Closed Thread
Religion, the Reticent Mime
There are approximately 22 major religions in the world today These account for 98% of the” religious” population. In addition there are thousands of sub-religions and cults
Religion, a soft spoken shy man in his mid-thirties, decided he was going to meander through the local streets of his middle class neighborhood to quietly share his convictions with his fellow neighbors whom, in his opinion, are in need of salvation. As he stands on his golden doorstep he looks out at the concrete arteries that flow with the life of so many ignorant souls. Religion is a scared man, he hates confrontation, and he hates to pressure others even though he knows without educating them they will be eternally lost. Armed with his Holy Atlas and his symbol of faith he saunters down the sidewalk and heads off to spread the love of his God. Upon reaching a crossroads with his thoughts he decides to stop at an intersection where his voice will be heard by many passerbies. Even before he utters his first words of enlightenment he gets heckled by a young group of teenagers who slow down just to harass him. They yell awful things at Religion, things he tries his best to ignore. They do not understand what they do, he keeps thinking. He only smiles at them; he never says anything in order to free them from their bondage with sin. So many people do not want to be “preached” too, he thinks to himself. He could not blame them really. He knew that if someone else came to him and tried to convince him that his God was a liar he would not believe it. He just stood there thinking and ignoring the honks and shouts that were directed at him. What was he to do? He strongly believed what he had to say, his Holy Atlas even urged the conversion of others and to not attempt to do so was a sin in itself. Yet he could not speak. He raised his hands a few times and moved his lips, but nothing came out. He figured that they would not listen anyway. Who really listens to what hawkers have to say? Just being there was a symbol of his faith, he thought. Over the years he kept going to the same corner as was prescribed by his faith and fellowship. Sometimes a member of his group would come by and smile at him, giving him a little boost, but never enough to make him speak aloud. He prayed to his God often, but what he prayed for was not what he wished for. He did not want to force his thoughts and beliefs on others. He knew that this was a sin however, so he lived in turmoil for many years. One early morning before he was about to make the journey to his regular spot he noticed a person sitting on the curb in front of his house with their back to him. He guessed that it was a woman, but could not be sure. As he approached her he noticed that her clothes were very soiled and that her hair was filthy from not being washed. He was afraid to say anything; he almost just walked back inside to wait for her to leave, but instead he continued on walking slowly. Just before he was about to say something she turned her head slowly towards him, as if she knew he had been there all along. He was amazed at her beauty. Her eyes were stormy gray and her face, although covered in grime, made him catch his breath. The feelings he had were not lust at all, just appreciation for such a wonder to behold. Then the most amazing thing happened. She stood up and walked towards him and the rest of the world faded away. Her lips formed a smile that was full of love and compassion. Her eyes peered into him and in them he saw himself. He saw himself on the corner where he had spent so many days silently preaching to the world. He saw all of the people who had mocked him, ridiculed him, spat on him, cursed him, and then he saw her watching him from the bushes. He had never known she was there, but in his vision he saw her there everyday with him. She was only a child in the beginning but he knew it was her. He saw her crying for him praying for him. He saw visions of her being beaten and neglected. She had run away from her horrible home eventually, but she always came back to watch him. He watched many more things happen to her over the years, most of them bad. One thing he never did see was her crying for herself. She was strong, he knew stronger than he would ever be and he thought it funny that he was not envious of this, but instead was proud. The vision faded and she was still there looking at him with that smile, and he knew that she too was proud, proud of him for some unknown reason. His heart lifted, he felt light and the world actually felt like a good place to be for once. He started to talk, but she put a finger to his lips. He saw gratefulness in her eyes. She was thanking him? This woman who had led such a hard life was thanking him for being there on that corner, for showing her that no matter what the hurdles, no matter what your fears, you keep on going. He knew that this had nothing to do with his God, but everything to do with faith. He watched as she slowly walked down the street. Religion then walked to his corner to spread his beliefs, and although he still never said a word, he knew that he had helped save a soul.
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“The gladdest moment in human life, methinks, is a departure into unknown lands.” – Sir Richard Burton
