Is it possible to notice the routinization of life? In the process of analyzing my feelings and observing other people, I see several problems in detection. The first problem is that in the process of routinization, all internal inconveniences are transferred to the symptoms of the routine, and not to its very cause. The second problem is that after crossing a certain point, the routine begins to seem safe, if not a paradise lagoon, then certainly a cozy kennel. The third problem is that the rebellion runs into harsh reality and its own self-sabotage. The fourth problem is that as you get sucked into monotony, the internal rebellion fades away under the auspices of “everyone lives this way, why am I better.” The questions of who this “everyone” is and why a person decides that this “everyone” lives this way, of course, are not asked. Fifth - when a useful routine and schedule necessary for mental stability (for example, rituals of brushing teeth, eating, reading before bed, etc.) develops into a dragging, spontaneous, tasteless life. The topic of this article was born in my head while reading a Japanese story by Kobo Abe, master of allegory and avant-garde. The work is called: “Woman in the Sands.” It is, naturally, filled with so many meanings, mysteries and the fact that everyone will be able to find their own shade of the question posed to them. I will focus on one thing that “rushed” at me first. Briefly: in an absurd, but at the same time seemingly absolutely real world, a man disappears, finding himself in a sand pit, where he is forced, every night, to scoop up sand in order to be able to live on. It is difficult to describe the plot of the book without leaving it even a little bit as exciting and phantasmagorical as it is, but it is important to at least try. The hero takes a vacation and goes in search of new specimens for his insect collection. His path lies in the dunes, because there, in the sands, there may be species that will interest him with their inconspicuousness and small size (after all, “whoever is obsessed with the mania of collecting is not attracted to bright-winged butterflies and dragonflies”). In particular, the hero is looking for a Spanish fly, which is one of the desert inhabitants he desires. Carried away, the man misses the last bus, and a local resident helps him find accommodation for the night. This overnight stay is a sand pit, at the bottom of which there is a hut. The man is helped down there using a rope ladder and is met there by a Woman. She is excited, has painted her face for his arrival, and is clearly trying to please the Man. The hut is a pitiful sight: everywhere there is sand, dampness, simplicity bordering on wretchedness. The man is surprised by some aspects of life in this place, some questions he asks, some he keeps to himself. However, the questions asked remain unanswered or the answers are lengthy, unclear, or mysterious. The hero does not understand that this is the beginning of his “swamp”, he feels a catch, but decides that tomorrow he will deal with it by simply leaving this strange place. Meanwhile, the rope ladder has been removed, and the locals have already prepared a shovel for the newcomer to dig through the sand. The man is dissatisfied, but since he feels ashamed that the Woman is digging and he is smoking on the sidelines, he also takes a shovel. The handle of the shovel is uncomfortable, and the work does not make sense for the hero. Just sitting in a sand pit, at night, when the sand is damp and doesn’t crumble as much, dig out a hut. Omitting the hero’s experiences, the terrifying restructuring of his feelings and consent to this state of affairs, I will say that for me the most nightmarish moment was the moment at the end. When the escape from the pit was so real, having this magnificent opportunity, the hero descends into the pit of his own free will, with the thought: “And escape - there will still be time to think about it.” Still from the film “Woman in the Sands” 1963 The reader understands that the hero remains in the pit, and in the real world where he came from, the court ruled that a certain Niki Junpei, whose whereabouts have been unknown for more than seven years, can be considered dead. That is, it becomes known that the man’s time to think has been delayed for at least more than seven years. For me it's like)