No Fingerprints

"Master, I have thought a long time about what you've said."

"Did you use your pupils or the pads of your toes?"

"I shaved off the outer layer of my fingertips."

"And what did you learn?"

"No matter what our skin looks like, we still have an identity."

"Very wise thought. What is an identity?"

"It is who we choose to act to be."

"You have learned much. How will you use this wisdom?"

"I do not know."

"Those are the wisest words you have said."

"I do not understand."

"No one does. We think and we act or we act and we think or we act and we do not think or we think and we do not act. That is all."

"Thank you, master. In the village I heard people say they were going to see a talking film. What is that?"

"A film, or a movie, is a bunch of people standing behind the eyes of cameras and a few people standing in front of the eyes of cameras."

"Then talking films are cameras are people?"

"Yes, cameras are people who do not think for themselves."

"Why would the villagers pay to watch people who do not think for themselves?"

"You are very wise today, reprocessed dinosaur breath. I see that one day you will surpass my wisdom, which makes me very happy. You have brought peace to this moment."

"Will my fingerprints grow back?"

"Will you ever have the same identity again? No. But to others, you will appear to have the same identity because of your skin and how you dress and talk. Fingerprints or no fingerprints, stay on your learning path."

"I mean, will my skin grow back because the itching and sensitivity of my fingertips makes it hard to practice my handwriting?"

"Practical questions require practical solutions, not answers from me. Leave me alone to enjoy this peaceful moment. You will find your solution elsewhere."

"Thank you, master."