The paradox of the empty chair

In Walden, David Henry Thoreau recounts his life in a wood near a pond, where he sought to experience an existence far removed from any system. In the cabin he built with his own hands, there were three chairs: ‘one for solitude, one for friendship, one for company’. But he noticed that when more than three people were present, the third chair remained empty because the visitors stood to chat.

Paradoxically, society was represented by an empty chair … As if those conversing whilst standing were expressing the dynamism of a community that had come together to discuss Thoreau’s life choices and the transformation of their society: ‘You don’t plough a field in your head – or whilst sitting down’ – as the Irish saying goes.

To be part of society is to stand and be active on the social stage. Moreover, when we teach or train others, when we pass on knowledge, we do so not only by imparting information but, above all, through personal testimony. Nothing is felt more deeply or absorbed more fully than the direct testimony of someone who shares their own experience, without necessarily putting it into words: the power of an experience, its authenticity, is felt subtly yet unmistakably.

The foundation of this transmission begins with self-reflection, in a state of inner solitude; it is cemented by sharing with loved ones who open one’s mind to other ideas; finally comes the moment to pass on what has been internalised for the benefit of a community. By passing on knowledge in this way, in a centrifugal movement, it is the entire legacy of one’s personal life and of society that is kept alive for the benefit of others, who, in turn, will enrich this contribution with their own experiences.

Building a society means revealing what remains irreplaceable and unique in each of us, to expand the human adventure, whilst always leaving a seat empty, for life flows and cannot be defined by dogmas that claim to be immutable. As soon as an idea becomes a dogma or an unwelcome obligation, life becomes stagnant. As soon as knowledge is passed on through dogma, life becomes stagnant. Reflection requires looking within oneself to engage in an inner dialogue, so as to convey clear thinking and genuine experience. Many people retain, throughout their lives, the memory of a teacher or educator who imparted knowledge on these foundations, as an example that will sustain them through trials.

Finally, keeping an empty chair to welcome the unexpected means acknowledging that knowledge is in a state of flow; it means broadening one’s individual and social horizons. It means both standing firm on one’s values and remaining open to encountering others in order to work together. In the world of work, this notion of the empty chair tends to be illustrated by the supposed uselessness of interchangeable individuals, in a society that goes so far as to consume people, who have become disposable commodities.

But then, who will form society?