There was once a boy, sitting quietly on the pavement curb, silently pondering. He was at the most confusing stage of any males' life; on the verge of a transition into true adulthood. His mind was filled with questions he found himself unable to answer. He wondered what the meaning of everything was; if he would be able to find a purpose for his existence at all. As he thought and thought and thought, he drove himself to an increasing state of despair. He considered the possibility of what (if anything) would happen in the world if he died the very next day. He didn't know if his life would have mattered at all to anyone. He sank lower and lower, and eventually just sat there hugging his knees to himself. He then noticed movement out of the corner of his eye, and raised his head, only to see an old man approaching his position…
The old man was humming a whimsical tune to himself, and seemed to be completely oblivious to the world around him, and it was only when his foot bumped against the child that he seemed to see him at all. The child lowered his head again, and hoped the man would just continue on his way, but it was not to be.
"Oh, what have we got here?" enquired the man, looking down.
The boy didn't respond.
"Shouldn't you be out having fun, young man?" The old man asked "It must be terribly boring down there by yourself."
Again the boy remained unresponsive.
Not to be deterred, the old man simply sat down next to the child. "Well, if you're going to just there, you can't sit there alone." He chuckled to himself. "Now, onto business. What's this all about child?"
They sat in silence for a moment, as the boy considered whether or not to say anything at all, but deciding he should at least attempt to get rid of the man by answering his questions, he eventually blurted out the greatest of his concerns: "…Sir…how would a person know the value of his existence?" The man took a moment to respond, and when he did, it was with a long sigh first. "Aye lad, that is the question, isn't it? Many men have wasted their lives in trying to answer that. Wars have been fought over an attempt to find a solution...so much pain…so much death…" He sighed again and fell silent.
Deciding this man couldn't help him either, the boy bowed his head again in anguish, but was caught when the old man unexpectedly opened his mouth yet again: "…Although, of course, to me the answer is so very simple…" The boy leant forward expectantly, hoping for deliverance from his mental anguish.
"I have had many children in my long life, young man. Many sons and daughters, and they have all struggled with the same problems you now worry over. Some decided that the only way they could find purpose was if they try to impress me through elaborate gifts and trinkets. But what they don't understand is that I love them already, and the only thing I want is for them to love me too. So no, that was not the answer. Others tried to find purpose by taking what I had shown them, and showing it to others. And that worked for many, but still, others twisted what I had tried to impress upon them in to something evil and foul. Some of them even tried to find purpose by abandoning my family completely. Those hurt the most..."
The old man paused for a moment, as if remembering some dark memory, before continuing:
"And yet, what I tell you now, is what I believe shall work for you, young man. Look into yourself. Find the Love in your heart. Find it, take it, and give it out to the world. Never stop giving, because once you start, you shall receive what you give out tenfold. And in the process, I believe, that will provide some of the answers that you so desperately seek."
The man turned and smiled at the boy. He stood up, and watched the boy sit in thoughtful silence. "Well, I think it's time for me to be off, young man. Lots of places to be. I look forward to seeing where life takes you, my child." He turned and started walking down the street, whistling the same tune as before. Soon he was out of sight of the child, but not before he turned and saw the hint of a smile dancing across the boy's face as he sat in solitude again.
Many years passed, and the child grew into a strong adult in his own right. He finished his schooling, found a women he loved, and fathered a family. Eventually, his career and family and life in general became such a rush that he forgot his encounter with the old man, but still, he never forgot what he learnt that day, and over the years, those that came across him often commented that they had never before seen such a happy and content man.
As such things go, he grew into an old man himself, and one day realised his body was failing him. He lay in his bed, his family and friends surrounding him. His wife, children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren surrounded him, with tears in their eyes. His life-long friends, his earliest schoolboy companions also stood there, frail old men themselves, and yet still holding themselves up to witness the final stage of their Brother's existence. The man spoke words of reassurance and thanks to all his loved ones, and then , as he blinked, he saw the same wise old man from his youth appear by his bedside.
"…You…" he murmured "…I remember you..."
The man simply nodded and smiled at him. Even though they were both old men, there seemed something about the wise man that made him appear infinitely more elderly. He opened his mouth to speak. "Yes. It's great to see you again child. We're almost ready for you."
The dying man nodded as best he could. He became aware that no one else was responding to what he said or heard. He spoke softly. "…Somehow…I always knew…who you were…I too, am nearly ready…I just want to know one thing still…"
"Sure" The old man responded, knowing exactly what he would ask.
"…Was I…important?…Did I…did I matter?"
The wise man nodded, and still smiling, gestured at the man's precious people surrounding him, and said: "Yes. More than you will ever know."
The boy-turned-man, at long last at the end of his journey, nodded gently, took one final look around the room, closed his eyes, and smiled, before saying:
"Then….then all is good…"
With his eyes now closed, he saw where he was going next…
He saw the clouds…
He saw the open sky…
He saw a home…
He saw….
For Matthew