Monday, January 9, 2023

A Blind Heart: Selfless and Sacrificial: Chapter 3 – The Loving Hand of Correction

“And how else will it end? How can eternity itself be defeated? Imagine the absurdity of the truth being defeated. All that opposes it is vanity. All actions that we take that aren’t in line with who we truly are is vanity. Let us use our time on this earth wisely, brothers and sisters, by serving love and seeking truth. The smallest steps forward done in truth and love are more worthwhile than the storied history of a corrupt king. The corrupt king’s history will be forgotten and the results of his tyranny erased. Meanwhile, even the simplest man who is true will build a legacy that will endure for generations to come. Continue forward! Be brave! Together, with one heart, we will overcome falsehood, hatred, and all that is evil. With one heart, victory is ours!”

A Speech from True Progredi, Saint of the Laymen

Chapter 3 – The Loving Hand of Correction

It’s a normal day in the gardens of the school. Despite not being able to see the plants as they are, I still enjoy the smells of nature, especially since I’m stuck inside for most days. While reading, I lift my head every now and then to give myself a break and see the people passing by. Some strange people catch my attention in the midst of the garden. They have words such as nervous, possessed, dark, clouded, and even murderous intent. One of them suddenly looks at me, pulls out a short sword, and starts to attack me. Pulling out my dagger from my sleeve, I defend myself and disarm my attacker while the guards and other students take care of the rest. This isn’t the end of it as more sounds of violence come from inside the school.

What follows are many fights within the school that ends in the deaths of many students, teachers, guards, and priests. It's thanks to most of the students carrying weapons, having some Heart Absolute ability that can defend themselves, and the many security guards that the casualties were kept to a minimum. I'm thankful that I was able to remember to carry mine. You never know if a conceited has snuck their way into the school looking to cause trouble, a disgruntled student or group of students are planning something evil, or if a spell has taken hold of someone or some kind of other conceited power is used against us. These reasons are why the school allows us to carry weapons and I'm more than glad that we have them.

The criminals that carried out the attack that are still alive are brought to a secure area where they are to be judged by those who can read hearts like me since we can see if there is something left in them that's worth saving. A heart reader is typically used after a trial to see if there is still value in a person's heart or if their heart has completely warped into something unsalvageable. Those who have these hearts are executed so that they don't cause further damage to themselves and others and don't warrant a worse punishment in the Land of the Forgotten. I've dreaded making a decision like this for a while. Even though I've been trained to do tasks such as this, it feels like the task being suddenly dropped on my lap is unfair and I should've gotten a warning before getting it, and yet, I have gotten this warning through my training.

As I begin to start looking into their hearts, I see that most of these people were possessed. In them, I see the words jealousy, pride, inadequacy, and manipulation, but also regret among all of them even the conceited. From what I see and hear from the other heart readers, these people were manipulated by their fears of various kinds. Some were scared that their ideology wouldn’t get noticed, that the changes they wanted to happen wouldn't be heard out, that their loved ones would think less of them for failing, that nothing they do here will matter, and more like these. The conceited became what they are because they lost heart in who they were and tried to become someone they weren’t to take over the school and eliminate any opposition to their views. I understand why they’re afraid and why they did this.

This understanding is both a benefit and a burden. A benefit in that I can better understand a person’s suffering and a burden because I feel their pain and temptations as well. I know the feeling of wanting to do something important with the opportunities I have here and the temptation to use my ability to read people as a way to manipulate them. Because of the honest repentance in their hearts, we give them to the authorities to serve out their sentence in jail. An execution would be too extreme since there’s still a bit of truth left in their hearts and I pray that they do change.

The rest of the day passes and the next one comes as if nothing happened. I go to classes and continue my studies as usual with very few notable events such as votes or interviews in the near future. At times, I wish the rest of my life was like this. I wouldn’t even mind the simple life of a farmer or a house cleaner, to be honest. Thinking about waking up early in the morning to do a job and resting after it’s done every day makes me nostalgic for a life I’ve never lived. But I shouldn’t think about what I don’t have. Instead, I’ll appreciate what I have.

Yesterday was a test for everyone in the school and not just me. After seeing and feeling the hearts of the people that attacked us, I’m glad that I spared them. Today and tomorrow’s studies, exercises, and tests will help me in making future decisions and facing up to all challenges. Even though they may not seem worth mentioning, they are integral to building me up to be my true self. It’s just like an “I love you” said to a loved one. Saying it all the time may seem unneeded, but every time is treasured nevertheless as if each time were the first time it was said. As such, I will say an “I love you” to the Absolute and everyone around me no matter who they are with every action of my life that I offer up as a sacrifice for the betterment of humanity and love of truth.

It doesn’t matter if I’m voting for an important leader, doing a special interview, deciding the fate of a conceited, studying, sleeping, praying, or talking with my peers, teachers, family, and priests. All of it is an offering of love to the truth. Every single event leads me to become my true self and my Absolute given destiny. All of it I appreciate and value. The pleasures and the pain. Because what I’ve learned is that every life is lived in service to what the heart has fallen in love with. This is why I thank the Absolute for every day, blessing, and challenge. Oh, great. Now, I think I’m reflecting too much on the fundamentals of living life to the fullest again.

I have to do as the clowns that inspired me told me to do and live in the present while continuing forward to a bright future. Without further ado, here I go. Here I come, step by step to that future prepared for me by the eternally loving hands of truth, the Absolute, the master of all hearts, and the purpose of living for all lives.

 

The End

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