Een schip op het strand is een vuurtoren aan het overzees.
Old Sailing Proverb
Why do you matter?
I’m a mirror.
How so?
In me you will find yourself.
In what way?
In many ways. «he smiles»
Can you elaborate?
Read the book.
C’mon -- you know I need a sound bite.
After confusion, humility.
After humility, acceptance.
After acceptance, action.
After action, enlightenment.
After enlightenment, confusion.
Doesn’t work for me. First, that’s not a sound bite. Second, it’s confusing.
D.J. -- what is it that you want in a sound bite?
You know, the essences -- the capsule summary. The one-liner that I can write in my article, a pull-quote perhaps, that people can read and say, “Oh, I get it.”
So they don’t have to read the books?
Exactly!
And be enlightened as a consequence of not reading the books?
Yes! Yes. Now you’re getting it.
Well, why didn’t you say so. That’s easy.
Okay. Okay. Spill.
“You’re already home.”
You lost me. Don’t do this to me Ahmenar. C’mon buddy, something printable.
“You don’t have another one.”
Another what? One what?
Another life. Another world. Another time. You’re living the only life that matters. You’re living in the only world that matters. You’re living in the only time that matters. The question is: what are you going to do with that life? That is the only question that matters.
Deep.
No, simple. So, start asking the question. Because your world doesn’t have much time.
Why not?
It seems most of you would rather sleepwalk.
Ouch.
But inside, your souls are in agony. This is the reason the use of anti-depressents is epidemic.
Because people are ill?
Quite the contrary! Your souls are rejecting the situation your minds have created. Your spirits squirm in fear - rightfully so. And your cultural response is mass en-numbment. Collectively, you’ve got to go the other way. You’ve got to acknowledge that the anxiety is real, and that it is sound and well-founded and that it wants you to wake up. Collectively. Because if you don’t, you’ll all fall over the cliff.
Sounds ominous. I know there was a similar event in your world. But it doesn’t seem that your world ended up so badly after all.
No, it hasn’t at all ended up badly. Seeing that is the optimism that you’re entitled to. But 2,000 years is a long time. My world suffered horribly for 2,000 years before things turned out “not badly.” We’re here by way of example: you can choose to make the turn that we missed, and avoid 2,000 years of darkness.
I’m not sure how your personal ossayu is relevant to us and to our “turning point.”
In a way, you’re right -- my journey concerns the second great turning point you people must navigate.
Then why not tell the story of the first turning point your world encountered, which is much like the turning point we face?
Bceause I didn’t live then «he chuckles» so it wouldn’t be a story about me. I don’t know why they’ve chosen to tell my story. But that’s what they’ve chosen. I lived my life in my time. I pursued the grails that I had to pursue for my life in my time.
But if our issue regards something other than the questions you had to uncover and answer, why should we spend the time reading of your adventure?
I don’t really know. I can only offer you my hunch.
Hunch?
Yes, my insight. It’s mine, not something they’ve told me, so I can’t claim that it’s right.
I accept the provisio.
I think if they told you the story of the way my world confronted the turning point that you confront now, it would be more fodder for the fires of debate and protest and blame. My story is one that you can accept, and in it, you’ll find the metaphors that matter.
So, you’re story is relevant.
I didn’t say that it wasn’t.
No, I guess you didn’t.
Sorry D.J., it seems that we’re out of time. No more questions.
But Ahmenar…
Okay, one more. Choose carefully.
That itself is a metaphor, isn’t it?
Sure is. «he grins» I’ll give you one more. The answer involves Peace, Love, and Light.
That seems simplistic to me, perhaps even trite.
Simplistic and trite are not at all metaphors of my story.
Our religions have long espoused such beliefs.
Your religions have rarely practiced their preachings.
Some would say our behavior is a function of our genetics - we are animals, after all.
A painful discovery to make. But a necessary one. Time to get over it, and act with integrity now that you have come to that realization. Decisions made by the logic of ignorance lead fools the way to dusty death, to borrow a word from your great bard.
Did you know him?
No, I didn’t. And that was another question not well chosen. Take that as a lesson about your impestuousness. Thank you my friend for having given me this opportunity to speak dierctly to the audience.
