The Old man and the Child

The Old man and the child

The old man feels like there is no purpose any more in his life’s mere existence. He wanders often in the lonely Arizona desert, to find his solace and make peace with nature as he ages beyond the limits of his own expectations and natural limits. He forgets what time it is; what day of the week it was or perhaps, his own lack of confidence in his perspective of the simplicity of life today. The world was a lonely place for him to live in.

The child was lost, looking for shelter and needing someone to care for him so he can survive the sun’s heat and the monsoon rain’s dampness. He has wandered off from his parents, who are now searching the desert, looking for him. Days have gone by since he last saw a human soul. Nights have been frightening as he hears the coyotes and wolves howl in the distance looking for a soul mate or something to eat.

Somehow, the two met down a narrow road and began to interact as two lost souls would under these circumstances. It was not for the lack of love, as these two strangers met and engaged in an extraordinary kind of relationship that was based on the need of surviving and forgoing the loneliness of the days to come. Suddenly, the old man was no longer lonely, he felt he had a purpose to fulfill his many responsibilities and save this child.

He is a white man, a black man or a brown man. By his looks and features, he could be a red man but he doesn’t know who he is or where he came from as it has been so long since he was asked. This I know for sure – beyond any doubt and sensing this for sure, he feels despised by all for his elderly burdens, his poverty and his lack of reason in life. What he does know is that he feels forgotten as he guides the child towards the light.

Together, they travel the road of companionship, togetherness and bonding as time goes by. He shows the child the trees, the mountains and the living creatures of the earth that surrounds them both. The child is excited. The enjoyment and laughter of being with someone who could entertain him was a luxury that was almost forgotten as he wandered away from his home what seemed like many months ago.

Too many times, we forget that there are good people in this world, single-minded with good hearts, willing to give their all for a solid purpose. Somehow, the old man had become someone to keep the child safe, from nature’s and society’s perils. He became the child’s protector.  They have no possessions but they value what they have. There don’t travel in peril or temptation. Their lives are simplistic and real, free from society’s burden complex burdens and free to share his skills and nature’s way to keep the boy safe and fed.

He knows which plants have water; he knows what plants he can eat to fulfill his hunger. He does indeed have the skills of survival and know how to take care of those less fortunate than himself. Time goes by and spaces get smaller as they both grow older and the old man can feel his bones trembling with good a vibration that brings him joy.

His spirit is free; something so profoundly important to him. It was his freedom to roam and travel that allowed him to find this boy wandering in the wilderness and walking down that lonely dirt road. He kept his spirit free from the clogs of pride and his ego focused on the little boy’s needs to be kept warm and dry. He carried no envy or evil beliefs that would threaten the very clean soul of such a child so young and innocent.

Not from ignorance but from experience, he leads the child to safety. His keen sense of direction comes from the earth and the wind around him. He is nature’s child taking care of another child that is lost and innocent.

To the untutored eye and soul, one can see a prolific opportunity of all evils. The old man, walking crooked and using a stick to help him stand, has a moral compass no less than physical but filled with love that is good. He no longer dreads the loneliness of tomorrow. He walks with the child towards the light. He dreaded no pestilence around him as he wraps his arms around the child tightly during the night. There are no crowded places, all around is silent and empty without the human sounds as the animals whisper their presence and as the stars above shine moonlit bright, he brings his spiritual power into the conversation that allows them both sleep with peace tonight.

This old man has no enemies. He is a calm-natured force and accumulates his peace through solitude and meditation. His power comes from within and his independence of the circumstances around him brought him vigor surpassed by any man his age and strength. His mind is divided into spheres of wisdom and spiritual awakenings. His physical mind finds peace with the unconscious part of his spiritual mind.

In essence they are one but during the hardships while so old and lonely, he had forgotten the importance of meditation and fasting to get through the hardships like he did in the past. His mind brought back his skills and things were becoming better with each day that passed.

He taught the child the sun, the earth, the wind and the water. He kept himself free from war, from sickness and from asking favors. All matters personal to him were conveyed in strict confidential manners without an audience of more than one. He loved life, as he taught the child to love life and found the means to secure the benefits of nature’s own blessings and benefits as he taught the boy how to avert the dangers.

His reverenced love for the boy grew stronger in time. The boy was now an imaginative extension of the old man’s vision and past. He knew the signs of life and enjoyed his freedom. His love for his long lost parents never dwindled but the love for this old man had grown in majestic proportions. He knew who he was and what purpose he had on this earth as the old man’s hand led him to the wonders of nature.

In his own ways, he had learned to love this old man who taught him how to live free and the enjoyment of living life to the fullest. He learned the elements and majestic forces of nature. He knew he was always secondary in importance as the old man taught him to respect nature’s ways. He received good blessings for all his ways and desires.

He knew that someday, the old man would pass away and leave him be as this was the natural way of life and death as the old man had taught him. He believed in spirits of light and darkness; he believed in all creations and that every creature possesses a soul and purpose on this earth. He was embodied by the old man’s wisdom as he buried him with a purpose of reverence, into the grave.