Elizabeth Roy - The Jester and the Between

After our class at the Lions Bridge, I had an interesting small discussion with Dr. Redick about the Jester, the Fool, and the Trickster. In our society, we've lost touch with these characters. They represent a space that we're not comfortable with - the between. In today's world, we like facts and we like to know where we stand. When we're put in (or forced in, usually) a situation that is not clearly defined or one in which we don't have a hard standard set of rules to follow, we are incredibly uncomfortable and even hostile. Dr. Redick discussed our discomfort with schizophrenics and those who are 'god-touched' but I think that the phenomenon is much more widespread. We avoid ambiguous situations like the plague - we want to have as much knowledge about something as possible in order to handle it in the most acceptable way. Unfortunately, 'between' is where we grow and experience the most. In a mundane example: sitting in the same seat with the same people every single day at lunch might be comfortable, but going out on a limb and sitting with someone you don't know as well is when you can form new relationships. This is the reason that I think teenagers and adolescents are so important - that time of life is inherently a between, and there is so much personal growth because of that fact and the subsequent experimentation and change. I think that we need to make a concerted effort to experience things that we aren't completely comfortable with. So although I'm sure Eleanor Roosevelt didn't have Jesters and the between in mind, remember: "Do something every day that scares you"!