A man sits on the edge of nothing, contemplating the stretch of eternity before him.
As is often the case with humankind, many find they have the incessant need to question and fear their own mortality, to be crippled by the supposed approaching deadline and forever ask for more time. More time to love and grow and fulfil the many wishes a mind can produce. And yet, not a single one does so. They do not love nor grow nor achieve, and they blame it on a nonexistent finality. One species of billions, at least in physical form, all fearing “the end”. So instead of seeking the truth of existence, they are clouded by their fear and fill their lives with distractions and corruptions.
Like all others, this man began his life knowing the truth of existence. And like all other children, his ideas were dismissed as nonsensical, so that was the last he spoke of them. He trusted his elders and influences, trusted they were showing him the truth of life. But that is what makes children so malleable to the oppression of society, they trust that what is given to them is done so out of love.
As the man grew from infant to child, he had already begun to suspect the world of misconception. But being young and vulnerable, he was bullied into submission. Each day he played and laughed, taking a step towards the truth, and each day he was beaten down to forget it again. He found joy in the simple beauties of life around him, and was consequently told to focus on “more important” matters.
When the man grew from child to adolescent, he began to truly comprehend the lies around him. But still, he was young enough for the elders he trusted to beat him down time and time again. Any objection or question was met with aggression and a demand for respect, which the man soon realised was just a demand for silence. He still found joy in his life, in the form of his companions, but instead of a blessing, joy was now his escape from the world that had been built for him, tainted by the darkness that surrounded it. During his adolescence, he watched as others around him gradually accepted the falsehoods told to them. And that acceptance led to their downfall, whether it was through greed or hate or sorrow, he watched his friends slowly fall apart.
As he moved into young adulthood, he too began to fall apart. When all he saw was anger and pain, he found it more difficult to hold onto the truth within himself. What used to be a raging fire, warming his soul against the cold bitterness of the world, was now a whisper of an ember inside him. The dark storm continued to build and smother his treasured flicker of light. Even years later, his childhood a distant memory, he still heard the lies echoing in his mind, making it harder and harder to fight against the wind and the rain and the darkness. And there was no room for his soul to grow.
Then the sun found him. The dark clouds parted, his horizon cleared and he felt warm beams on his face. High above, a radiant blue sky. And deep within, the light and love that he had carried all his life. The light and love that had been buried and forgotten. And from this rediscovery, the truth became as clear as the dawn he witnessed.
People fear death because they fear regret. There is a constant desire for more. More time, more wealth. More. As the sands of perceived time pass, the fear in humankind grows. Corruption and greed fester in their hearts and in their souls. The youngest of them, the ones closest to the truth, are taught to fear “the end” and fear the world. To give in to the greed and the wanting, as that is the only escape. But wanting brings suffering. So humankind continues to suffer.
As the man looked out in the glorious sunshine, he saw that the world was truly beautiful. How did he ever think otherwise? The sun showed him what he had known since birth and had forgotten. There is no inherent hate or evil in the world, just those who have lost their way. The cycle of life forever turns, intertwining all existence and experience, and there is one constant truth. Love. Fear and anger will continue to come and go, but love is what remains. And through each life and each cycle, humankind can grow as it remembers that truth.
Now the man lives with children who have only ever known love. And while the cycle of life brings fear and anger, the man shows that love will always clear the darkness. Even as others try to bully the young into submission and demand they allow the darkness in, the man provides his own light to help clear the dark storm. He had been stuck on that same path of fear, but as he had grown, so too did his light. Beyond mortality is eternity, and within eternity is infinite possibility. The darkness is always there, for there must always be balance. The man knows that seeing nothing in the darkness and everything in the light, one must always choose the middle way. He has experienced both and knows that both are essential for growth.
So now the man sits on the edge of nothing and everything, contemplating the stretch of eternity before him. All he sees is love, all he feels is peace.
Myrtle Mae Plum is a postgraduate physiotherapy student, who has always had a passion for the creative arts. She has dabbled in writing before – songs, films, spoken word – but ‘The Middle Way’ is the first piece of writing that has left her desk. This short story was inspired by someone close to her heart, and she hopes that everyone who reads it finds the message they need to hear.
“The Middle Way” was shortlisted in the debut competition from the Where Ideas Grow blog Team. The theme was ‘Growth’.