“How do you know all of this?”

“Because that is what was taught to me.”

“By whom?”

“By the elders.”

“Who taught them?”

“Their elders.”

“Who taught them?”

“Honey, it all stems from the great book that our people have been studying for generations.  You can read it for yourself if you would like.”

That night the young squirrel kept thinking about the conversation she had with her mother earlier in the day.  She could not help but wonder that they all might be wrong.  What if everyone is wrong?  We are living our lives based on traditions and things that were taught to us for generations, based on the great book that few have read.  Even if it is written in the great book, and we believe that it is all true, how do we know that we are interpreting it correctly?  Not to mention that it was also translated from language to language.

She fell asleep in her part of the decayed tree.  She had a little hole to look out into the night.  The stars were bright this night and she focused on one far in the distance.  As she drifted off she envisioned herself flying to that distant star.  The star was years and years away, but she could travel instantly to wherever she wanted.

As she approached the star, she found other planets with squirrels similar to herself.  She visited one of those planets and found a girl about her age.  They could communicate through their mind even though they spoke different languages.  However, she realized the language of their minds were the same.

She asked the young girl about the great book.  She hadn’t heard of the great book.  They talked for a while about the rules and laws passed down from their ancestors.  Most everything was different.

“Are you allowed to live in the ground?”

“Oh yes, most of our villages are under ground.”

“The great book says we must live above ground for there are too many dangers below it.”

“I wonder why that is.”

The girls discussed many things in their two cultures, but found about the only things they had in common were a desire to eat nuts.

“Oh I love nuts.”

“Me, too!”

The girls said their good byes, and the young squirrel continued her travels to another planet revolving around the distant star.   She came across another squirrel, but this one was much older.  She found that she could also communicate with the other squirrel, so she asked similar questions.

“Yes, we all have our laws and rules that keep things working in unity.  If we didn’t have laws and rules we would have chaos.  Laws keep things in order.”

“I agree, but what if they are wrong.”

“I see your point.  Yes, they most likely have their flaws, but they give us a sense of a general direction to go in.  Without that direction, we might wander around aimlessly bumping into each other all of the time.”

“Do you think there is something beyond the worlds that we live in?”

“Oh, most definitely, yes.  I just don’t think that we will know anything about it until we are finished with our work in this world.”

The girl was awakened by a storm that crept into the night.  She looked through the hole in the tree, but could not longer see the distant star.  As the rain watered the forest she thought about her dream.

I bet we are all wrong, but that is okay.  The thing is we must understand that there is more than one way to live.  I saw it through my own eyes in my dream travelling to other lands.

She then realized that she could keep her beliefs to herself, at least for a little while longer until she grew a bit older and was more respected.

“And that is the story of my life.”

“Wow, that is interesting.  It’s no wonder you are so wise.”

“Wisdom comes from within.  It’s up to you to find it, but more importantly to trust it.”

“Thank you grandma, we will never forget your words.”

Then the squirrel that was much older now, closed her eyes for the last time.

Ω

InspiraCard

Most things in this world have been built by the people living in said world.  Sometimes we need to leave that world to get a better view and understanding for the universe at large!

Written, Wed, Mar 9, 2016, 7:57 – 8:13 AM MST