The story I, Hermann Anders, intend unthreading consists in a spiritual walk, in which figures of similar but opposing forms came into struggle one with the other. Symbols manifested through the blood and bones unveiling the iridescent nature of human beings. Don't misinterpret. There was a concrete path, but this doesn't undermine the reality of the invisible one. What I want to bring into relief is exactly that which is latent and hidden. Those secret and enigmatic movements that can be perceived only by reading directly into the essence rather than by a mere recollection of facts. “Path of the Gods,” that's the name of the walk we've done. Quite ironic since its name is pagan when in facts, it was full of catholic mysteries, sanctuaries and mother mary icons. No circles, rather crosses on top of mountains. Perfect for crucifying those pieces of flesh of my two companions: Günther, the coward and Benjamin, the hen. Laying eggs surrounded by cowards who would exchange them for gold – the perfect image which denotes the two. Arrived at Madonna dei Fornelli, the two pieces of flesh went to rest in cages as two chickens that like to fuck with each other. They simply went to a B&B and wasted their money for some chicken prison. I, without expecting it, found this little green garden – Eden – full of blonde, tall and blue eyed angelic nymphs. One approached me and asked if I was starving. I was supposed to catch up with the two others and eat like an old sac of shrivelled skin. Instead, I stayed with the nymphs, ate their improvised spaghetti with tomatoes and vegetables and listened their melodic harmonies. Then at a certain point they started praying for the Lord of the slaves. I was surrounded by a group of eleven hot blonde Belgian catholic scouts alternating between a hallelujah and a “I love you mother mary, protect me from evil. Amen.” How would it be to have my dove in the middle of those hands joined together instead of their erotic fantasies on their Almighty Lord of the Love – even on their knees they would go! And I had to be careful in concealing my nature otherwise they would have kicked my ass out of their circle. Meanwhile, as the fire was increasing and the sky fading, I noticed the demonic eyes of a nymph gazing at me. She would talk and laugh sweetly with her friends as she'd wave quick glimpses towards me. Then, with a sensual circular movement she started passing chopstick delicately on her lips, a tilt of her head leaning towards me as waiting to pick up her call. I made her understand that I was in love with her intentions. But guess what? What could she do? Go against the spirit of all her group of catholic devoted nuns? No! That would dissociate and isolate her. She had to maintain her customs and repress her desires. As the fire was at its last sparks, and most went inside their own tents, me and my prey stayed. I learned that she studies ancient Greek, philosophy and literature, unlike her friends which were all into medicine or engineering. As her words were moving, I was focused on her tall thick legs, wide hips and pastel pink lips. Her green eyes looked like a lake with inside the reflection of the flames of fire. It's not casual I spoke about this anecdote of symbolic forces that supersede over the instinctual underlying ones. These as well are invisible. Forcing someone under clear light or with chains is no fun, I believe. I prefer people to make their own choices, free from the vertical threads of God. And what did my two companions do during our walk? They instituted an erotic form of love of master and slave. The kind of Hegelian dialectic, but where the outcome of the dialectic flip was quite ambiguous. If it did occur, then I'd be surprized of Günther's intelligence. The Hen, wouldn't stop professing and boasting of his premature knowledge on general facts, that once gently enquired to go deeper his trivial constructions would collapse along with him. It's funny how the slave, when in search for a master, attempts entering in the way of thinking of his prospected master. Just for the sake of a custom. Even when the master is full of bullshit, which the slave isn't able to discern for his base intellect. I asked Günther what he'd prefer: a complex truth, that involves some thinking or a simple persuasive lie that explains everything. I'll let you, reader, guess his answer. Then, because of the slave's greatest virtue, he can empathize the most with the master's sentiments and desires. Whatever the master desires, turns into the desire of the slave. Whatever judgment the master would make, coincides with that of the slave. The apparent difference is that the one is legislator of himself, the other is a mere slave. When in truth both are miserable slaves of each other. The legislation of the master wouldn't hold without the existence of his slave, because the master craves the attentions of his dog. God, what a miserable thing you are.

What is this adventure you are all so desperately seeking? Is it to climb the highest peaks? Is it to live as if commitment was an ancient concept? Or is it to see how far you can go Away from anything that may keep you on this ground Is this the adventure you desire? Because there is another that is much sweeter One that doesn't leave you with groggy eyes And unsatisfied An adventure Dare I say.. To rest To not keep going But to stop Long enough to listen to your own minds chatter Long enough to feel that emptiness inside your soul You didn't know it was there, Did you? On all those grand adventures There is no time for silly matters of the heart It is about what is next The how do I do that? The how do I climb that? The how do I get to that? But on this adventure The greatest adventure It is all within you. Waiting to be tapped into. But you my friend, Are so fixed on what lies ahead. Persistently pushing on To see that something Because if you stop? You have failed And you will have to face the reality Of your heart That this adventure you desperately seek Is actually one for the weary and meek

I can vividly recall the first time I got denied admission to my first choice university. I was at work at an orthodox factory in Lagos, Nigeria about to have lunch. It was a bright sunny day. I came out of the factory, washed my hands, changed from my factory robe and trudged with my friends towards the kitchen. As we approached our destination, scents from the kitchen intensified the ache in our stomach. We hurriedly placed our orders and went to sit. Soon our food arrived, and we started eating. Laughter reverberated through the air as jokes were being cracked while we happily munched our jollof rice- a spicy Nigerian delicacy famous in many parts of West Africa. In the midst of this, I refreshed my email inbox only to receive an email stating that my application portal had been updated. My heartbeat increased. Immediately, I decided to check out my application status on the application portal of the university I applied to. I checked out the website, typed my application ID, and my password and behold, the news was staring at my face right there on my small Nokia C1. I was denied. Immediately, my countenance changed. As people kept laughing at the jokes being thrown around, my thoughts wandered away to seek for an answer to the question of “what do I do next?” “I'll wait for my other applications to other universities” was the thought that came to my head. But that was the genesis of my denials. I got more denials and more and even more until I missed the chance to further proceed with my studies that same year. Then I waited for the next year planning and strategizing on how I'll make the best of the applications and hopefully come out victorious in the end. In a nutshell, I got into two universities in the end and had to pick one that suits my needs and desires. To get what I wanted, I learned about certain qualities I had to possess to have my way and I call them my 5-D rule. Firstly, I had a dream. I knew what I wanted. It was clear as crystal. I knew this was where I wanted to be. I initially did not know how I was going to get there, but I knew that this was the dream. Your dream needs to be fastened to your heart and mind. Then you can map out a trajectory that will eventually lead you to this unique dream of yours. Secondly, I decided on what I want to do to get to the top. I asked myself questions like “what can I do to get to this self-created dream of mine? How do I achieve what I want? What steps do I need to take to get there?” When you start asking these questions, you'll start making conscious efforts on what to do and which steps to take to get there. Also, I was determined to achieve that dream. Whichever honest way I was going to take to get there; I was ready to tread on that path. That is what I call determination. This term does not look at the demotivating comments or ridicules other people say or throw at it; determination never feels tired or weary of its dream; determination perseveres, and that is the mentality that should guide your steps. Diligence was the next personality I imbibed. Anything good that comes your way most of the time comes the hard way. It is not always rosy. I had to fold up my sleeves, dip my hands into the soil and toil really hard to get what I wanted. Hard work is key to anything good in life. Finally, I declared the positive. Death and life are in the power of the tongue. You become what you profess. Therefore, I kept telling myself what I wanted with full assurance that I will get it. The more you profess negativity, the more you start feeling pessimistic about things in your life, and ultimately, that will breed negative results and vice versa. With this article, I hope I have inspired you one way or the other. Always remember that good things do not come easy; only the ones that dare to persevere until the end eventually make it.