Not so long ago in a land far away I met this old wise man who came from a very distant place. A stately man by outward appearances. Silver gray hair and beard to match, standing 6ft. 2 with eyes a piercing blue. The weathered look of his face showed years of overcoming struggles to survive. And, yet there was an eerie inner peace that seemed to glow whenever he smiled.
So fortunate I was to have encountered this wandering minstrel of knowledge and worldly experience. The days we spent in those woods back then I had wished that they would never end. But, somehow I knew we had to part. The knowledge I gained the lessons I learned have since served me well. Though he never did tell me his name only that he came from a place very far away. A place where life was filled with goodness and virtue. Somehow I knew from the leathered worry face that showed the anguish and torment of the seasons he spent wandering from place to place why he chose the solitude of the woods.
With no tools to speak of only his wits this old wise man from the woods taught me the value of life and how the goodness of man can humble himself to overcome adversity. How benevolence can restore compassion and empathy toward all living things. But, somehow by the strange look on his face when he spoke of these things he knew my world has yet to realize and practice the goodness and virtuous side of man. Only the dark side of contempt, jealousy, and hate have only made our world more hostile and volatile.
Now, many years have passed since I wandered with that old wise man of the woods I have seen that humanity has withered and decayed more with each passing year. The knowledge that I gained so many years ago has only heightened my resolve to try teach people what that old wise man taught me. Frustration though has only encouraged me to persevere. But, many times so many are unwilling to accept their character flaws. Flaws that have only entrenched a combative attitude toward accepting any change that would benefit not only themselves but all of society.
I have since seen this in the halls of government of late where elected officials in their lust for power, wealth and control have overtaken their actions. Actions that continue to deny the goodness and the virtuous side of humanity to rise above and extinguish the obstruction that prohibits mankind to foster empathy, compassion and benevolence toward all living things. The consequences of their actions continue to have far reaching effects on the diminished quality of life. The really ironic sad reality today is that so many just can’t fade into the woods and survive like that old wise man. Society has in a few respects evolved. But, in so many other ways we have regressed as a society. Now, much of our existence depends on materialism. A society that now has transformed the individualism and self reliance we had over 150 years ago into dependency.
When society becomes dependent on government that clearly is indifferent to their needs as we are seeing today no longer can that society sustain a neutral stance toward disingenuous policies. Policies that continue to have kept our society entrapped in a quagmire of continued crisis. And, so it is today what that old man taught me those many years ago has be be brought to the forefront of societies consciousness. We have to realize that we can truly rise above the adverse effects from the lack of empathy that our government has shown toward it’s citizens. And when we do society can truly evolve into a brighter more compassionate future.
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