Railing Codex

Freelance curator and writer, co-founder of Qiangli Supermarket, and director of the Beijing photography art fair JINGPHOTO. Currently lives and works in Beijing.

平行，记忆中小学数学概念里最好记的那一个。老师反复强调，只要记住“永不相交”四个字就能得分。虽然数学课中讲解了“平行”的概念会存在于平面或空间中，可之后每每提到这个词，脑海中只会立即浮现两条无论延伸多远，都不会相交或重叠的线。
 
肉眼可见的协调，相对独立的浪漫。平行是一种关系，彼此是产生平行的关键所在，一方不在，平行便不在了；平行是一种节奏，彼此始终保持一致，但永远不会相互影响；平行是一种心情，期待对方的靠岸，惧怕彼此的纠缠；平行是一种巧合，两者之间恰好有对应关系，但两者并非是彼此的原因。
如果平行是一条法则，“保持距离”将是公民必须遵守的，牢记“非必要，不得相交”。空隙滋生幻想，有助海马体的成长，都是为我们好。

Parallel lines are the easiest concept to remember in grade school math class. Parallel lines never intersect, says the teacher over and over. Just remember those four words and you’ll get points. Even though you learn that surfaces or spaces can also be parallel, whenever you hear the word, your mental image is of two lines that never cross or overlap, no matter how far they extend.
 
A parallel is a visible harmony,  a romance with a bit of independence. It’s a relationship where both sides have to work to keep up the parallel: if one side goes missing, then the parallel is lost. It’s a rhythm where each side stays in sync but never influences the other. It’s a state of mind, a longing for touch and a fear of entanglement. It’s a coincidence where two sides happen to echo each other but aren’t the reason for one another.
 
If parallelism were the law, citizens would have to adhere to the mandate of “distancing,” bearing in mind that “nonessential intersections are not allowed.” Gaps nurture fantasies and promote the growth of the hippocampus, which is all for our own good.