Deeply confused and utterly sad, Truth decided to consult with the Lord.
“Lord,” he said in a barely audible voice. “I am confused. You said that I am beautiful, but why is it that when I present myself to people, they would not look at me directly, and would rather look the other way? You said I am good, but why can’t I help hurting them? You said that Deceit is evil, but why is he capable of making people feel better, even if there are times he hurt them as well? You said Deceit is ugly, but why do people stare at him with so much awe?”
The Lord smiled sympathetically. He walked over to Truth, and held him by his shoulders. “My child, do not be confused. You are beautiful and pure. You shine so brightly, people cannot bear to look at you directly. They either put a veil over their eyes to see you, or use a mirror to get a glimpse of you, not realizing that though these instruments aid them, they blur you, hence they don’t see you in your full splendor.
“You are good; you do not really hurt them, you just crush their egos. Indeed, Deceit is ugly, but don’t forget that he is a master of disguise. He can change his black cloak into a rainbow, so that those who have not seen your grandeur are amazed at how lovely he seems, and they stare at him with awe.
“He is evil, because by not showing himself to people, he dims you. But do not fret, my child. There are those who are brave enough who choose to look at you directly, without any veil, without the need for mirrors. They see you, and they love you. And to them, your beauty is beyond compare.” The Lord patted Truth in the back. “Go forth my child, for you are loved.”
Feeling better, Truth thanked the Lord then walked happily back to his world, where he shone and shone brightly, giving light to the whole world. He’s still there, standing magnificently for all of us to see. Sometimes we see him, sometimes we don’t.
Often, we profess our love for him. But… do we really?
Copyright 2008 Sherma E. Benosa
All Rights Reserved
//Piece Written: 19 May 2008; 11:40am
what a beautiful story and it’s easy to forget that truth does shine.
sarah
I love this!
As much as our ego’s want to think we belong to Truth – in reality we have much more in common on Earth with Deceit.
We relate well to it (Deceit) as it is closer to who ‘we’ are for most of our time on this planet.
The Glare and the glory of Perfect Truth does often seem more than we can bear to gaze for any length of time upon and we can fear it’s clean, clear Light as it gazes upon us.
The Truth is what we say we want – but then we would need to face the Truth that our ego is a very ugly thing and He controls us in order that we mostly remain deceived.
Only rarely do we ever see Truth in us clearly.
Beautifully Put again Sherma – it does us good to view things from a differnet cultural perspective, at times.
It helps to show that beneath everything ‘external’ there is a universal common good.
<B
THANK YOU, SARAH. I’m so glad to see you here. I’ve missed you. Been to your blog the other day. I wish I could visit all the blogs I love everyday!
Ah, yes, we humans tend to forget about the good things. I wonder why.
LOVEWILLBRINGUSTOGETHER! So true! I say amen to your point of view.
You know what, another blogger friend, RAINFORESTROBIN, commented on this same article, but on my other blog. Let me paste a part of her comment here: “Then a friend of mine told me that it is sometimes easier for some people to not look at truth, love, kindness, because it means they would have to change and grow.”
I think your observations (yours and robin’s) complement each other.
And yes indeed, our sharing of ideas, here and in your blog (especially in your blog), has helped me grow. It’s amazing how we see things differently, and how each different point of view has truth in it. Wonderful! I love that!
That was extremely well-written, brainteaser. Have you ever read “The Wanderer” by Kahlil Gibran? Your work reminds me of his, especially what he has to say about “Beauty & Ugliness.”
Hi NorEaster! Thank you so much. That was a very heartwarming comment.
No, I haven’t read that yet, but I was able to buy a book by Khalil Gibran last April (A Treasury of Wisdom). His article “Beauty and Ugliness” is also there. I loved that piece, very much! He became my instant idol. (I’ve heard before that he was good, but it’s only now that I got hold of one of his books.)
I thought this piece was inspired by the piece “Footprints in the Sand” and also by my own experience. When I wrote it, I had just witnessed some truth being twisted before my very eyes, and I wondered why that was so. The experience was painful, but that was the answer whispered to me when I prayed to God to help me overcome everything. But now that you mentioned it, I can alreasy see some traces of Gibran’s style. It’s amazing! I guess I was subconsciously inspired by him. His writings are inspiring, and any struggling writer would want to have a trace of his gift.
Whoa!
This is easily the best post I’ve read in a long while, Brainteaser. What an insightful, creative post. You should have it published.
Love it! ~
Hey! Rmina! Thanks, friendster!
Wazzup?