JAN’S DAILY REAL NEWS

                      © 2001: Jan Cox
                                       *****************************************************
 

September 17, 2001.
 
 
 
 

Early Monday morning found the father & son
sitting quietly again with their coffee on the back steps,
with their view of the sun, forever moving upward,
and the elder finally spoke:
“I will tell you a tale:
The king of one world is served by two different guards:
the troops of the first are instructed to react automatically,
and decisively to any perceived threat to the ruler’s safety;
it is like a tight wound commando company set on a hair trigger:
always ready to instantly defend the liege,
or deliver him from the scene of danger;
they do not engage in analyzation of motives regarding
aggressive moves toward the king,
but simply physically react as per their duty to safeguard;
they spring into action when the situation seems to allow
no time for reflection --  but only protection.
The members of this first guard are not only fiercely loyal,
but once aboard, stay for life.
The second unit is responsible for everything that the first is not, that could, at some point, be relevant to the king’s well being;
they collect and store information;
they mentally reconnoiter; they listen to idle chatter & gossip;
they constantly engage in imaginary war games to be prepared for previously unexperienced dangers,
and other unexpected threats;
it is also their job (once a menacing situation is over)
to analyze the circumstances, especially the question of
what motivated the threat;  what was in the minds of the menacers?
The world of the first guard could be said to be
purely physical, non reflective & reactive,
and that the realm of the second guard is one of psychological analysis, much thought & serious game playing;
both are necessary for the king’s full protection,
but their specific responsibilities are different,
and the temperament of their troops, dissimilar.
Together, they admirably defend the crown,
and the people are pleased-with, even blasé-about
the situation  --   except for a handful.
There is a small number of people who are chafed by it;
their attempted tellings of, 'why' are vague, eccentric & fragmented,
but their annoyance  --  clear enough.
At times, the heart of their dissatisfaction appears to be the desire for
a new ruler,
while at other times it seems to be a displeasure with the way
the two guards’ defend the present one,
but if you ask one of them about it directly,
their response will always finally come down to a complaint with
the present king  --
since he is ultimately responsible for the guards and their conduct.
These people do not seek to overthrow other kings;
they merely want their own replaced,
or the defense of the present one, radically altered;
they do not make public their private intent,
nor do they try to recruit others to their undertaking.
These people, naturally enough, initially take the most rational approach of not engaging in a confrontation with the power of the king himself,
but rather by attempting to change certain features of
the manner by which the  two guards defend their current ruler,
and in one school devoted to the realization of this goal,
the following was taught to the secret rebels cum usurpers.
‘First: Leave the physical guards alone: let them do their job,
(that was all concerning them).
Second: Do not allow the non-physical unit to get involved in any matters that neither they, nor the physical guards can change.
Third: Do not allow the non-physical unit to get involved in any
matters, no matter how despicable, that do not directly threaten
your king, (rely on the physical guards’ determination).
Fourth: There is nothing past three.
If you follow these instructions, your complaints and questions,
regarding your own king, kingdom and life itself, will cease,
and if that is not good enough for you, then  --   suffer on!
you ridiculous, self-righteous, impotent and pompous fool;
suffer needlessly & meaninglessly on,
after all: it is this planet’s most popular hobby,
and naturally comes to all who breathe.
Why struggle when it is not required;
relax and go along like everyone else.
If those of superior insight do not properly denounce tornados, sickness  & death --
                   --  who will!’  (Remember boy, I’m just quoting).
But if you want an inner world of calm and understanding,
and freedom from a meaningless mental sickness, follow this guide.
The sheep dies on Tuesday; the wolf on Wednesday,
and those who allow their second guard to negatively dwell on pictures of
their natural arrangement  --  die again and again every day,
only to be reborn the next into the same endless, useless cycle.
The real king is not helped by this activity,
and by permitting such to run unchecked in your head,
you reinforce the present pretender's position.
Grab hold of the lever;
turn a deaf ear to the guard's caterwauling about matters that
matter not to you personally,
and about those about which you can do nothing;
when you can evade your own demise, then you can take up saving the world from
whatever madness it is that you believe threatens it.
Only full blown lunatics want to take over the asylum and --
--  ‘straighten it out’ --
the unusually sane simply need to see things as they are --
without the mental guard's endless,  ‘speculations-of-danger’ ,
when the physical one perceives nothing of threat.
                                           Do it and die,
                                           or not do it and die;
                                           it is all the same,’”
                      and the father stood up with the rising son.
 

                                                          J