A “parabola” is a U-shaped curve in a quadratic function. “Parabola” is a play on the title of the introduction section, titled “Parabol,” which is a play on the word “parable,” or a story with an intended moral lesson. Parables form the foundation for all modern major religions.

“Parabola” is a celebration of life, the “holy experience” of birth, and the unlikely opportunity that we all share to be temporarily conscious of each other and the world around us. This song focuses on the realization through our bodily experience that others share the same limitations and desires as we do, and we will all eventually fade back into nothingness, as we were before our births. This realization “of our own mortality” urges us to treasure the life we have, use it to the best of our ability, and ignore base, unnecessary, unfulfuillable desires that detract from the richness of our experience of life.