Sinking Ships

     The old man is joined by a few older children as he walks along the river bank.  He welcomes their company and remembers the many times he had walked with the one of wisdom who came before him.
     "Good morning, my children!" he exclaims in welcome. "How are you today?"
     A young man replies for the group, "Good morning, Sir!" After a brief pause, he continues, "Sir, can we ask you a question?"
     "Of course, you can," the old man replies with a smile.  He has come to understand how much joy these conversations bring him.
     "Sir, what do we do when someone wishes us to follow them onto a path we believe to be the wrong path?  Do we journey with them and try to change their chosen path or do we tell them we will not go and explain the reasons why we will not?" the young man asks.
     The old man raises an eyebrow and then smiles as he says, "I think that would depend on two things, who was asking and what they were asking you to do.  This would be a time when you would have to make the choice that is right for you."
     "How will we know what the right choice is?" asks another young man.
     "This will tell you," the old man says and places his hand upon his own heart. "This will tell you the right path to take if you trust its words and values. I will tell you a story, my young friends.  Let us sit here and watch the river as we share our thoughts."
     They formed a circle, settled themselves, and again the old man was reminded of long ago days.  He smiles at those gathered around him and begins to speak, "This story begins on a winter day along this very river.  A group had gathered to board a ship sailing to a distant island and were soliciting others to join them.  The purpose of this journey was one of revenge and spite.  It seems those from the mainland were blaming the islanders for many things, the least of which was their ability to bring in huge catches of fish, and besting them at every turn.  One of mainlanders claimed an islander had caused one of his ships to sink so this inflamed the group even more.  Of course, there were two sides to the story as there always is but those who planned the sailing continued to fan the flames of anger and distrust. There were some on the mainland who joined the group intent on dist ruction but there were also those who declined, claiming that revenge was not in the best interest of anyone, neither the mainlanders nor the islanders.  The gathered claimed it to be their duty, their righteous and spiritually declared duty, to show the islanders their strength and superiority.
     "Their journey began well enough with sails unfurled and self-imposed 'right' fueling their determination.  They arrived in the cover of darkness and set about to destroy all they could.  Boats were sunk, lives destroyed, and the stars in the sky wept.  The mission completed, they began the journey back to the mainland.  Pleas of those who had watched the debauchery before them echoed in the night.  The sting of realization tore deeply into some as they pondered what they had been a part of.  They wished they could change what had happened and hoped they could forget the cries from the islanders as they saw their lives, their very existence fall into the sea, " the old man pauses in his story, wondering how to truly express the enormity of what he was about to relate to them.
     "Is this all to the story?" a young woman asks.
     "No, it is not, my child," he sighs and continues. "The ship never made it back to the mainland.  It was caught in a violent storm and sank in the turbulent waters of an angry sea.  There were a few survivors who were able to relay the tale to those waiting at the river's bank.  The victory they hoped to celebrate was now hollow and meaningless.  The righteousness of their journey now seemed to fade into the nightmare of not only the sinking but also what they had done to those on the island.  Some wondered if they could undo the wrong but they knew they could not. The question would be if it was all worth it. The answer would come slowly... and the nightmare would linger."
     He began to rise after he finished his story and looked at the intent faces before him. He spoke once more, "The moral of this story is quite simple really.  Ships powered by the winds of revenge, mast ed with malice, and crossing a sea filled with spite will fail. They will either sink and so will the misguided reasons of their sailings or they will be broken apart and all chance to undo the harm that was done, to repair broken dreams, will be lost to the winds of un forgiveness.  Choose your ships wisely.  Do not be led down paths set on destruction of yourself or others.  Be prepared to understand that mistakes are made and retaliation is as wrong as first wrong.  Do not tally one against the other and do not take it upon yourself to exact revenge for every perceived wrong.  In the story I told you truths were revealed after the sinking of the ship, truths that would have changed everything, but it was too late for all.  Spite and malice were stronger than reasonable thinking and the outcome was disastrous.  Do not force yourself to live with regret because you allowed vengeance to guide you.  Be open to listen.  Be open to forgive.  Be open to seek truth and honesty.  Be open to believe in yourself and your values.  Simply be open."
     The old man turns to go but was stopped by a young man who asks, "Sir, do you think the Creator caused the ship to sink as punishment?"
      "No, my son, the Creator would not do this.  The sinking was caused because in their thirst for revenge those who boarded the ship did not take heed of clouds, of winds, or  the feel of the weather.  Nor did they assure themselves of the safety of a vessel not made to carry so many.  The tragedy was caused by their own mistakes and no one else can or should be blamed.  The sadness comes when you realize most did not get that chance to rethink their decision. Never allow this to happen to you.  Malice is an evilness that snatches the heart.  Revenge steals the soul. Do not allow yours to be taken," the man says and walks away.
     The young ones begin their own walk home surrounded by the silence that comes with the pondering of thoughts and choices once made.  It is the silence that comes with the understanding that changes begin with forgiveness from within.  It is the silence of self-guidance.