An Allegory Revised

by brent

edited by Jack H



Inspired by:

Dedicated to:

the Jack H in all of us


I’ve heard there was a distant land, that’s not so far away, called Mire. The land rested in a deep valley behind a high mountain, and sunlight rarely reached to the valley floor, and when it did it went unnoticed. The people of Mire could leave their valley if they so desired, but if they did they never could return.

Deep at the furthest reach of the valley was the village, Dim. In the village lived a man by the name of Solo. Solo lived with his father, Nay; his mother, No; his brother, Me; and his sisters, Whuh and Whah. They are the Selfish family.

Solo had a beautiful voice and late into the night he would sing a beautiful song that all the inhabitants of Mire could hear. They wondered at the sweetness of his voice and praised God for giving him such a gift. His songs would lull them to sleep at night and give them peace. However, Solo had a pain inside him that so twisted his meaning that all could hear his song but could not understand his words.

Solo’s friend, Duo, understood something of the pain within Solo, and advised him to seek out Seer, who lived by the spring in the woods outside the village. It was said that Seer welcomed all who came to see him, but rarely did anyone come. The next morning Solo and Duo inquired of Seer. Seer listened intently as Lonely described his plight. Seer went to his cabinet to retrieve his Bottle of Salve, and applying the Salve to Solo’s eyes he said, “This is made from the blossoms of Revelation which grows in the Garden of Love tended by the Great King. Go now to the spring which flows behind my hut and wash your eyes.” Solo did so at once, and his heart leapt at the brightness of the world, seen for the first time. Then Seer gave Solo some Bread of Knowledge to eat. It was rich and full and as he ate warmth filled his soul. “What shall I do?” pleaded Solo. “You must travel to the city, Change, that covers the peak of the tall mountain,” replied Seer. “There you must request help from two strong men you will find there. Their names are Might and Able. They will take you to the Great King.” “How shall I find this city,” replied Solo. “You must stay on the Way called Truth,” Seer advised. “I will go,” stated Solo.

That night at supper Lonely spoke with his family of his plans. They mocked him and tried to dissuade him from attempting such a preposterous journey. “Why, you can’t go there; no one has ever traveled to Change and came back. I hear that there is a great beast there that swallows the seeker whole, and no good will come of that,” Father Nay said. “I’m afraid it’s so,” replied Mother No, “there are dangers that will beset you and you will die.” “Why would you want to leave here, brother Solo,” exclaimed Sister Whuh. “This is such a beautiful and such a happy place.” Whah added, slowly, “And you are all alone. You cannot do it.” Me just sneered and laughed, “We all think you’re crazy.” No amount of explaining changed his family’s mind as to the importance of the journey. They pleaded and plotted but could not discourage Solo, for Dou encouraged him. Lonely asked his family to come with him but they had closed their ears and went to bed. Solo’s friends got wind of his journey and came to encourage him. “You can do it,” they responded, and gave advice on how to be successful though none of them had traveled the Way of Truth before. Secretly, they didn’t want him to leave Mire, for they loved his enchanting music.

Early the next morning, Solo and Dou started their journey to the City of Change. Mother No made his breakfast and packed him a lunch. “You don’t know what awaits you,” she fretted, “It won’t be anything like here.” “Yes, and what if you fail?” exclaimed Me. “Why do you listen to that crazy old man, Seer, anyway?” Father Nay said, “He’s delusional and doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” Sister Whah just kept insisting her brother Solo go back to bed. But with all that Solo and Duo started on their way.

As they were going on the Way of Truth to the City of Change, Solo’s friend, Habit met him. “Solo!” he called out, “Wait for me! You don’t want to go just yet. You promised that we would play a game today. You can go on this journey anytime.” “Well, I did promise,” thought Solo. “No, we must go now,” exclaimed Duo. “You must not harden your heart today.” “Please, come with me,” Habit said as he pulled on Solo’s arm. Solo started to follow but Duo gently nudged him onto the Way of Truth and they were off. Habit called after Solo for what seemed a very long time. Several times Solo turned to chase after him but each time Duo took hold of his hand. Solo considered shaking his hand free but thought better and allowed Duo to lead him.

The first village they came to was called Difficulty. It rested on what seemed a cliff that went straight up. At the entrance of the city Lazy and Procrastination met him and inquired about his journey. They went with them as they climbed through the city. Several times they slipped and fell but Lazy and Procrastination were no help. They just kept insisting they stop and rest. “We don’t have to move so fast,” cried Procrastination. “Yes, we can stop here and partake of the sweet wine of lethargy,” stated Lazy. Solo was tempted to stop for he was very tired and recalled his family’s words. But he felt hands pull him up by his shoulder. “Ho, it seems you could use some help,” the stranger said. Two men had pulled him up and were now standing before him. “I’m Perseverance and this is my brother Patience,” explained the man. “Thank you,” replied Solo. “I could not have done it without you.” “Where are you going?” asked Patience. “We are on the Way of Truth to the City of Change,” replied Solo. “May we come with you?” asked Perseverance. “You don’t want to take them,” Lazy and Procrastination exclaimed, “they will hold you back and slow you down.” That is when Duo said, “I think we can trust these men, let’s not listen to Lazy and Procrastination.” So Perseverance and Patience traveled with Solo and Duo on their journey.

The Way of Truth wound through the countryside and came up to the dark hamlet of Discouragement. The clouds were particularly ominous and overshadowed the village. Everyone they came to was quiet and their heads were bowed. No one spoke or made eye contact. They tried to talk with the inhabitants but none would listen or say a word. As they walked, each step became harder than the one before. With every step a weight seemed to drop onto their shoulders. They came to an old lady and asked her for a drink of water. She gave them all a drink but the water was too bitter to swallow. She said her name was Despair and warned the travelers to turn back. Even Perseverance and Patience were faltering when two young, bright girls beckoned them to follow. Duo prompted all to go on. As they weaved their way through the dark town in silence each step became easier than the one before. However, if they turned from the young girls they felt the pressure and the silence from the city more fiercely. As they came out from under the dark cloud they were under, Solo thanked them for leading them out. He introduced himself and his fellows and asked, “What are your names?” They spoke together, “We are Hope and Faith. We were sent by the Great King to help you on your way.” So they traveled with them and never left their side.

The journey seemed long but at last they were encouraged by the sight of a great peak ahead of them. They commented to each other, “Surely this in the peak that leads to the City of Change.” The climb was hard, but finally they reached to summit. Before their eyes sprawled a great expanse filled with green pastures and flowing rivers. Little cottages dotted the landscape. The people were friendly and welcoming. They inquired of one family as they stopped to refresh themselves. “Oh, the City of Change, it is a beautiful city not too far from this place. But our village has so much to offer that none of us desire to go there. You have come to the Plateau of Complacency in the region of Good Enough. My name is Ease and my wife is Settled. Our children are Apathy and Deception” “Aren’t you curious about the City of Change? Don’t you wish to see the Great King?” asked Solo. “We like it here; even if we don’t always have exactly what we want it still is good enough. Doesn’t the Great King tell us to bear our burden without complaining? We believe the Great King wants us to stay here.” And at that, all the family started insisting that they stay. Seeing the commotion, three other travelers approached. They were Heart, Desire, and Vision. Heart commented first, “If you do not wish to go, do not prevent others from going to the City of Change!” “I know the way,” Vision added. “Yes, come with us,” Desire encouraged. So they all made haste on the Way of Truth to the City of Change, rejoicing as they went, each one encouraging the other.

The city was near, on the very border of the Plateau of Complacency. Solo thought it strange that so many lived so close yet never entered the city. At the entrance of the city sat two old men who discouraged travelers from entering. They were Arrogance and False-humility. “Don’t come here;” called Arrogance, “it’s not what you think it will be.” The other cried out, “You will have to die to enter the city! Turn back!” “If you stay on this side of the gate you can return to your family someday. You have come far enough to prove yourself worthy of entering in,” exclaimed False-humility. The travelers tried to enter the gate but the old men stood in the way. For all their frailty they had amazing strength – so much that Solo could not enter in even with the help of his friends. It was then that Duo whispered in Solo’s ear to call for the strong men. At once, Solo called out, “Might! Able! Are you here? Help me!” But the old men growled, “They will not help you.” Perseverance, Hope, and Faith together encouraged Solo to keep calling out. Solo cried out even more intently for help from the strong men as the battle raged. He felt like giving up as he remembered the words of his family but Duo prompted Heart to support Solo and he gained strength and called out all the more. The battle with the old men seemed like it would go on forever. “He will not send the strong men,” said one. “The Great King does not care about you,” said the other. “You wasted your trip! You are a fool!” they exclaimed.

Suddenly the strong men were there, and struck the old men silent and carried Solo through the gates to the palace of the Great King. In the throne room, the Great King sat arrayed in His royal garments. His face shone with light, and his eyes inspired all who looked with joy, so full of love they seemed. His presence was laughter and His voice peace. All self-consciousness melted away in the memory of the Great King.

“What do you request, my son,” asked the King. “I have a pain inside of me that will not heal,” replied Solo. “Seer told me you could heal it and make me whole.” “Seer is correct,” stated the King, “but I’ve already healed the wound that caused your pain.” With that, Solo realized that his pain was truly gone. He had been so used to it that he acted as if it were still there. “But how has this happened?” Solo asked in wonder. “I sent you friends, and you received them,” replied the King. “You have been alone, and your name was Solo. This is your name no more, for I give you a new name. You will be called Harmony.”

I’ve heard there was a distant land, called Mire. Shadows draped its vales and all its paths were heavy with mud. Sunlight hardly fell. But one dull morning in the grim town of Dim, which rested in the deepest shadows of the highest peak of the mountains that surrounded the valley, the villagers were stirred from their labors by a sound that gripped their hearts. Soaring like a flock of songbirds there rose a song so sweet with joy and sadness that the grim gray cliffs echoed like cathedral walls and the clouds parted to flood the land with light. Every man and woman and child searched the high horizon for the source of such a sound, but slowly within their own souls there stirred the notes of their own songs, which welled up and flowed off their tongues until the whole of the land was washed in a symphony of music that rolled like thunder and rang like laughter. I’ve heard that valley still resounds with fresh echoes of that first new day when the sun came at last to visit and to stay, and from the tall mountains Harmony came down again into the valley, and brought with him a new name for that place -- that Mire might ever after be called by the name of Friendship.