For everything in life, there is a price. The trouble is that most people pay dearly for worthless things. On the path of wisdom, we still may have to pay a lot, at various stages, but as soon as we do, we realise that nothing of any value was taken from us. Indeed, everything is given to us. There’s no better bargain.
I love the ending of Faith (Book 4 of the Waldmeer Series). For me, it encapsulates the whole human journey – the struggle to find peace within ourselves and with each other. All the struggle disappears in those moments of acceptance, trust, and love. It disappears into nothingness as if it was all totally unnecessary. Yet, without the struggle, we could not have made the choice. It is all for nothing and also all for everything.
The last useless battle;
someone will fall.
Useless but useful,
for nothing, for All.
Chapter 36: Annihilation
Although the Lowlands army was primed and ready to attack, the little group at Floating Cave Monastery did nothing – nothing out of the ordinary that is. The six members of the household – Faith, Aristotle, Odin, and the three mystics from the other Borderfirma lands – went about their day as calmly and quietly as if it was peace time. It’s not that they sat in meditation all day. They had their normal prayer and meditation times common to any monastery, however, they also gardened, cooked, and cleaned. They went shopping to the local village. They talked about minor things to the villagers and asked them about their lives. They volunteered at numerous local charities. They did normal things, but they did them with abnormal love and inclusiveness. Continue reading “Faith: For Nothing, For All”