expense of your own. If the horse is afraid of something, it will run away with you on its back. If the horse is hurt, it will whinny and curl up and refuse to move, even if the injury itself is not severe. If the horse sees a sufficiently attractive horse of the opposite sex, it will drive you towards it, regardless of the embarrassment it causes for you and the other rider. There is nothing you can do about any of this.
Some people find great joy in pampering their horse, giving it the sweetest and most varied meals or grooming and garnishing it with the most beautiful decorations. Others take pride in the strength and ability of their horses, winning competitions, playing games, and achieving great feats. You're happy for these people, and respect the hard work they invest into their horse. You wish they wouldn't judge you for refusing to do the same. You wonder what these people will find joy in once their horses are old, once they are no longer healthy or strong or beautiful.
Oh, yeah. Once the horse dies, you will be completely cut off from the world and everyone in it. Most people believe you ascend to another world, better if you were virtuous and much, much worse if you weren't. Some people think that you cease to exist at all. Regardless of your thoughts on the matter, you would rather choose the time to exit this world, rather than staking it upon the horse, which is notoriously fragile and inevitably deteriorates beyond repair.
When you express this to other people, they shake their heads and tell you that you need to accept the passing of your horse. You don't see why; technology is becoming more advanced each day, with people attaching increasing sophisticated carts and plows to their horses, attaining increasing sophisticated knowledge regarding the relationship between horse and rider, and even creating funny little automatons which could roll without a horse at all. You once proposed that someone create one large such automaton for you to ride around in, horse-free, and people sighed and called it a wonderful dream. Many people who are smarter, more resourceful, and more influential than you have tried and failed to build it. You wish you could help.
Many act as if you were opposed to the concept of leaving the world at all, citing the justice of the next world, the meaning that the scramble to do everything and meet everyone you desire before your horse decays gives life, and the sheer impracticability of a cramped world from which no one could escape. This hasn't changed your opinion much; you aren't opposed to death, you'd just like a choice.
After your anti-horse positions became known to your companions, they attempted various lines of reasoning to return your common sense. One told you that the horse was made in the image of God, which doesn't sound right, because God doesn't need a physical form to get around and, without a rider, the horse is just a dumb beast, no different from any other. Another told you that she couldn't imagine life without a horse. You can. A third told you to be grateful that the horse is healthy and able, and that there are plenty of people who want nothing more than to have a sighted, able horse with four working legs and without dysfunctional organs or chronic pain. You feel sorry for those people. You wish that there was a way to remove them from their failing horses and give them something functional, or even superpowered, to ride. When you said this, your friend glared and called you unfeeling, although you expect many of the people he claimed to sympathize with wish the same.
You did not choose, nor can you change, the horse that you are given. Regardless, most people will judge you by the appearance of your horse rather than the content of your character. Some will judge you by the horse's color, sex, and breed. The more enlightened will insist these traits are meaningless, and judge your horse's face, stature, and mane, even if they deny it. If your horse is sufficiently unattractive, your career, relationships, and self-confidence will suffer, irrespective of your ability, virtue, or achievements.
You wish your time, your reputation, and your very life were not defined by the horse, a mere beast whose only purpose is to carry you and perish. You dream of a world in which nobody rides a horse unless they want to, in which people think and experience in ways that horse riders couldn't imagine, in which nobody would be forced to leave the world before they are ready. Unfortunately, you fear your companions are right and such a world is impossible. You want to prove them wrong, but you have no idea where to start. In the meantime, you will go to work, you will dream of a better world, and you will take care of your horse.