Theos-Talk Archives (June 2001 Message tt00095)

I think the moral of the story is in error. It's important
to have an ideal or vision in life. It's good to plan, to
have goals, to intend to grow and accomplish things. The
problem arises when one's intentions become disconnected
from life, impotent, and a mere utterance. Having something
to strive for is good. What's bad is having the mind and
heart disconnected from life. The intentions shouldn't
outpace one's ability to achieve them. When that happens,
it's like someone on December 31 making many New Year's
resolutions knowing quite well they'll be broken in a day
or two. As long as the inner intent and the outer circumstances
stay connected, and neither outpaces the other, things are
fine. Otherwise, outer life is desolate, without a guiding
vision, or inner life becomes disconnected, a mere fantasy.

-- Eldon
At 09:22 AM 6/26/01 -0500, you wrote:
> Here is a story that K told in an informal setting. It is reported by
> Javier Gomez Rodriguez in the Link -Spring 1997. When I read the story I am
> reminded of the current attitude towards Death Penalty in the US.
>
> An old thief called his three sons to his death bed to tell them in his
> last will. He asked them to promise that they would continue in their
> father's trade. They all swore they would, as was demanded of them. So they
> buried the old thief and they went about the highway robbing and killing as
> their father had done. One day, on entering the town after one of their
> forays, they saw a preacher in the middle of the square. They immediately
> stuck their fingers in their ears and walked on. As they were crossing the
> square, the youngest got a thorn in his foot. He unstopped his ears to take
> it out and heard the preacher say: "Don't Kill, Don't Rob!". They went on
> their way, but from then on the youngest spend his days robbing and killing
> while repeating to himself the words of the preacher.
>
> Rodriguez comments that:
>
> This was an illustration of the 'poison' the teachings themselves could
> become for people who heard but did not act on them, who turned them into
> an ideal to be achieved. And ideals are the essence of paralysis.