CAPTAIN'S LOG : 000044
MISSION : DOCUMENTING THE VISION
SUBJECT : THE SWAMP OF SADNESS
VESSEL : THE MOONCHILD ENTERPRISE
CURRENT POSITION : CLEAR
SITUATION STATUS : LESSONS INTEGRATED
CREW STATUS : HOPEFUL (except for 2* : IMPATIENT)
TARGET : YU (¥)
TRANSMISSION STATUS : UNCENSORED VERSION RECEIVED 3 — Captain V to major YU. Do YU read me?
¥ — ^^^^^
3 — Captain V to Major YU. Come in, Major YU.
¥ — ^^^^^
3 — Captain V to major YU. Do YU read me?
¥ — Loud and clear, Captain V.
3 — I am still observing Planet Earth and have made another observation, following up on Logs 00042 and 00043.
¥ — Go ahaid, Captain.
3 — I used to think The Nothing was the dark force we were all supposed to fear.
Lately, I’m starting to suspect it works differently.
I don’t think The Nothing from the The Neverending Story, destroys YU directly. I think it uses something else. Something far more efficient :
The Swamp of Sadness.
Because that swamp slowly convinces YU to give up on yourself. To lose hope.
I know this because it happened to me too.
A few years ago, I lost faith. Not just in the system. In myself.
Looking back, there wasn’t a single dramatic event behind it. No catastrophe, no spectacular failure.
Just accumulation. Years of accumulation. Tiny disappointments, tiny frustrations. Endless inner battles. Countless compromises. Each one insignificant on its own.
But together? Not so insignificant.
At some point, I stopped recognising myself.
The woman who had spent years talking about her YUGENING vision, suddenly became embarrassed by the very word.
The same woman who proudly drove around with YUGENING on the licence plate of her Audi no longer wanted to drive the car.
Because every time I saw it, the same question appeared :
“What was I thinking?” Why didn’t I just create a normal architecture office and wear black turtlenecks like everybody else? Why couldn’t I simply fit in?
Véronique, why can’t YU just be normal?
It didn’t help that I could hear the gossip. The laughter. The whispers at events. But the real problem wasn’t them.
The real problem was that, eventually, their voice became my own.
For 2.5 years I sat in what I now call my personal Swamp of Sadness.
I almost convinced Koen to give away the office to our employees. I was done. Completely done.
My alternative plan was surprisingly simple. Buy a second-hand sailboat. Disappear. Sail around the world. Live modestly. Stop fighting.
Fortunately, I had a problem.
Our children. They were watching. And they were counting on us.
That realisation kept bothering me.
Because if I gave up… What exactly was I teaching them? That dreams are wonderful until things become difficult? That vision only matters when people applaud? That YU should stop when the world doesn’t immediately understand YU?
That didn’t feel right. Not even from the bottom of the swamp.
Because we all know the truth.
There are countless good people trying to make the world a little better.
Every day. People with good intentions. People who genuinely care.
And yet…
Far too many people are still sinking.
Perhaps because we keep hoping that someone else will solve it. But who?
The government? The experts? The next generation?
People keep waiting for “them” to solve it.
There is no “they”.
There is only us.
Only me and YU.
Preliminary conclusion:
The Swamp of Sadness feeds on hopelessness.
But responsibility appears to be strangely resistant to it.
Further investigation required.
— Captain V
End of transmission. *****
2 — Captain?
3 — Yes, Nikki?
2 — I don’t think YU made it very clear why The Swamp of Sadness is even more insidious than The Nothing.
3 — Then why don’t YU try to explain it.
2 — Who? Me?
3 — Yes, YU. Nikki. Nobody is better at explaining sensitive things than Compassion.
2 — Oh. Right. Sorry. I keep forgetting we’re not the same person. Okay. Here it goes.
Dear reader,
if YU are from my generation (I’m from 01976, and YU?), then YU probably remember one of the most traumatic scenes our generation ever had to witness:
The white horse sinking into the Swamp of Sadness in the movie The NeverEnding Story. I mean… How horrible was that? Trying not to cry in the cinema so your parents wouldn’t notice…
Anyway. Do YU know why that scene was so traumatic? I mean, in that movie there is The Nothing, a dark force that consumes everything: imagination, hope, colour, dreams… And then there is Gmork, the terrifying wolf…
But neither of them were as frightening as the Swamp of Sadness. Ooooh nooo. But do YU know why?
In that scene, Artax stops fighting. And Atreyu has to watch it happen while desperately trying to pull him out. Horrible, just horrible…
So the swamp convinces YU to give up HOPE.
Maybe that’s why Captain and I keep talking about imagination, hope and a better future.
Because every time YU choose hope over fear…
The Swamp becomes a little smaller.
With love,
Nikki.
*****
2* — Uhm, Nikki, I think YU just repeated the Captain’s words, but slightly differently.
2 — Well, it’s important that the readers understand this part. Maybe I should also explain the link with YUGENING.
2 — I don’t think that’s necessary. Surely the readers have figured that out by now?
2 — Not all of them.
2* — No, really? I thought we were aiming for brainpower in this YUNIVERSE?? Can’t they connect the dots themselves?
2 — Some people need a little bit more guidance.
2* — Come on! Can’t they use their mayonnaise?
3 — Brainpower, Nikki ‘O.
2*- Whatever. I mean, don’t they realise how urgent this is?
3 — We’ll explain it in one of the next transmissions.
2* — How many more transmissions do YU need, Captain? I saw YU made 15 transmissions this weekend. Hello kroket!
3 — 16 actually.
2* — OMG… Surely YU’re not planning to publish all of them?? I mean… When is it finally my turn to write my Newsletter???
3 — YU will have to wait, Nikki ‘O.
2* — noooooooo……
3 — Patience, Nikki ‘O.
2* — ….
*****
This is Captain V speaking from the bridge of The Moonchild Enterprise.
My official role is Compass. A moral Compass. Also known as Architype 3.
I am the Captain of this Crazy Circus of 9 Architypes. My job is to navigate this madness.
No, that does not mean I am the smartest one. Quite frankly, some of the others are far more brilliant than I am.
And no, it does not mean I am always in control either. Trust me. That would be nice.
My job is much more complicated than that. I listen, observe, translate. I try to make sense of what all the others are trying to tell me.
Because every Architype sees only part of the picture.
Curiosity sees possibilities and therefore falls in love with the next question.
Courage sees opportunities, but occasionally needs a filter.
The younger YU sees wonder, loves to play, sing, dance and occasionally press buttons she absolutely shouldn’t.
YU get the picture. It’s a complete madhouse. I am the one trying to see the whole map. I am also the one responsible for explaining the mission.
Because let’s be honest. If I let the others explain the entire YUNIVERSE on their own, half the audience would be inspired, the other half confused, and everyone would leave with a different interpretation.
So I translate. I connect the dots and turn chaos into direction. That is why I hold two planets in my hands.
One represents YOU. Your fears. Your wounds. Your forgotten imagination. The world nobody can fully see except yourself. The place where Conformity quietly keeps you safe.
The other represents YU. The larger world. Humanity, nature. The dreams, ideas, visions. Possibilities. The future we are trying to create together.
My task is to seek balance between these two worlds. And balance is not something I have mastered myself. Not yet. Like every Architype in this circus, I am still on my own YUGENING journey.
Sometimes I stand firmly in my power. Calm. Clear. Grounded. Certain.
But there are other days too. Days when I become tired. Days when I doubt myself. Days when the responsibility feels heavy. Days when I quietly wonder whether I have completely lost my mind.
Yet somehow, despite the chaos, we always seem to find our way forward.
Because a compass does not need to know the destination.
It only needs to know where True North is. That is my role.
And keep steering this beautiful Crazy Circus in the right direction.
YU.
