The Path and the Horizon

A man had been hiking eastward on a mountain path for many months.  He slept among the tree branches and walked among the flowers.  When asked, he gave no name, no place of origin, no purpose in his wandering.  In fact, he would remain silent whenever approached by others. 

Word spread through the villages he passed to ones ahead, and, after a while, a large group of people was living the same lifestyle as he. 

Still, he remained silent.  Great men, brave knights, and just kings would approach the man, hoping to understand the apparent fulfillment that he received from living this simple life in harmony with nature.  He said not a word to any of them. 

After many more months, his silence was finally broken.  The man and the group behind him came through a clearing.  A boy with a tied parcel weighing him down approached from the opposite direction.  The man knelt to speak with the boy and asked him where he was going; a question the man himself had been asked many times.  The boy answered, “I am not sure.  One day I saw the setting sun and wondered if I had caught the last glimpse of something even more beautiful just beyond what I can see from my village.  I am hoping one day to reach the horizon, where I will be able to know for sure.  Until then, I am walking and trying to catch up with the sun.”

The boy then went on his way and the man continued walking.   

One of the group then approached the man and asked angrily why he would talk to a small child who had not asked for help from him and who was not seeking the same answers as the group while he denied all of his faithful followers the assistance they sought.  The man answered, “I spoke with the boy because he, of all people with whom I have ever conversed, was able to understand why it is that I walk through the woods.  He is following his own path, sparked by the excitement of loving something and wanting to see what lies ahead for himself.  You are following in another’s path, trying to lead a life that’s not your own.  That boy has not yet forgotten what it means it be, what it means to exist.  We were both on the same mission, following our hearts, but one of us chases the sunrise, the other chases the sunset.  If you learn anything from following me, let it be this: if you follow the path that another has chosen for you, it’s very likely that your true horizon lies in some other direction.”