In Search Of A Guide
Thursday transformational storytelling.
Happy Thursday everybody!
I am so excited about today’s story. It is definitely my favorite so far! But honestly, all of the previous ones impacted me in ways I didn’t think was possible. How can stories have such an influence on us? I ought to look into the psychology behind this. This is a wild guess, but maybe it’s because of the stories that were read to us before the age of 7, when we were still very much in a state of hypnosis, our subconscious absorbing everything like a sponge. As you know, as adults, it is difficult to affect change in our subconscious mind, because most of the information we’re bombarded with stays in the conscious mind.
Anyway, too much blah blah. Let’s get into this week’s story!
A man is going in search of truth. As he comes out of his city, he finds an old man sitting under a tree. The young man does not know where to go in search of truth. He has heard that one has to go somewhere, one has to go on a pilgrimage — but where? Roads go to all sides. Which road is the road?
Seeing the old man sitting under the tree, he thought: perhaps this man is old enough; he must know which road leads to truth. So he asked the man.
“Yes, I know the road. Follow the right and go on until you come to a certain tree.” He described the tree in detail, its leaves, its fruit.
“You will find under it a very old man…Just to give you an example, someone like me but thirty years older. This is the man who is going to be your guide.”
The man was very happy. He thanked the old man and rushed towards the way he had shown him. For thirty years he was wandering and wandering, and the tree never came and the old man never came. He was getting tired, and he himself was getting old, and he said “What nonsense!”
Finally he decided: “It is better to go back home…Enough is enough! Thirty years I have wasted in searching truth, and I have not even met the old man who is going to be my guide. And God knows, when the guide meets me, what kind of guidance it will be and how long it will take. It seems to be too complicated, it is better to go home. I was running a good business. I destroyed it and unnecessarily got into trouble hearing this word ‘truth’ again and again.”
He came back. Again, he passed the tree and he was shocked. This was the tree the old man had described. He looked under the tree and the old man was there — the same old man, thirty years older and exactly the same as the description in every way. He said “My God! Then why did you waste my thirty years?”
The man answered: “I wasted your thirty years — Or have you wasted my thirty years? At that time you were not ripe enough to be guided, because I gave you all the guidance and you didn’t even look at the tree, although I was describing it in minute detail. I was describing your guide in minute detail and you didn’t look at me, to see that I am describing myself. You were in such a hurry. But nothing is wasted. I was waiting, knowing that one day you will come back, one day you will recognize this tree, one day you will recognize this old man, that I am your guide!”
The young man said: “This seems to be a strange business.”
Source: The little book of Sufi parables
Thoughts? Opinions? This story is immensely significant. Firstly, the man in search of “truth” is a great analogy for the spiritual journey. What are we actually longing for? What are we trying to achieve? What is ‘truth’? Is my truth the same as yours?
Secondly, why do we always expect somebody else to have the answer? Oh, because somebody else is older, therefore wiser. Well…You can be old and foolish just like you can be young and foolish. That doesn’t mean you can’t be old and wise or young and wise…But would you rather wait your whole life for somebody else’s ‘truth’ than to go out there and discover yours?
There’s also this preconceived idea that one has to go on a “pilgrimage” to discover the essence of who he/she is , only to return more disappointed. That in itself is a valuable lesson. One is required to look within, but maybe one doesn’t realize that until he/she looks outside first.
Man…There’s so much more to comment on this! I am really looking forward to reading your take on this.
Remember, if you choose to submit something in response to it, use “storytelling” as one of your tags.
Else, feel free to respond to this article.
Or just reflect.
Either way, enjoy!
Spyder, Ravyne Hawke, Amy Marley, Asif Inzamam, Devieka Bopiah, Pashew Nuri, Jean Carfantan, Shobnum Alam, Dreamer’s Way, Daily Thoughts., Patrick Paul Garlinger, Ph.D., J.D., Hope Coalesce, Egypt Iredia, Estonia Cornett, Ed Newman, Joseph Lieungh, Jogi @ReCentering, B. A. Cumberlidge., Roxana Anton, Neha Sandhir S