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MACS 30. Nodi. I was never a scout, and as a child I was very wary of them because they smelled of Catholic action. They were all in their uniforms and shorts, as if they had no individuality, and seemed to me to be a good version of the fascist Balilla. But there is one thing I do regret. If I had been a scout I probably would have learned some practical things, and in particular I would have learned how to tie knots in ropes. And today, when I’d like to learn how to tie them, I can’t do it, I can’t find anyone who can teach me, and not even Youtube University helps me make progress. Because the knot is something very tactile and three-dimensional, when you see it done in two dimensions with a video or a drawing you can’t understand it. But I found a manual of knots in which the founder, Baden Powell, explains their basic principle: a well-made knot is a knot that you can untie whenever you want, but at the same time it can resist any pressure when you need it. A poorly tied knot, on the other hand, is a knot that cannot withstand the weight, but if you want to untie it voluntarily, you can’t because it is too tangled and confusing. This makes me think of the knot as a metaphor for love, and indeed it would be the perfect definition for relationships. Love that is good resists everything, but also leaves you free to leave. Love that hurts is fragile and does not support you, but at the same time wants to keep you prisoner. And maybe this is also why the Japanese practice of bondage is so stimulating for the erotic imagination. Learning how to tie knots would therefore allow me to explore this side, as well as to hang my new portable hammock when I go for a walk in the woods. So I want to study the practical manual of knots.