The World Speaks

A Parable


A father and son were hiking in the high mountain passes.

The views were vast with brightly lit, snow-capped peaks looking down on them. Far flung valleys stretched out below them. In the midst of such majestic scenery, the two wayfarers felt they were but a speck in the immensity of nature.

There was hardly a sound except for the heavy breathing of the two hikers trudging up the steep incline until the young son twisted his ankle on a loose stone.

"Ouch! That hurts!" blurted the boy.
Ouch! That hurts! imitated a voice in the distance.

With a puzzled look on his face, the boy looked this way and that way.

"Who is that?" he called out.
Who is that? he heard in response.

"Why won't you show yourself?" he demanded.
Why won't you show yourself? came a reply from nowhere and seemingly everywhere.

Not liking to be made fun of, the youngster became more flustered.

"You coward!" he blasted.
You coward, mirrored back an enormous voice.

"I hate you" he screamed.
I hate you was all that could be heard from every direction.

Turning to his patient companion. "Who is it, Dad. And why is he hiding from me?"

"Son, what you are hearing is your own voice, reflected back by the mountains. It's called an echo. This is the way with all of life. If you can learn this lesson, you can be free. Watch and listen.

"You are great" shouted the father.
You are great, boomed the echo.

"You are invincible" he sang out.
You are invincible, crooned the scenery around them.

"I love you," called out the father.
As if the entire world was speaking, all the father and son could hear was:

I love you. I love you. I love you . . . . .



(Apologies to the author. I no longer have the source of this.)

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