Nature's Masterpiece: a Tale about Semiotics

Meet Batman and Robin, Han Solo and Hairless Chewbacca, Mario and Luigi of the Amazon forest:

Godspeed and Leafcutter.

Enjoy!

• English Voice-over and Sound Design by Amanda de Andrade
• Tale written by Thiago Patriota

Podcast's Transcription

Nature's Masterpiece

Not in a thousand worlds, could any extraterrestrial, animal, plant, flower, or insect of that green and tranquil neighborhood located in a very special place within the immense boundaries of the Amazon rainforest, expect to see the friendship of such two iconic members of the local fauna.

This duo was simply one of a kind because they were also artists within their own species, rarely late for meetings, sometimes polemic, most of the time inspiring and inspired, but always, always uncomprehended. “There goes the forest’s Batman and Robin, the enigmatic vigilante and his spirited protégé” said the beetle community when they took the high road. “Look, everyone, Han Solo and Hairless Chewbacca are passing by, the charismatic spacefarer and his gentle giant ally.” said someone in the frog community when they stopped by the pond for some water. “Watch out, everyone! There’s Mario and Luigi, the fearless, go-kart racing duo. They are going to eat us all!” Yelled the Funghi community when they stopped by for some snacks.

The dynamic duo spent thousands of hours journeying through that massive, living cradle that was their homeland. They never really talked about it, but both knew what was their destination. Leafcutter was not really fond of walking so could always be found on the top of Godspeed's head, the driver of that locomotive, that patiently trailblazed through those bumpy roads at his own… speed.

— HOLY COWABUNGA GODSPEED, WHO PICKS THAT NAME FOR A TURTLE? YOU ARE A LIVING PARADOX UNLESS YOU CAN DOUBLE THIS SPEED. Yelled Leafcutter as if his tone could actually intimidate a living thing.

— Patience, my ferocious friend. He who can wait achieves more than he who rushes in. Said Godspeed as he slowly finished the next solid step to the next destination toward the north.

— I don’t know why I still bother about discussing speed with a turtle, just know that I would easily beat you on a race, you giant moving shell.

— As you complain, there you remain seated, effortlessly making nothing, whatsoever, to help us on our important journey. My focus I shall protect, your chit-chat I am to neglect.

— Are you saying I’m not being helpful? I am the epitome of utility, my friend. A deep well of knowledge, oratory, and good taste. Continued Leafcutter when he suddenly realized something of the most unexplainable set of colors in a pond, close to both of them and right behind a leaf. — STOP, HIT ALL THE BREAKS, SLOW - THE - GOD - DAMN - SPEED! DO YOU SEE WHAT I’M SEEING?

— I hear buzzing in my ears. Such a noisy buzz, strangely coming from the very top of my head but directly hurting my ears. Said Godspeed as he continued to focus on walking.

— LISTEN TO ME, I BEG YOU TO STOP, HIT THE BREAKS YOU TURBO TURTLE. WE FOUND A TREASURE. Leafcutter yelled in despair as he was starting to worry about the idea of not taking a deep look at what they found.

Without knowing what else to do, Leafcutter crawled to the height of Godspeed’s right eye and pinched it with all the strength that an ant could possibly convey.

— Ooooouch! That actually hurt. Why on earth would someone pinch an eye? What is troubling such an already troubled mind? Said Godspeed as he slowed the pace to zero kilometers per hour and looked around to find the said treasure. — Do you refer to that flower? You are absolutely right, what an exuberant and inspiring grasp of nature’s beauty. Right here and now, we shall stay parked.

— Some good reason has finally come to your tortoise mind. Have you ever seen such a flower? Godspeed, we may have found Nature’s true and only masterpiece. I always know what to say but for the first time in my life, there is a loss for words.

There stayed Leafcutter and Godspeed just observing the flower they had found as if when looking at it, time froze in a sense of not only joy but hope and strength for their journey. Sometime later, Godspeed spoke.

— Tell me, my friend, what do you see in this flower that brings such enormous joy to such a tiny heart like yours?

— Everything about it is perfect, it exhales vitality! Look at those soft petals, I have never seen a flower with such shape and colors, I can smell the perfume from here, my god, Godspeed. I’m sorry, but I believe this is a farewell, I will climb it and there I will live in beauty and joy for the rest of my life.

— That’s it?

— What do you mean that’s it? What are you seeing with your pinched eye that I’m missing with mine?

— Oh, my dear anty and weird friend, don’t you realize you are looking at just what is external about that flower? Once again, time is blurring your mind.

— How dare you call me superficial? I was a famous art curator back in my time in the ant community. Your left eye is about to get pinched for such offense.

— Just like us, organic beings, that flower is subject to the test of time. We found it in its most beautiful moment but can’t you realize that is only a temporary state of being?

— Interesting, go on.

— If we were to keep staring at it for more and more time, what would we experience?

— Time would get to it, the petals would dry out, it would wither, the stalk would get weak and it would end up in the ground, forever decomposing itself and nurturing another living thing.

— So would it still be beautiful some time from now when it doesn’t exist anymore?

— Unfortunately not.

— So is it entirely beautiful if just for a single moment? Everything that is superfluous is temporary and untrue, Leafcutter. You missed the most important thing and it is right in the center of it.

— What is that? A bee? Well, it is a fancy bee but I can’t seem to find anything special about it.

— Look at the whole picture, my friend. A bee landing on a flower and gifting it the pollen of another distant flower so that it can grow and mature with life. This is something that is happening all the time and all around us between all flowers and bees, in a perfect exchange of holistic and synergic collaboration between species from the same origin, our origin.

Leafcutter stood paralyzed in awe while he started to see something much more profound in meaning than his eyes could possibly convey and Godspeed finished his line of thinking.

— Universal and eternal is this exchange that is happening in the same scene that we are both looking and that also pertains to the flower you found. Ephemerous and temporary are the external traits of such flower in the same way that temporary is mine and your short journey on this blessed land.

There is not much left to say, Godspeed said it all.

Take-home Point

Godspeed teaches us that in the same way that, for example, the painting of Mona Lisa can have many different messages and symbols, a simple scene of a flower is able to transmit deeper meanings through a semiotic approach as long as we are able to abstract a reading from what is only superficial about it. This is important for all creatives and communicators because every message that we craft should have many different layers of meaning.

_{You can listen to Story for Storytellers on Spotify.}

_{An Agency Production.}