There is a parable about a boy who set out in search of truth. Knowing that everyone must find his or her own truth he began his arduous journey. He first entered the Valley of Never-Ending Voices.
He could hear voices everywhere: voices from science, religion, and philosophy, thinkers and non-thinkers alike. Voices whose source for truth was often born out of personal necessity. Each voice attempted to convince the boy that they alone spoke truth, some shouting louder than others, some trying to discredit or quiet the other voices.
Confused, the boy left the valley and headed into the Forest of Conformity. Here, the boy soon realized that everyone’s voice sounded the same. In fact, everyone looked and acted the same. Theboy felt uncomfortable with conformity but understood that it was the only way he could ever fit in.
Saddened, he departed the forest and wandered through the Plains of the Past. Here, a parrot approached and landed on the boy’s shoulder. The parrot began to recount truths from the past. At first, the boy listened intently, until it occurred to him that the talking bird was simply repeating what others had taught him to say. While some of what the boy heard seemed true, the boy had no way of knowing whether it was so.
Eventually, the Plains of the Past came to the precipice of a cliff. An ornery ogre appeared from below the rim. “Who are you?” the boy exclaimed. The ogre snarled, “I am the Ogre of Own-Way-Ness. I burrow beneath these cliffs.”
As he spoke, the ogre tried to draw the boy closer, hoping to pull him over the edge, but the boy turned and ran.
It wasn’t until he came to the Lake of Revelation that the boy was able to see things clearly. He stood and looked at his image on the mirror surface of the water. Seeing himself as he really was, he fully understood the importance of choosing the truth that would direct his life.
So he chose…. So each of us chooses.
Garry Gamble
Grand Marais
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