A Great Discovery

In my silent exploration of lands far and wide, I recently discovered a remote tribe of sub-personalities.  They are peaceful and friendly toward outsiders and have a very childlike view of the society outside their own village.  They are aware of the outside world but do not like to venture out because of stories and legends that they have been circulating for decades.  When I asked to hear the stories, as a way to better understand them, they were surprisingly eager to share.  Villager after villager began to talk about times long ago when they were children (although they appeared to be children still) when a big person laughed at them or belittled them or called them “show-off” or brushed aside their contribution in one manner or another.  This caused great confusion and pain to the children who had been quite joyful and who believed themselves at the time as having much to offer the world.  The collective meaning that was drawn from these disturbing experiences was “We don’t matter.”  One of the older children told me that once this meaning was scripted and accepted, the tribe withdrew to the outskirts of life to watch and comment, but not to participate.

Their belief in this scripted story impacted the tribe in many ways.  They did not attend to their nutritional needs because they don’t matter.  They kept their creativity and vitality underutilized because they don’t matter.  They did not take their presence on earth seriously and therefore wasted huge amounts of time because they don’t matter. They didn’t speak what was in their hearts and minds because they don’t matter.  They only nominally participated in the world because they don’t matter.

I found my heart going out to these children and began to speak of a world that wanted their contributions.  I told them of a village – my home village – who missed them and would be so happy that they were found.  I told them they did, indeed, matter and their absence had been felt and mourned.  They were loved, missed, and wanted.  Moreover, my home village would be forever crippled if they did not return with me and again begin living who they are.

They were elated to hear this message!  Then they were scared.  But finally they agreed to walk with me home.  When we arrived home and they were announced to the others, great cheers, applause, and smiles greeted our young emancipated citizens.  Bursts of enthusiasm, care, attention and compassion have erupted in our village.  Now there is a new experience being lived:  we do matter.