The wise man who lived at the foot of the mountain asked the pilgrim, “Why have you made such a long, arduous journey to come to this place?” The pilgrim replied, “Because I wish to learn what I must do to be wise like you.” The wise man looked deep into the pilgrim’s soul and spoke with compassion, “Go back to your home and begin your journey again, this time searching first within, and return when you understand that Wisdom is not a prize to be earned but a purging fire that will transform your ego self and make you vulnerable to the demanding ways of Love.”
© 2014 Dennis Ference
Merging Traffic 
Lovely and sure way to find your gifts.
Thanks for sharing. -Dennis
very true, at one level, but many go on fruitful pilgrimages, including the three wise man.
Most things are true on one level and yet have another level where the opposite may be true and another level where both might be true at the same time. This is a story where either of these two can be the case. All such stories, I believe, are meant to challenge what we think and/or believe, which is more important than the story itself. Thanks for raising the question, Phil. Peace. –Dennis
Yes, I agree Dennis, this story is true in the sense of pursuing a fool’s gold, pursuing false things, but a physical movement can also be true, the effort, the intensity, all of the great pilgrimages of the last thousands of years. If you are looking for the right things, the journey, no matter how taken, will be worth the effort, I believe. Peace my friend Dennis!
This is cool. Wish we could sit down with a cup of coffee and share. I agree 100% with your comment and I like the reference to physical movement because our bodies aren’t superfluous to our spiritual well-being but integral to it. Relative to this particular story your phrase “looking for the right things” is the crux of what my intent was, which is to say our true spiritual journey, at some point, best begins in earnest within, where we can experience the hunger for something more and open ourselves to an awareness of what that may be, and allow ourselves to be led from there to, perhaps, multiple pilgrimages of seeking and refining throughout our lives always learning more and more about the divinity in our true Self within, which each of us is meant to experience. Way too long a sentence there!!!! Oh well, how about a Starbucks? –Dennis
Ok, on me! Your post reminded me of a time, when I owned a small taxi business, and some of my customers, from a local church, planned all year, for a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, the Holy Land. It was a highlight for them, something I am sure they took with them their whole lives. So yes your post operates on a few levels!
Phil. I really did enjoy the back and forth and I thank you for bringing out a needed balancing to the story as written. And I do wish it could be possible to share a coffee and many such conversations together. Your experience and insights, I’m sure, feed your beautiful art. As always, I look forward to seeing more.
Thanks Dennis, likewise, always enjoyable and rewarding, reading your words and conversing with you, even if it is through our computers!