Monday, May 01, 2006

Princess Ponders the Dueling Dragons

Dear beautiful blog world,
I enjoyed writing the last post/poem so much that now I think it's time for a story! I'm cutting and pasting a story I wrote last year, so if you recognize it, you'll recognize me. That's okay, just don't comment by saying, "Oh, Okee- you're THAT Okee!! How funny!" Cause that would be funny, but then I'd have to really watch what I say. Please enjoy the following fairy-tale! The meforshim I leave to you.
~~Love, Okee

Once upon a time, a princess lived in a golden castle on the edge of the sea. She did not know much about her life, or why she lived in the castle, but her life had a strict routine. Every day, she awoke early in the morning and began her day with classes to broaden her mind. After those intellectual lessons, she had classes on the practical aspects of life, and then classes on morality, integrity, and truth. This was her life. A new teacher came to the castle every day to give over to her all that they knew. Soon the princess wondered why all this knowledge was necessary. She thought perhaps that the king may have desired a portable library of information, and she was to fill that job. But when she would mention such an idea to her educators, they would laugh and say, “I think not.”

One late afternoon in December, the princess heard a thunderous roar outside her window. When she rushed to her window and peered out, instead of seeing the darkening sky, she saw a monstrous green, scaly dragon. Before she could scream or faint in fright, the fearsome dragon spoke, its words framed in flames. The dragon said, “My name is Knowledge. I live alone, like you, but at the bottom of the deepest depths of the sea. I see none, hear none, love none, but know almost all. These are the first rays of sunlight I have seen in over a thousand years. The ascent from the sea floor has nearly burnt and blinded me. But I had to come, for I must know one thing more. Who are you, that you are gaining so much knowledge, nearly to equal my own? How dare you even dream that your knowledge can surpass mine?” Smoke curled from Knowledge's nostrils.

The princess was astounded by the dragon's words, for she knew not the why of her life. Shaking slightly, she replied, “But I do not know why I have such knowledge! This is my life...” Suddenly, to her great surprise, a colossal red dragon with shimmering scales and butterfly wings flew down from the heavens. The green dragon looked at the other dragon with dismay and sneered. The glorious red dragon spoke. “Good evening. My name is Wisdom. I live in the open sky and in the deep sea and on the green land. I see many, hear many, love many, and understand almost all. For more than a thousand years, I have lived amongst rays of sunlight. The descent from above is commonplace for me. But I had to come, for you must understand one thing. You are not like Knowledge. You are like me, Wisdom, but you do not yet know why.”

Knowledge growled, muttering, “Wisdom. You always swoop down wherever there is knowledge and try to take over. Can't you leave knowledge in peace? Why must there always be more?”

The princess looked at Wisdom in confusion. The red dragon smiled and quietly said, “Yes, it is true that I do not like to leave knowledge alone. Because it is unnatural that knowledge remains so. Knowledge must evolve into wisdom, lest it becomes corrupt. Just look at Greenie over there. Princess, your entire life has been the gaining of not knowledge, but wisdom. You have not learned information just to know much, but to do much. You have learned in order to shape who you are and who you can be. You have learned in order to affect all around you and all within you. You have learned in order to affect the world. It can be done in many ways. You may not need to leave your castle, for one man is an entire world. But if you do leave your castle, your life of lessons will be wisdom for you -as long as you call upon it, it will be wisdom. Remember, all your lessons, classes and information will not change yourself or the world if you leave it as inaccessible knowledge within your mind. Place it all in your heart, place it all in your soul, and you will change your place in the universe.”

And so the story ends.
But the journey is just beginning for us all...

10 comments:

the sabra said...

didn't read this post, just wanted to agree with a comment you left on josh's blog about changing your watch when you are in chul. i used to do the same thing and thought i was the only nut! i even liked to wear the clothes i wore that last day..snort..

may we all be reunited in eretz yisroel with moshiach, today!

Lee said...

Amen!!!

kasamba said...

Okee, you are some special person!!!!
Rabbi Akiva Tatz says that the deep mystical shuirim that he gives are just intellectual candy unless someone intergrates the lessons into their lives.

What a beautifully written piece!

Josh said...

Okee, thanks for sharing this thought-provoking piece! Just curious, what happened to Understanding?

socialworker/frustrated mom said...

Beautiful story.

Lee said...

kasamba -thanks so much! and btw, i'll listen to anything anyone says that begins with the words, "Rabbi Akiva Tatz says"!

josh -Understanding is also a dragon, albeit blue, and didn't feel the need to ensure the princess' understanding since his older brother wisdom would be there. Without Understanding, there would be no Wisdom. So in my story, Wisdom represents both dragons. I shoulda' known you'd ask me about good ol' Blue 'Standing

social worker/mom -thank you:)

Lee said...

avenger--no, but i'll take it as a complement, and i noticed it too! i do think, though, that my blog's got its own special flavor- hopefully in the future you'll get it too

jewish thinker--your name, i think, says it all. maybe i should write a sequel...

ggggg said...

very nice.

David_on_the_Lake said...

Very well put...
I like how ur mind works. Knowledge without wisdom is laziness. To amass and not to share and do..is almost selfish..
But wisdom is not either enough. Wisdon is the ability to take knowledge and put it into use..to share..
After that comes actually doing...
I know many wise people that do nothing with their wisdom...
Is that another dragon lurking in the shadows..called action?

Lee said...

Okay okay!! Y'all want to know about action?? Guess what? She's Wisdom's wife!!!! A beautiful golden dragon named Action, she is always flying around making sure Wisdom does his work...but Wisdom doesn't mind, cause he's so wise, he loves Action dearly.

And don't worry -the princess and Action become best buddies! And they lived happily, productively, ever after...