A Tale a Day: The Puppet Showman

 The Puppet Showman

 

This tale is about the good old advice "be careful what you wish for!" A puppet showman tells the story of how a polytechnic candidate helped him realize how miserable he would have been if his wish had come true, which made him appreciate just how much he loved his current life. 

At the theatre where he put on his puppet plays for kids, he meets a new member of the audience, there to give a lecture at that same theatre after his show. The polytechnic candidate, a man of science who seems to have dazzled the public with scientific experiments, made quite an impression on the puppeteer. He found his experiments to be almost "miraculous" and that he would have been worship as a God or mage (or burned as witch) had he been born in another century. Afterwards, backstage, they talk about each other's work, including the candidate's mysterious "miracles".

"'The whole world is a series of miracles", said the candidate; 'but we are so accustomed to them that we call them every-day matter.'"

It is during that conversation that the puppeteer reveals that he has a dream of becoming the director of a theatre: he wishes his puppets to come to life one day (that is, he wants actors) so he can direct "real" plays. That night he has a dream where he's directing real actors. We assume it's a dream, since he describes it as if it was the candidate who, like in one of his experiments, makes him and his box of puppets fall into a spiral and, when they come out, his puppets come to life, and he gets his wish. Only, it turns out that this dream quickly turns into a nightmare. 

"Out of bed I jumped, and into the box they had all to go (...) 'Now you'll just have to stay there,' said I, 'and I shall beware how I wish you flesh and blood again.'"

When he wakes up, he feels exhilarated. He realizes just how happy he actually is and how he doesn't want anything to change. If only we all had that kind of experience which makes us truly value what we already have, instead of pining for dreams which may not be realistic while neglecting what is in front of us. We should all have dreams, but not at the expense of enjoying the present.

I also really enjoy the quote "the whole world is a series of miracles, but we are so accustomed to them that we call them every-day matter." It is quite true. When you stop to think about the nature of reality, about the little things in your daily life, about the science behind it all, you can't help but to be filled with wonder. I mean, just the act of thinking. How is it that a bunch of neurons inside a box made of bone, flesh and blood are capable of thought and imagination? What sorcery is that? Or how is it that a cake is so much more than just the sum of its parts, like a magic ritual where ingredients come together in a specific way and suffer a metamorphosis until they are unrecognisable and taste like something else, hopefully delicious? How cool and mysterious is our world? How amazing is life?

What are some of the things in your daily life that make you feel a sense of wonder? What scientific explanations of common events have left you in awe?