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Contributor: Barretm82
Date: 2003-04-17 23:06:22
So, you want to know the meaning of life?
An Enlightened metaphor for our Canada.
---I have always thought of enlightenment as a process, yes you can define it via a dictionary, but that was never good enough for me as I could never get the point across with a simple definition. So here we go…
This is a story that I heard that answers that question for me.
"Are there any questions?" a question a speaker will ask at the end of a lecture or presentation. It is stated simply to be polite. After is said papers start to be rustled and things packed up.
Every once and while someone will ask a question, everyone’s eyes will role and the speaker will repeat half of what he already said. But, if no one asks a question, I will ask, what is the meaning of life?
If for nothing more than amusement but in hopes to find an answer. Every once and a while I would get a reply such as "to have more money." or "Get laid." For me, none of these really took hold.
I was studying abroad during the summer and I ended up on the island of Crete. The city that I was in was the scene of a gruesome battle during WWII when German paratroops landed in nearby farmland and the local Greeks, without much more then pitchforks defended their town.
Now, years after the war, the residents of the town were of both German and Greek decent and the battle was the source of conflict between the two groups. I was in the Center for Greek and German cooperation and learning and my history class was in this Center. My professor, after finishing college, had moved back to Crete to establish this Center in hopes to promote cooperation between the two people and was achieving success though he still had along way to go.
One day in class, at the end of a particularly long lecture, the professor ended and asked, "Are there any questions?"
After a brief moment of silence people started to pack up to go, so I asked. "Professor, what is the meaning of life?"
The usual chuckle came from the crowd and people began to turn to leave.
"Wait," said the professor. People turned and the professor turned, looked into my eyes and seeing that I was serious continued. "I will answer your question." he said as he turned to look out the window up on the hill where a big iron cross marked the grave of the German Paratroopers.
He reached in his pocket and took out a small, round mirror and reflected the sunlight onto my face.
"When I was a child during the war, I found a wrecked German motorcycle. The mirror was smashed and I tried to collect all the pieces and put them back together. After awhile I realized that I could not find all the pieces so I kept the largest of the pieces and over time ground the edges against a stone to make it round. During air raids or the frequent times of boredom, I would take out my mirror and shine light into dark places. It became a game with me. I would try to get light into the deepest, and most inaccessible of places.
After the war, I kept the mirror with me and while waiting for a meeting or an interview, I would pull out the mirror and continue my game. I realized that this could be a metaphor for my life.
I am not the light nor am I the source of the light. I am a piece of a mirror whose whole design I do not know. But my mission is to reflect the light into the place that have none. This is the meaning of my life."
---You see, Canada is also a small piece of a big broken world mirror that can shine light where there is none.
This is how I see the metaphor of my life and potentially our country.
Peace.
Steve C....
Winnipeg
Barretm82@hotmail.com
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