A walkable labyrinth, modeled after the famous labyrinth at the Chartres Cathedral in France, has Blacktip Island residents angry due to its irritating pattern and unexpected dead end far from the center. (photo courtesy of Egorova Svetlana)
Blacktip Island residents were angered this week while walking a four-axis labyrinth, near the small Caribbean island’s Heritage House, with an emotionally-disturbing pattern and an unexpected dead end that aggravates users instead of calming them.
“It looks like a regular labyrinth, like the one in Chartres, but with a whacky path” Alison Diesel said. “Then, once you start walking it, instead of making you chill, it starts to get irritating. By the time you get to the dead end, which is nowhere near the center, you’re good and pissed off.
“These things are supposed to bring people inner peace,” Diesel said. “This one does the total opposite. And there’s no warning about that. It’s obvious it was done on purpose. That’s a dirty, rotten trick.”
The labyrinth’s creator defended the design.
“It’s a lesson for people to not expect things to work out the way they want,” the former-reverend Jerrod Ephesians said. “Folks think life is all about order and happiness, when it’s really semi-controlled chaos. The message here is to get used to disappointment. There’s no magic pill, or magic path, that’ll somehow make you happy.
“Yes, the pattern is intentionally annoying to walk,” Ephesians said. “That’s the point. People comes here all smug and self-satisfied, and they get a sharp wake-up call. Frustrating? Short-term, sure. But long-term it’s beneficial. And people are still coming by to walk it, even knowing what’ll happen. Some people aren’t content unless they’re discontent. It’s part of the human condition.”
Island officials discussed removing the labyrinth as a public safety hazard.
“Jerrod’s right—some people can’t resist that damn thing,” de facto island mayor Jack Cobia said. “Problem is, it’s got everybody here hacked off, and taking it out on folks around them. There’s been fights because of it, and one threatened divorce. We put a big tarp over it, but folks keep pulling it off and walking the thingy anyway, like rubbing salt in their wounds.
“We’re looking at the feasibility of tearing the damn thing up,” Cobia said. “But it’s painted on concrete, so that’ll be pricey to rip out. Our other option’s to paint over it and somehow keep Jerrod from redoing it. It’s not doing the island, or anyone here, any good. He ought to be ashamed of himself, having been a preacher and all.”
Some island residents opposed the labyrinth’s destruction.
“It’s a hoot, watching people melt down doing something they know is going to aggravate them,” Chrissy Graysby said. “We bring chairs and sun umbrellas and make a day of it. The kiddos especially like razzing walkers when they hit that dead end and have a meltdown. It’s great family fun.”
The Blacktip Times 