The Blurry Valley

[AnotherTraveler]

When and where and how and whom hardly begin to address why the following events would unfold, but without the details, the reasons for why are far too difficult to comprehend.

There was a blurry valley, filled with odd and empty containers that once held the promise of hope for things that could not materialize because they were never intended. The owners of the containers did not understand how it was that the containers were empty as soon as they had filled them because they had inserted the promise of hope themselves. This was a great mystery.

Living in the blurry valley allowed for many misunderstandings, as it was never really clear enough to see anything as it really was, but it has been this way as long as anyone can really remember. We had all heard from the strangers that claimed that they could see things clearly here in our valley, but such claims of supernatural visual ability were certainly even as empty as our containers that laid scattered on the landscape.

Our valley consisted of the entire known universe, and within our valley were all the inhabitants of living mankind, and outside of our valley, there were no other living things. Our scientists had at first theorized this and many other things and then seeing no observable proofs against these theories, had concluded as fact that these were, of course, true.

The strangers that claimed otherwise were silenced whenever possible and argued against when necessary. Many had been killed, and yet they seemed to emerge from nowhere, and there also seemed to be an endless supply of them. They claimed to be able to help anyone that would be willing to see beyond the haze that covered all things. To present such a hope in our valley so littered with the containers of unrealized hope was such an insult, not just to us, but to our forefathers that had lived and died in our valley. Our hatred and rage were only a reasonable result of their claiming such foolish things.

Many of our wise religious ones had climbed the highest mountains to find that they were still within the valley and the haze covered all things. This allowed for many various theories and concepts that certainly were opposed to one another, and all this variety was acceptable, because who among us really knew? We could tolerate all but the strangers.

The strangers claimed to need no containers to have the promise of hope, for they claimed that the Word of the Chief of these strangers contained all the promises and all that anyone had to do was believe the Word and then they would be given sight. Some of our more desperate and unstable citizens from time to time actually joined with the strangers and claimed that they could now see from one end of the valley to the other end.

Their un-provable claims were easily refuted by our religious leaders and scientists, and we did what we could to protect our citizens from those that would offer uncontained hope to the people of our valley. Filling our jails and prisons with the strangers only seemed to encourage them and stimulate even more of our citizens to join them. As with so many other things, this also seemed hopeless.

Want to read more of the story?

[kjn]

Yes, I'm interested in how the strangers will establish and provide a basis for their claim of having 'sight.'

[AnotherTraveler]

[Wingwalker]

You are silly, but I know how the story ends

[AnotherTraveler]

Ahhh....I bet you know the author of the Word.

[followerofjesus]

Allegory of the Cave

[excerpted from LECTURES ON PHILOSOPHY by Simone Weil based on notes taken by Anne Reynaud-Gu

[AnotherTraveler]

I don't get it. What are you saying?

[followerofjesus]

nevermind