Parables on Truth, Love, and Courage

Pride in our own virtuous deeds is of no value at all. It is just, Do this, do that, a rule for this, a rule for that; a little here, a little there, but when we find humility it binds all the virtues together from the heart...

And he also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and looked down on everyone else: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed these things with reference to himself: ‘God, I give thanks to you that I am not like other people—swindlers, unrighteous people, adulterers, or even like this tax collector! I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far away, did not want even to raise his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than that one! For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

 

Furthermore concerning the Kingdom of Truth, and Love

“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear.”

“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

Parables of Jesus
Matthew 13:3-9, Matthew 13:18-23

 

Truth, Love and Courage

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

 

Love and Courage

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

John 15:12-13

 

Reflection

An old man looked in a mirror. He did not see one reflection, but three. His youngest self, his middle-aged self, and his current elder self.
He asked himself a question. What was the greatest and purest love he has ever had?

His elderly reflection responded quickly. His greatest and purest must be his love for the Creator of the world. It was a true love, one found in devotion, respect, and knowing that his love would be returned by the one who made him.

His middle-aged self, confident and strong in stature, then responded. It was the love for himself that was his greatest and purest. Such love was given and returned freely, it provided the confidence for his success in life.

His youngest self, modest and shy, took his turn. He said the greatest and purest love was for the girl from his childhood with the midnight hair and light olive skin that loved to dance in the rain. She never returned his love, but he loved her all the same.

The old man pondered all these answers. Each was correct, all were great and pure in their own right. But his heart knew. One, indeed, was greater and purer then the rest: It was for the girl.

"Because it was not safe. I loved without knowing if love would ever be returned."

 

True Courage

The King summoned the mighty Amber Blade, the most skilled warrior in the realm, to his tournament. He had one task for her: To help him find a new member for his King's Guard. He had three candidates, all equal in fighting skill.

"Let me interview them first, and then I shall give them a task to fulfill before you and the rest of the court" she said. The King obliged.

When she returned, the room gathered round the contestants. The Amber Blade announced "The one who shows the greatest act of true courage shall be my choice to join the King's Guard."

To demonstrate an act of true courage, the first contestant, a warrior from East Novia, challenged five soldiers simultaneously to a fight. With almost brisk ease, the warrior disarmed them one by one.

The gathered crowd was pleased. "Impressive" said the King.

The second contestant, a hunter from the West, wrestled a grizzly bear as an act of true courage. Doing so bare-handed, the hunter placed the bear into submission.

The gathered crowd was stunned with approval. "I think we have a winner" said the King.

The final contestant, a fighter from the Hidden Vale, stood in the middle of everyone and began to give a speech. Trembling and stumbling with words, sweating, and turning red-faced, the final contestant was barely able to make it through.

The gathered crowd booed at this contestant. "That was disappointing" said the King.

When the court and contestants left, the King asked the Amber Blade for her choice.

"The Hidden Vale fighter who gave the speech wins" she said.

Shocked, the King demanded an explanation for this. "My King" the Amber Blade responded, "the warrior from East Novia had years of practice in fighting multiple opponents, and the Hunter from the West actually drank a whole keg of ale in order to fight the bear. Neither of them faced their greatest fear or otherwise demonstrated a great act of true courage."

Astonished, the King asked "and how does a stammering fool show true courage?"

The Amber Blade smiled, "because the greatest fear for that one was to speak before a group of people, My King. Remember, true courage is not a lack of fear; it is the recognition there are just more important things than fear."

 

Here is my contribution as I reflected on incorporating one of these into Mark's Tales....

https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/f...-tales-of-the-unremarkable.21134/#post-326775

 

Themo Lock just cued me into this request for parables on compassion and courage. I offer the link: http://compassionchronicles.com/thejourney.html It is a series of parable stories that describe a journey, a quest (I won't give more away - spoiler). Although written to a modern audience, they easily could be modified as the story has universal themes. I also see it fitting into a fantasy realm fairly easily. As the author - I give permission for their use. Of course, I'd like to know (smile).

 

free use material follows:

Courage can be falsified, Truth degraded down to lies.
Love is strong, but for how long?
Chaos not be relied upon, balance soon to be torn down,
the undead wont remain in ground! and kobolds lurking around!
Breamar used to be such a nice town...

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here is sit brokenhearted, my love and I recently departed

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you would be slapped if you told the woman the truth about her looks when asked.
Hitler loved his dog. that dog wagged his tail when Adolf entered the room.
courage is simply ignoring the inner voice that says 'you know better than this'.

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and now, back to your regularly permission-only postings, already in progress.

The Hendoman

 

The Heart of Courage

The General arrived to the Kingsport military training center. Once a year he recruited one trainee from each of the cities of Novia. These trainees would join his ranks of recruits for him to mold and shape into the finest warriors in the lands. He was met by the proud Kingsport trainer who began showing him his finest students.

He first showed him his strongest trainee. The General watched as the large trainee pummeled several others. One of the victims was a small trainee that brought a grin to the Trainer's face: "The small one there is by far the smallest I have in this camp."

The Kingsport trainer then showed the General his smartest trainee, who demonstrated skill for the General by using the environment to outwit other trainees. The General continued to look over where the strongest was sparring.

The General was then shown the quickest trainee, who used acrobatic moves to deftly maneuver around the other trainees. It was not lost on the Kingsport trainer that the General continued to glance back at the strongest trainee.

"General, I have shown you my three finest students, but it appears only one of them has grabbed your attention."

The General nodded and together they walked back to where the strongest trainee was sparring. The General watched as the strongest trainee continued to throw attackers outside the ring. But only one kept coming back at the large trainee: The smallest trainee of them all.

Again and again with determination the smallest of the trainees kept coming at the larger, stronger trainee.

"That one, your smallest. I select that trainee."

The Trainer was puzzled. "General, that one was neither my strongest, smartest, or quickest. Why?"

The General replied, "That one is tenacious. Will not give up. Has already learned a lesson I cannot teach the rest here: That Life is not about how hard you hit or how well you avoid getting hit - because at some point, you will get hit. Life is about how hard you get hit, and keep going."

 

The Parable of the Clockwork Kitten

A heartbroken woman visited her Grandmother. The love of her life left her. She wondered what she did wrong. Her Grandmother then told her the parable of the clockwork kitten.

The story starts with a boy who came home to play with his favorite toy. A clockwork kitten given by his uncle. He loved the clockwork kitten.

The clockwork kitten was simple in its design and function. After winding it up, pushing a button under its ear would make it purr. Turning a nob under the belly would make it warm. There was always a smart twinkle in the clockwork kitten's eyes when he activated it.

As he picked it up this time, he did as usual and wound the clockwork kitten up. When he pushed the button to make it purr, it would not purr. He then wound the clockwork kitten up again. This time he tried turn the nob on the belly but the clockwork kitten remained cold.

He then wound the clockwork kitten up one more time, this time paying attention to its eyes. Instead of the twinkle he once saw, nothing but dark, black, lifeless orbs looked back at him.

Upset, he went to his Mother. "Mom, the clockwork kitten is not turning on. I wind it up, turn the nob, push the button, but nothing I do works. What am I doing wrong?"

His Mother looked back and said, "Son, you are doing nothing wrong. You've shown all the love you possibly can for the clockwork kitten and tried everything. The clockwork kitten is just broken, and the only thing that can repair it is the clockwork kitten repairman."

 

Was Richard not after links to real parables which were subject matter on Truth, Love, and Courage? Why are people writing their own?

 

Written by us, written by some dead guy.. what's the difference?

Amber Raine @AmberRaine3
These I found seem fairly good on love! Of all things. Would you also accept ones written by us?

And his response was:

Richard Garriott @RichardGarriott
Absolutely! Must be short, clear, historic sounding. And clear/ok for us to use. Amber: Fear not, we will get to Chaos.

 

Because, that would be violating one of the 8 original virtues, humility!

 

So far i count only 3 virtues mentioned

 

"So Avatars -- The Call has been made - Your Liege Lord British and our friend Richard Garriott has called forth for our help!

Care to see your work in the game? Your research? Your own written Parables? Now is your chance!

......Waits for the chaos "

 

Yes.. it was specifically asked if we could write our own and his words were "yes". He has asked for us to do research or write our own. I wonder if Mr Garriott realized just how talented in the writing department this community really was. Not merely are they musicians and actors, but the writers voice with their pen is strong also

He said find them, link them, or write them as long as they are under 500 words, clear, and historic sounding - and free use. I made sure to ask.
Would it not be more thrilling to have original works for our wonderful world.. based on what his image and principles were
rather then someone elses ? Works from people who live, breath and have been in HIS world for decades?

I dunno. I would think it would be. Mr Garriott what say you good Sir?

Richard Garriott @RichardGarriott
Absolutely! Must be short, clear, historic sounding. And clear/ok for us to use. Amber: Fear not, we will get to Chaos.
Richard Garriott @RichardGarriott
Fables: Under about 500 words, preferably.

 

1. The Cherry Tree
(This one is NOT by me. It's the American story of George Washington and the Cherry Tree)

A young boy was given a shiny new axe by his father for his birthday. As boys are wont to do, he immediately set off to find his toy's first victim. He decided the special occasion called for an equally special tree, and settled upon one of his father's prized cherry trees.

He brandished his axe and chased off a tiny rabbit, and then he hacked and chopped until there was little left of the poor tree. Then he returned home to rest, for the excitement of the day, and reducing the entire tree to kindle, had worn him out.

That evening, his father returned home to find his prized tree in ruins. He stormed into the house and his voice roared through every room, "Who chopped down my prized cherry tree?"

He already knew the answer, of course. But this made for an excellent opportunity to test his son's worth.

His son could see his father was angry, and the thought crossed his mind to play ignorant, or blame someone else. But then his father, who was always busy working so that he could afford to bring home food and axes for his family, would waste time looking for the offender.

The boy spoke up, "I cannot tell a lie, Father. I chopped down your cherry tree."

His father, still fuming, glared down at the boy. "As angry as I am about the tree, I am more proud to have an honest son. We shall plant another one together so that you can appreciate the error of destroying so much work."

The boy understood that his Truth had made his father proud, and his father had returned his honesty with Truth of his own so that the boy learned the value of time invested in even a simple thing like a cherry tree.


2. The Shop Keeper's Shoes

"A little girl found herself scared and alone, wandering aimlessly through the town, as the storm began to flood the streets," she began the story.

"The lightning thundered as she dodged this way and that, down street or alley as each presented itself. After a time, she found a small shed housing large sacks of potatoes. She removed her soaked clothing, and dressed herself in three layers of potato sacks. Her shoes, made of thin cloth, were worthless; she removed them and wrapped her feet in sacks as well.

"The potatoes had made a terrible racket, scaring off a poor little rabbit who had also sought shelter in the shed, and someone came out of the adjoining building to investigate. She hid her clothes lest the person try to steal them.

"An old man entered the shack from the doorway connected to the building and saw her crouched amongst a great many of his potatoes. He could see that she was frightened, cold, and guessed she was probably hungry by the sorry state of her appearance. He bid her join him by his fire and share of his stew until the storm passed.

"He looked harmless enough, so she did.

"The man introduced himself as Sheldon, a proprietor of potatoes... at least, that part of the year. He noticed the very young girl was wearing pieces of sack to cover her feet, so he removed his own shoes- simple as they may have been- and bid the girl to put them on. She had placed the terribly uncomfortable and over sized shoes on her feet, and the man was placing a small bowl of stew before her, when the door opened and one of the royal guards entered.

"The guard saw the little girl and called back over his shoulder to his men. They rushed inside and the little girl could see they were happy to have found her, yet they looked very angry at the man. One of them said, "You have taken liberties with the Princess! And to dress her in sacks, afterwards? This cannot be forgiven!"

"The little girl tried to protest, to explain, and the poor shop keeper tried to plead his case as well, but the guards weren't having it. The one who spoke drew his sword and cut down the shop keeper. The Princess was returned to the castle, and later heard the shop keeper's store was burned to the ground. She swore that she would find a way to return the love shown her by one of the common people, one who didn't even realize she had been of Noble birth; that the cruelty of her family would not carry on with her."

The Queen-to-be finished her story, staring out at the assembled crowd- both Noble and Common- and lifted her dress a bit, just enough to show the beaten, wooden shoes on her feet. She lowered her dress and accepted the crown. History would say the Kingdom had been lucky for the misfortunes which befell her family and left her with the throne.

And the Kingdom entered a period of joy, ruled by a Queen who kept her promise of Love.

3. The Girl With No Sword

Gaston was the village warrior. Not that the village had ever come under attack, but it made the people feel good to have a tall, rugged, beast of a man around who was always ready for a fight- a fact Gaston was quick to prove against any other man in the village.

He never left home without his sword; he would stride through the village with it strapped to his side and boast about its impressive heft, and his skill with it.

One day, a large bear wandered into the village in search of food. The people fled and took shelter in their homes. But one woman scooped up her daughter and ran to the tavern where she knew the mighty warrior Gaston enjoyed spending his days.

"Help us," she cried upon spotting the fighter who was seated at one of the tables eating his rabbit stew. "A beast has come upon the village!"

Gaston, thinking the woman overly emotional, stood and bid her rest easy. He strode to the door with all the pomp he had become accustomed to presenting... and then he saw the bear. It was the largest beast he had ever witnessed. The bear saw him standing in the doorway and, expecting a threat, reared up on its hind legs and roared.

Gaston retreated back into the tavern. "We should let the beast pass through! He probably means us no harm, anyhow."

Everyone was stunned. They had expected Gaston to slay the beast and save them all, but they could see the fear in the braggart's eyes. The woman spoke, "You will not save us?"

Suddenly, her tiny daughter ran passed the now arguing adults and through the door onto the porch. The bear still stood there in the street, sniffing for the nearest food source. It saw the girl and once again reared back to sound its warning.

But the little girl only mimicked the bear, throwing her little hands high above her head and screaming at the top of her lungs. The bear roared again, and the little girl followed suit, standing her ground there on the porch though she was still well below eye level to the bear. Twice more they roared at each other, and the bear finally lost interest and wandered back into the woods.

The woman, still planted in shock and with tears of pride falling from her eyes, turned to the mighty warrior Gaston. "I guess heroes find Courage in their fear, not their sword."

4. To Judge Truth

A young noble had completed his education and was sent to Grand Judge Whitmore, considered to be the wisest among Judges, to complete his training in the ways of Law. The boy had read through every book on the subject he could find within the halls of the Great Library, and felt himself an expert on the topic.

One day, as he sat having tea with his mentor, who had a habit of meeting with other intellectuals visiting the courthouse, the Grand Judge asked him to witness and judge a disagreement. The judge looked at one of his fellows and bid him, "Go to the window and look out. Note the weather, and then return to us here."

The man did as he was bid. As he got up to leave, the Grand Judge gave a subtle nod to a Water mage who sat across the room, but well within earshot. When the man returned, the Grand Judge asked him, "How does the weather fare?"

The man said, "It appears to be raining, Grand Judge, though it was quite warm when I arrived."

Grand Judge Whitmore then looked to another fellow and bid him to go and do the same. The man got up to leave, and the Grand Judge once more gave a subtle nod to one of the mages; this time, a Sun mage. The young noble boy did not notice these nods, nor did he recognize the casting of the mages.

The second man returned, and once again the Grand Judge begged the question, "How fares the weather?"

The man replied, "It is sunny and dry, just as when I arrived, Grand Judge. I saw no signs of rain."

The first man, playing along, retorted, "That is quite impossible. I am positive there was rain."

The Grand Judge looked to the young noble boy. "You must judge which is telling the Truth, and which is lying. How would you go about it?"

The boy, quite certain, replied, "I have only to go and look for myself, of course. If the ground is wet, the second man must be lying." And without being asked, he moved to the nearest window and looked out. Seeing the street dry, and the sky sunny, he returned to the group.

"I judge the first man a liar," he proudly proclaimed. "But clearly instructed to do so by you in order to test me," he added so as not to give offense.

Grand Judge Whitmore looked at him sternly and explained what had happened. "I instructed my friend to call Water before the first man went to the window. Then I instructed another friend to use the Sun to dry it away before the second man went to look."

The boy asked, still oblivious to the lesson, "So they were both telling the Truth then? What lesson could that possibly teach?"

"Unlike Day and Night, Truth does not require its opposite to exist. Sometimes, it is a matter of circumstance and perspective," the Grand Judge said.

The boy replied, "That wasn't a fair test; I can't judge one man over another when both could be telling the Truth."

The Grand Judge replied, "And that is why you shall never be a Judge."

 

Any idea what our time frame on this is?

 

The Three Brothers
When the world was younger, there lived three brothers in an old stone tower atop a tall hill that overlooked a great city. Outside the stone tower, there grew three trees, and as the brothers grew to be men, so too, the trees grew taller and mightier.

One day, when the trees had grown as tall as the tower itself, the three brothers decided to go their own ways so as to find which was the greatest of the Three Principles: Truth, Love or Courage. As they were growing up, the oldest of the three had become a scholar, and had studied strange and ancient tongues, and the secrets of numbers, and the names of beasts and birds and rocks and rivers. He believed that Truth was the greatest of the three. The second had become a healer, and had come to understand the power of compassion. He believed that Love was greater than the others. And finally, the third had become a warrior. Of all the foes he had fought, had he learned that fear itself was the worst by far. He believed that Courage was the greatest of the three.

They left their home atop the hill and each wandered alone for a year and a day seeking the answer to their question. They travelled many lands and came to know many peoples and endured many hardships, each in his own way. At last, by chance, they met in a faraway city and were glad to be together again. They shared their stories of the places they had seen, of the good folk they had come to know, and of the many perils they had faced. But, alas, none of the three could say that he had found what they had sought.

The oldest brother recalled that years before he had read of a temple not far from where they were in which the answers to all the great questions were kept behind a veil. The temple was guarded jealously by dæmons, and all who had sought entrance had perished. Straightaway the youngest brother said that he would face the terrible fiends if the oldest of the three would show him the way. The middle brother, moved by great love, insisted that he come, for he could not let his brothers face the dangers alone.

So the three set off, and soon they came to the temple. The dæmons were dread, and nearly destroyed them. But together they vanquished each of the foul foes and together they arrived at the temple and came to stand before the veil. As they pulled away the ancient covering, all became clear, for standing before them was a great mirror, and in it, their answer was reflected. They returned to their hilltop tower and lived long and virtuous lives, never again needing to ask a question whose answer, perhaps, they had always known.

The three trees, it is said, still grow to this day.