stick

Contemplating the stick gives you the impression that it means nothing, that it is merely a whip, thin or thick, depending on the personality and mission of the one carrying it. It may be made of bamboo, tamarisk, acacia, or anything else. It may be expensive, or one may pick it up from the ground for nothing. But this meaningless stick carries meaning, and evoking the image of its presence with others may guide you to its great importance, that it is everything to us here. In the blackness of Africa, in Australia, and among the inhabitants of the Alps, it is carried by the elderly, the young, and the chieftain. It is in the hand of the guard and the shepherd. It is used by the priest, as well as the magician and the sorcerer. You find it solid with the soldier, moved by the tune of the musician with the maestro. In all parts of the world, it is present in all times.