Robert has drawn a cartoon-like version of the wheel of life, also known as the wheel of becoming. In Buddhist teaching, the term samsara refers to the idea of living, dying and being reborn in another form, cycling through an endless chain of being, at times reaching toward enlightenment, at other times living a more animal-like existence. In every case, suffering spiritual or psychological pain that arises from a disconnection with oneself.

Robert’s drawing suggests a board game, controlled by unknown forces. Life and death are equivalent to a game of chance. You spin the wheel and, if you’re lucky, you live a normal life and, if you’re unlucky, you get a major illness, as Robert had, or suffer a fatal accident. These spinning options of life and death relate to Robert’s interest in oppositions, his habit of defining forms through a collection of contrasts and dualities, and to his exposure to Eastern philosophies through his involvement with Macrobiotics.