Discovering true fear

A sultan decided to travel by sea with some of his favorite courtiers. They joined the ship in Dubai and sailed out into the open sea.
However, as soon as the ship moved away from land, one of his subjects - who had never seen the sea before, having spent most of his life in the mountains - began to be overcome with panic.
Sitting in the ship’s hold, he cried, shouted and refused to eat or sleep. Everyone tried to calm him down, saying that the journey wasn’t as dangerous as all that, but although he heard their words, they had no influence on his heart. The sultan did not know what to do, and the fine journey upon calm seas and under blue skies, became a torment for the passengers and crew alike.
Two days passed without anyone being able to sleep because of the man’s cries. The sultan was about to order the ship to return to port, when one of his ministers, who was known for his wisdom, came over:
- Your Highness, with your permission, I will be able to calm him.
Without a moment’s hesitation, the sultan said that not only would he allow it, but that he should reward him if he succeeded in solving the problem.
The wise man asked that the man be thrown into the sea. Right away, content because their nightmare was about to end, several crew members grabbed the man struggling in the hold, and cast him into the ocean.
The courtier thrashed about, sank, swallowed plenty of seawater, returned to the surface, screamed louder than ever, sank again, and managed to surface once again. Just then, the minister ordered for him to dragged back on board.
From then on, no one heard so much as a single complaint from the man, who spent the rest of the journey in silence, and even commented to one of the passengers that he had never seen anything so beautiful as the sky and sea touching on the horizon. The journey - which had before been a torment to all those on board the ship - became a pleasurable, peaceful experience.
A short time before they returned to port, the Sultan went to see the minister:
- How did you guess that, by throwing that poor man into the sea, he would calm down?
- Because of my marriage - replied the minister. - I was always terrified of losing my wife, and was so jealous that I never stopped shouting and screaming like that man.
“One day she could take no more, and left me - and I tasted the terrible experience of living without her. She only returned when I promised never again to torment her with my fears.
“In the same way, that man had never tasted salt water, and had never known the agony of a drowning man. When he felt that, he understood only too well how marvelous it can be to feel the planks of a ship under his feet.
- Wise counsel - commented the sultan.
- In the Bible, a holy book of the Christians, it says: “all I most feared, came to pass.”
“Some people can only value what they have, when they endure the experience of loss.”

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Reflections of the warrior of the light

Accepting pardon

The warrior of the light has learned that it is better to follow light. He has betrayed, lied, strayed from his path, courted darkness. And everything continued to work out - as if nothing had happened.
However suddenly the abyss comes. One can take a thousand safe steps - and one single step too much can destroy everything.
It is this consciousness which causes the warrior to change the course of his steps.
Upon making this decision, he hears four comments: “You always acted wrongly. You are too old to change. You are no good. You are not worthy.”
So he looks skywards. And a voice says: “well, dear friend, everyone has done wrong. You are forgiven, but I cannot force this pardon. You must decide.”
The true warrior of the light accepts the pardon.

Like a child

The warrior of the light behaves like a child.
People are shocked. They forget that each one of us must have fun, play, be a little irreverent, ask importune and immature questions, and say foolish things that we ourselves don’t even believe.
People are outraged: “Is that the spiritual path? He is simply not mature! He’s more like a child.”
The warrior is proud of this comment, because he knows that the logical consequence of maturity is decay. Thus in nature, so it is in life.
And he preserves his innocence and joy, without ever losing sight of his mission.

Knowing when to say “no”

“Hitler may have lost the war on the battlefield, but in the end he gained something,” says M. Halter. “For in the 20th century man created the concentration camp and revived torture, and taught his fellow men that it is possible to turn a blind eye to the misfortune of others.”
Perhaps he is right: there are homeless children, innocent men in prison, lonely old people, drunks in the gutters, madmen in power.
But perhaps he is not right at all: there are warriors of the light.
And warriors of light never accept that which is unacceptable.

The moment to decide

The warrior of the light is terrified when faced with important decisions.
“That is too great for you,” says one friend. “Go on, be brave,” says another. And his doubts only increase.
After some days of anxiety, he withdraws into a corner of his tent, where he usually sits to mediate and pray. He sees himself in the future. He sees the people who will benefit and lose out because of his actions. He does not wish to cause unnecessary suffering, but nor will he abandon the path.
So the warrior allows the decision to appear. If he must say yes, then he shall bravely say it. If he must say no, then he shall say so without fear.

About cowardice

Anthony Williams says that the world seems threatening to cowards. They seek the false security of a life void of great challenges, and arm themselves heavily in order to defend that which they think they possess. Cowards are victims of their own egos, and in the end erect the bars of their own prisons.

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“Warrior of the Light, a www.paulocoelho.com.br publication.”