What if?
Aristotle once said that ‘to wonder’ (τò θαυμαζεîν) is the origin of philosophy. Perceiving the world ingenuously, as a newborn would do, wondering, is a true source of knowledge. In this respect, everyday life in this little mountain town is very philosophical. In the end, isn’t ‘WTF?’ a form of wondering?
Starting with an example, I went to a newly opened bar to have a cup of hot chocolate. The waitress comes and leaves on the table something that bewildered me. First of all.. it wasn’t a cup, it was a glass – steaming hot, of course. Then.. above the chocolate was a thick layer of whip cream. The whip cream was sprinkled with some caramel sauce. And now comes the touch of genius – a slice of lime was there too. Now let’s get phenomenological. Living in Romania means you must always seek to be original. If it means defying common sense, even better… You plan to open a new bar? Open it, and serve there chocolate with lime. I’m sure nobody ever thought of that before.
‘What if?’ – this is the golden principle. Sure… this was the starting point for many of the world’s greatest inventions. But, the ‘romanisation’ – that turned Renault into Dacia, for instance – puts her mark on this concept. Let’s innovate where there’s nothing left to innovate. Amalgamate incongruously everything (there’s another restaurant here in which the walls are adorned with Slavic writings, Greek bas-reliefs, Turkish swords, African bow and arrows, Roman-style painting… and… la pièce de résistance… Romanian voivodes’ portraits), and you will surely be labeled as ‘original’. Don’t fear of being ridiculed, for others lack critical sense as much as you do. Just take a deep breath… and something truly unique will come out of your mind’s parturition. And the fun part’s you needn’t have competence to be taken seriously. If you happen to have it, rest assured, others are long since in a position that may be rightfully yours. In a country where sportsmen have more media coverage – and, subsequently, more authority – than writers, why the heck do I wonder that there’s lime in my chocolate? After all, how much can that poor lime drink?
