The old man and the boy
Today was the inauguration of a junior angel. After the celebrations were over, God pulled the junior angel aside. The junior angel, joyious from the celebrations, asked God to join in the merry-making. God politely declined.
"Why not?" asked the angel.
"I have a question for you." The angel probed further, but got nothing more from God.
He led them to the gates of heaven. God raised His hand and pointed to the gates. The angel followed God's hand. There, on the other side of the gate, stood an old man and a boy.
The old man's face was wrinkled with age, and he looked regal with his hair swept back and long flowing white robes. The boy was scrawny, garbed in dirty-looking rags twice his size. The boy caught the gaze of the angel, and quickly turned away.
God spoke, "Who of the two is the wiser, young one".
The angel took in the two of them again. The boy, his head bowed, never once looked up. The old man, with a gentle smile and eyes with a twinkle of spirit in them, nodded gracefully at the attention of the angel.
Swift was the angel's reply. "The old man, of course."
God laughed a hearty laugh, which puzzled the angel so. "Is that not so, my Lord?"
And such was God's reply.
"At first glance, it may seem so, for the years has been blessed upon the man who lived a longer life than the boy. He has been through more experiences, and has seen plenty more. But is that what being wise truly means?"
"The man was born into a family of affluence. He has led a charmed life. You might like to think of his life as that of Jobs': he had every material need he asked for. He was the heir of a business dynasty. So he led his life as the heir, the successor, the head, and finally the ancestor of that dynasty, eventually passing on all his material wealth and success to his heir and son. The hardship that he knew was the work he encountered, and he knew it well, for it was in his family and in his blood. His marriages were arranged, and life was orderly."
"But he knew not of the things of importance."
The angel opened his mouth to speak, and God allowed him to. "But surely, being in a position high in society, and being able to live through the years, speaks volumes of the knowledge he has gained. That must surely amount to something."
To that, God replied. "But what did he live for? What did he die for? Hear the story of the boy, and reconsider your opinion."
"The boy led a short life on the mortal plane, and if I were to tell you the details of his life, it would be insignificant. I would, however, relate the last 5 days of that boy's life to you."
"5 days before he arrived here, he learned about Love. The love of one's mother, as she died to save her only son. The love from a fellow human, as the soldier who killed his mother defended his life against the inhumanity of the slaughter from that said soldier's fellow men."
"4 days before he arrived here, he learned of Fellowship and Lost. He felt the bond developed between his orphan friend, as they embarked on a journey out of the warzone, seeking sanctuary. He also felt the lost of said fellowship, when his friend died from a landmine blast while they scavenged for food."
"3 days before he arrived here, he learned of Compassion. He understood sharing, felt hunger and experienced the joy of having that hunger cured. He stumbled upon a family taking refuge in an abandoned warehouse. The family was surviving, but barely doing so. The father saw him, looked to his wife, and said, 'We have 4 mouths to feed, and only enough for 3. There's barely enough to go around.' His wife replied, 'Now we have 5 mouths to feed, and there will be enough. I will not stand by while another suffer.' That night, he understood Joy and Bliss."
"2 days before he arrived here, he understood Life and Death. In the morning, he bade farewell to the hospitable family who gave him a roof over his head for a day. He felt like he could look forward to the future. He felt he could look at tomorrow, and not fear it. He knew that his past was what brought him here today, and he did not fear it either. He knew that today was all he had now, the present that he must cherish. Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. The three components of Life. In the evening, just before the last ray of light gave out, he reached a fence. A man-made border, and a symbol of Hope, for beyond that fence, he believed Freedom lay. It was there that he was shot. He felt Pain, and Hope seemed to drain away as blood flowed from his right shoulder. He felt Life flow away as the darkness of night fell, and Death beckoned like a lullaby lulling him to sleep."
"Yesterday.."
"What did he learn yesterday?" the angel asked.
"Yesterday, he lied on the earth. His heartbeat slowed with every minute passed. He felt himself returning to where he belonged. He smiled as he thought about all the things he has learned. He smiled as he got to know Me. Yesterday, he learned about God. He saw me, as I saw him. There, he gave his life to Me."
"You see, my child, the wise do not fear death, for fearing death would mean to fear Me. In knowing Me, he knew that his time on earth was temporary; that all things material will come to an end. He knew it, and with that knowledge, he felt humbled in My presence."
"And the old man?" probed the angel.
"He knew none of this. He may be wise, but the young one is wiser."
-=Fin=-
p.s. I hope in no way I've spoken blasphemy against God. I felt an urgent need to encompass my ideals of life into a post, and felt the best way to do so was with a story. Not elegantly crafted, and perhaps a little too shallow, but I hope that some of it rubs of you. Forgive me if I've offended anyone.
"Why not?" asked the angel.
"I have a question for you." The angel probed further, but got nothing more from God.
He led them to the gates of heaven. God raised His hand and pointed to the gates. The angel followed God's hand. There, on the other side of the gate, stood an old man and a boy.
The old man's face was wrinkled with age, and he looked regal with his hair swept back and long flowing white robes. The boy was scrawny, garbed in dirty-looking rags twice his size. The boy caught the gaze of the angel, and quickly turned away.
God spoke, "Who of the two is the wiser, young one".
The angel took in the two of them again. The boy, his head bowed, never once looked up. The old man, with a gentle smile and eyes with a twinkle of spirit in them, nodded gracefully at the attention of the angel.
Swift was the angel's reply. "The old man, of course."
God laughed a hearty laugh, which puzzled the angel so. "Is that not so, my Lord?"
And such was God's reply.
"At first glance, it may seem so, for the years has been blessed upon the man who lived a longer life than the boy. He has been through more experiences, and has seen plenty more. But is that what being wise truly means?"
"The man was born into a family of affluence. He has led a charmed life. You might like to think of his life as that of Jobs': he had every material need he asked for. He was the heir of a business dynasty. So he led his life as the heir, the successor, the head, and finally the ancestor of that dynasty, eventually passing on all his material wealth and success to his heir and son. The hardship that he knew was the work he encountered, and he knew it well, for it was in his family and in his blood. His marriages were arranged, and life was orderly."
"But he knew not of the things of importance."
The angel opened his mouth to speak, and God allowed him to. "But surely, being in a position high in society, and being able to live through the years, speaks volumes of the knowledge he has gained. That must surely amount to something."
To that, God replied. "But what did he live for? What did he die for? Hear the story of the boy, and reconsider your opinion."
"The boy led a short life on the mortal plane, and if I were to tell you the details of his life, it would be insignificant. I would, however, relate the last 5 days of that boy's life to you."
"5 days before he arrived here, he learned about Love. The love of one's mother, as she died to save her only son. The love from a fellow human, as the soldier who killed his mother defended his life against the inhumanity of the slaughter from that said soldier's fellow men."
"4 days before he arrived here, he learned of Fellowship and Lost. He felt the bond developed between his orphan friend, as they embarked on a journey out of the warzone, seeking sanctuary. He also felt the lost of said fellowship, when his friend died from a landmine blast while they scavenged for food."
"3 days before he arrived here, he learned of Compassion. He understood sharing, felt hunger and experienced the joy of having that hunger cured. He stumbled upon a family taking refuge in an abandoned warehouse. The family was surviving, but barely doing so. The father saw him, looked to his wife, and said, 'We have 4 mouths to feed, and only enough for 3. There's barely enough to go around.' His wife replied, 'Now we have 5 mouths to feed, and there will be enough. I will not stand by while another suffer.' That night, he understood Joy and Bliss."
"2 days before he arrived here, he understood Life and Death. In the morning, he bade farewell to the hospitable family who gave him a roof over his head for a day. He felt like he could look forward to the future. He felt he could look at tomorrow, and not fear it. He knew that his past was what brought him here today, and he did not fear it either. He knew that today was all he had now, the present that he must cherish. Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. The three components of Life. In the evening, just before the last ray of light gave out, he reached a fence. A man-made border, and a symbol of Hope, for beyond that fence, he believed Freedom lay. It was there that he was shot. He felt Pain, and Hope seemed to drain away as blood flowed from his right shoulder. He felt Life flow away as the darkness of night fell, and Death beckoned like a lullaby lulling him to sleep."
"Yesterday.."
"What did he learn yesterday?" the angel asked.
"Yesterday, he lied on the earth. His heartbeat slowed with every minute passed. He felt himself returning to where he belonged. He smiled as he thought about all the things he has learned. He smiled as he got to know Me. Yesterday, he learned about God. He saw me, as I saw him. There, he gave his life to Me."
"You see, my child, the wise do not fear death, for fearing death would mean to fear Me. In knowing Me, he knew that his time on earth was temporary; that all things material will come to an end. He knew it, and with that knowledge, he felt humbled in My presence."
"And the old man?" probed the angel.
"He knew none of this. He may be wise, but the young one is wiser."
-=Fin=-
p.s. I hope in no way I've spoken blasphemy against God. I felt an urgent need to encompass my ideals of life into a post, and felt the best way to do so was with a story. Not elegantly crafted, and perhaps a little too shallow, but I hope that some of it rubs of you. Forgive me if I've offended anyone.
posted by DaDeGea at 7:03:00 AM
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