I went to the temple again yesterday. It was the first time I ever went by myself, and it was a marvelous experience. In order to be more aware next time, however, I made a vow to get more sleep beforehand.
A man once threw a pebble off a cliff. It rolled, and tumbled, striking another pebble. The two fell together, striking more and more of their fellows. Larger rocks were dislodged by the pebbles' advance, and even larger rocks followed suit.
Another man stood farther down the cliff side, watching the steady advance of the rolling, tumbling rocks. His positioning on the mountain gave him a unique perspective the first man had not had. Far below, in the depths of the valley, a small hamlet resided, perfectly perched far below the slippery slope the rocks were presently cascading down. The second man recognized that, if the rocks were to continue unhindered, they would collect larger and larger allies until there was nothing to stop the collective force from completely destroying the homes, livelihoods, and lives of those residing far below If the second man acted now, he could prevent the entire problem before everything proved too monumental to cease.
As the second man stepped forward to stop the smaller, nonlethal rocks from rolling, however, he paused. Is this really my fault? he thought to himself. I didn't throw that first rock. Shouldn't the man at the top be stopping this? Looking far below at the cozy hamlet, the man shook his head. I'm sure it won't be as bad as I imagine. Those people down there should have some protection against such tragedies, anyway. Shrugging off his personal responsibility and assuring himself that he was not to blame, the second man walked away from his chance to solve the problem.
The rock slide grew in proportion until the hamlet was completely consumed by the churning, falling wall of debris.
I wrote a commentary about this post on January 22, 2015. Click here to read!
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