The Bright Light Object
Once upon a time in a land not so far from here there was a man who was searching. What he was searching for, he did not know, all he knew is that he must find that thing. His eyes were blinded by the sun and his skin torn in places from different instances of great suffering, but deep inside, he still held on to the idea that there was something out there that he must find.
So on he walked, not ever really knowing where he was going or what he was doing, blindly following for this thing that evaded him. Sometimes he walked alone. Sometimes he walked with others. But most of the time, he just walked on alone, never aware of the the entities that were near him. The walls he had built in his mind were so tall and so thick that not a soul could manage to get through them. However, the man was not aware that he had in essence cut himself off from the world.
One day as he was walking along the dusty paths that he traversed, he noticed something in the path in front of him. It shined with a brilliance he had not seen in a very long time. Having been so long since he had encountered something similar to this, he at first was keen to turn into a different direction thinking, "why would I want to risk this search?" But for some strange reason, he didn't turn away. He continued walking towards it. Oddly enough, this thing in front of him never seemed to ever get any closer. He thought to himself, "this must be what I've been searching for!" So he continued walking towards it.
Years went by and he continued walking towards this thing he thought he was searching for and yet it seemed no progress was ever made. The closer he thought he came towards it, the more it seemed to stay outside his grasp. Still unable to discern what it was he was walking towards, he continued trying to get to this thing.
Finally one day he sat down in the path and decided it was time to think about maybe giving up when suddenly, something hit him in the side of the head knocking him out. As the world turned from colors to gray and finally into nothing he felt a release inside of himself.
When he came to, he was no longer on the path he had been on before, nor in a land that he had been in before. He looked around and saw things he could not explain. He saw people around him that he had never seen before. Then out of the blue he felt something in his hands. He looked down and saw a bright light object in his hands. It was the same thing he had seen for all those years and never been able to reach. Astounded, he stood up and looked around him and noticed others holding the very same thing.
He walked up to one of these others and asked them what it was they held in their hands and each one would answer differently, "why, it's my house" or "this is my music" or "this is my castle." Frustrated by these answers the man tried to show them what he had, but everyone that he showed his bright light object to, said they didn't know what he had.
This angered the man and he threw his bright light object on the ground and walked away. He found a bench and sat down and closed his eyes and tried to think. But nothing but his bright light object came to mind. It was shapeless and had no form. As was every other bright light object that he had beheld. He thought "how can these people say that these shapeless objects be those wonderful things?!"
The man decided it was time to get back to his dusty paths and continue looking for what it was he was searching for. So he began walking again and slowly, over time, the memory of that bright light object and all those people and their bright light objects faded away. The world around him slowly turned back into the gray, dusty waste that he had been wondering for all those years.
Years passed and yet, the man still could not find what it was he was searching for. How long had it been that he had been searching for this thing that he did not know of? 20 years? 30? 50? He didn't know anymore. So he stopped walking and laid down. He closed his eyes and went to sleep.
While he lay there sleeping he dreamed, something he had not done in a very long time. In his dream he was once again in that place he had never been around those people he had never seen and once again they were all carrying their bright light objects. But this time he could see the shapes in them. He could see the house, the music and, the castle! This was simply amazing to him. Suddenly he decided to look down and he noticed that he still held his bright light object, but this time, it had form! It had shape! He saw what it was and suddenly knew that this is what he had been searching for! Finally after years of searching he had found it!
All of a sudden the man awoke and sat up and looked into his hands. But his hands were empty and he was covered in dust. The light in the sky was almost gone now. The wind was picking up and with it, the dust around him. He turned to go back to that place where he had left his bright light object, but found that he no longer knew what direction he needed to go to be able to get to that place!
Panic soared through him! He had thrown away that very thing he had been searching for! Oh how could he have been so blind he thought?! Why could he not see then that it was what he was looking for?! The man began to run towards the dimming light in the sky in hopes that maybe it would lead him to his bright light object.
Finally, the dimming light in the sky went out. The man fell to the ground and a gust of wind came along and picked him up, and he no longer felt. He no longer thought.
Back in that place he had never been before, his bright light object went out and everyone around saw this and the man with the castle stopped and looked on with a sad face. The man with the music, came over to him and played a sad tune and the man with the house put his hands on the others shoulders and said, "another one is lost my brothers. Weep not for him, for some, they never know what they've lost till the very end."
-DJW 2007
So on he walked, not ever really knowing where he was going or what he was doing, blindly following for this thing that evaded him. Sometimes he walked alone. Sometimes he walked with others. But most of the time, he just walked on alone, never aware of the the entities that were near him. The walls he had built in his mind were so tall and so thick that not a soul could manage to get through them. However, the man was not aware that he had in essence cut himself off from the world.
One day as he was walking along the dusty paths that he traversed, he noticed something in the path in front of him. It shined with a brilliance he had not seen in a very long time. Having been so long since he had encountered something similar to this, he at first was keen to turn into a different direction thinking, "why would I want to risk this search?" But for some strange reason, he didn't turn away. He continued walking towards it. Oddly enough, this thing in front of him never seemed to ever get any closer. He thought to himself, "this must be what I've been searching for!" So he continued walking towards it.
Years went by and he continued walking towards this thing he thought he was searching for and yet it seemed no progress was ever made. The closer he thought he came towards it, the more it seemed to stay outside his grasp. Still unable to discern what it was he was walking towards, he continued trying to get to this thing.
Finally one day he sat down in the path and decided it was time to think about maybe giving up when suddenly, something hit him in the side of the head knocking him out. As the world turned from colors to gray and finally into nothing he felt a release inside of himself.
When he came to, he was no longer on the path he had been on before, nor in a land that he had been in before. He looked around and saw things he could not explain. He saw people around him that he had never seen before. Then out of the blue he felt something in his hands. He looked down and saw a bright light object in his hands. It was the same thing he had seen for all those years and never been able to reach. Astounded, he stood up and looked around him and noticed others holding the very same thing.
He walked up to one of these others and asked them what it was they held in their hands and each one would answer differently, "why, it's my house" or "this is my music" or "this is my castle." Frustrated by these answers the man tried to show them what he had, but everyone that he showed his bright light object to, said they didn't know what he had.
This angered the man and he threw his bright light object on the ground and walked away. He found a bench and sat down and closed his eyes and tried to think. But nothing but his bright light object came to mind. It was shapeless and had no form. As was every other bright light object that he had beheld. He thought "how can these people say that these shapeless objects be those wonderful things?!"
The man decided it was time to get back to his dusty paths and continue looking for what it was he was searching for. So he began walking again and slowly, over time, the memory of that bright light object and all those people and their bright light objects faded away. The world around him slowly turned back into the gray, dusty waste that he had been wondering for all those years.
Years passed and yet, the man still could not find what it was he was searching for. How long had it been that he had been searching for this thing that he did not know of? 20 years? 30? 50? He didn't know anymore. So he stopped walking and laid down. He closed his eyes and went to sleep.
While he lay there sleeping he dreamed, something he had not done in a very long time. In his dream he was once again in that place he had never been around those people he had never seen and once again they were all carrying their bright light objects. But this time he could see the shapes in them. He could see the house, the music and, the castle! This was simply amazing to him. Suddenly he decided to look down and he noticed that he still held his bright light object, but this time, it had form! It had shape! He saw what it was and suddenly knew that this is what he had been searching for! Finally after years of searching he had found it!
All of a sudden the man awoke and sat up and looked into his hands. But his hands were empty and he was covered in dust. The light in the sky was almost gone now. The wind was picking up and with it, the dust around him. He turned to go back to that place where he had left his bright light object, but found that he no longer knew what direction he needed to go to be able to get to that place!
Panic soared through him! He had thrown away that very thing he had been searching for! Oh how could he have been so blind he thought?! Why could he not see then that it was what he was looking for?! The man began to run towards the dimming light in the sky in hopes that maybe it would lead him to his bright light object.
Finally, the dimming light in the sky went out. The man fell to the ground and a gust of wind came along and picked him up, and he no longer felt. He no longer thought.
Back in that place he had never been before, his bright light object went out and everyone around saw this and the man with the castle stopped and looked on with a sad face. The man with the music, came over to him and played a sad tune and the man with the house put his hands on the others shoulders and said, "another one is lost my brothers. Weep not for him, for some, they never know what they've lost till the very end."
-DJW 2007