Indeterminacy X9

Several men, three as a matter of fact, were out
walking one day, and as they were walking along and
talking one of them noticed another man standing on
a hill ahead of them. He turned to his friends and
said, “Why do you think that man is standing up
there on that hill?” One said, “He must be up there
because it’s cooler there and he’s enjoying the
breeze.” He turned to another and repeated his
question, “Why do you think that man’s standing up
there on that hill?” The second said, “Since the
hill is elevated above the rest of the land, he must
be up there in order to see something in the
distance.” And the third said, “He must have lost
his friend and that is why he is standing there
alone on that hill.” After some time walking along,
the men came up the hill and the one who had been
standing there was still there: standing there. They
asked him to say which one was right concerning his
reason for standing where he was standing. ¶ “What
reasons do you have for my standing here?” he asked.
“We have three,” they answered. “First, you are
standing up here because it’s cooler here and you
are enjoying the breeze. Second, since the hill is
elevated above the rest of the land, you are up here
in order to see something in the distance. Third,
you have lost your friend and that is why you are
standing here alone on this hill. We have walked
this way; we never meant to climb this hill; now we
want an answer: Which one of us is right?” ¶ The man
answered, “I just stand.”

- John Cage