Love thy inanimate things

"I love inanimate things," declared his grandson. Imaginch, no doubt, was flabbergasted by this pompous statement from a ten-year-old. Before confronting him with questions, he rushed through the pages of a dictionary, momentarily confused and forgetting the Smartphone on hand, to get the meaning. Satisfied with his preparation, he asked his grandson, " Why did you make this statement?" 

Unflustered, the grandson replied tersely, " Because they live a minimalistic existence!"

Again, Imaginch scrambled not to refer to the dictionary this time, but to the smartphone. This was a serious matter and required much deep thinking. Right at that moment, Imaginch felt a solitary walk, along with his grandson, might clear his doubts, without flying onboard   a philosophical plane. Imaginch dreaded and avoided air travel as much as possible for two reasons: 1. No one has him on a s o s list. 2 Hates to count the fearful minutes of being airborne, even while travelling along with a plane load of nonchalant passengers.

Grandpa, "Shall I tell you something?"  

This was unusual as he always told what was on his mind, without seeking permission. Or was he testing the waters before wading deeper into the philosophy he had just delivered! Imaginch became curious and did not want to play spoilsport. He nodded his head, just barely.

His grandson continued in a deadpan voice, " Grandpa, you know, I love you!"

Stumped and stung, Imaginch fast-paced to a lonely spot and stared at the ground. To his dismay he found not even the wild grass varieties had put up shop there. He thought this perfectly mirrored his state of mind after hearing all the statements his grandson had made so far.

Still seething with hurt, for being labelled as an inanimate thing, Imaginch turned around and saw his grandson playing fools by chasing a pair of butterflies, engaged in a joint aeronautical exercise. This act reassured him that his grandson still had a child's streak in him. Ambling towards him, Imaginch gently asked him, what he meant to convey with all his one liners?

The grandson, still captivated by the flight dynamics of the butterflies said, "I meant, I truly love you, maybe you misunderstood it because of that statement I love inanimate things."

To Imaginch, this adroit steering around a controversy was gladdening but the allusion to a misunderstanding came out sounding like a politician's stock reply, when cornered.

Not to be outdone by this wily young cub, Imaginch asked, " What did you mean by referring to minimalist existence?"

Now it was the turn of the grandson to blink. He flexed his memory cells for a suitable phrase to express his dilemma, as a preamble before answering. The phrase, between a rock and a hard place sounded better as an opener. “Grandpa it was difficult choice like between a rock and hard place.  If I explained it as the art of living with bare minimum essentials like you, you would feel offended. If I said that there are people who lived with bare minimum of essentials, then you would feel left out. In such a situation, what could I have done better than citing  you as a shining example, for the other category”

As a grandfather, could he wish for anything more than this, after hearing about the rock, followed by the little convoluted explanation about minimalistic existence, in two versions and ending it with a platitude - of shining example for the other category.! Imaginch felt his head rolling uncontrollably after hearing everything and understanding nothing. 

Having endured so far, Imaginch wanted to know where from this inanimate and minimalistic ideas creeped into his grandson's head. He was mentally prepared to hear it out, however confusing it turned out to be.

Grandpa, I watch an animation series, of course when you are out walking, using your laptop. Two characters meet and talk about a wooden table in the room. The conversation, between the characters, goes like this:

Ani.1: See the table there! It does not know its age, nor is worried about the worn-out condition.

Ani.2: Still is it not functional as a table?

Ani.1: What is the use, it cannot even ask for a covering cloth!

Ani.2: Of course, but as a table is it not still useful?

Ani.1: What is the use of being useful to others without getting due care?

Ani.2: I agree to the useful part. It is useful precisely because it demands minimum attention.

Imaginch almost cried out and told his grandson - this much explanation, adapted from your source is good enough for me. Now, I have understood, “I love inanimate things. Because they live a minimalistic existence, and you love me. But one thing I find missing is the key words – inanimate and minimalistic in the conversation between the characters Ani1 and Ani 2. Where from you got them?" 

His grandson proudly declared, “Oh, that thing? From another cartoon series I watch on your laptop!”

Not wanting to get outsmarted once again, the beaming grandpa announced, “Now let us go home happily”

In solitude, Imaginch made a trip down the memory line to recollect his childhood (Radio with many valves), his children’s childhood (Gen 0.0 TV with cable connection) and his grandson’s childhood (Smartphone, laptop and internet of many things). He concluded; no wonder kids nowadays could speak philosophy like reciting a nursery rhyme.