[Missouri-l] [Odnet] FW: On Rainbows and Dreams - a tale of the Madman

[peter altschul]

On Rainbows and dreams - a tale of the Madman
Rodney D.  Coates

       The young man sat in a wheeled chair.  His filthy clothes 
smelled of death, as he worked to keep his body upright  Sitting 
there, he had heard everything the Madman had said, and 
increasingly edged forward through the crowd that had formed.  
 As the silence continued, he watched not sure if his voice would 
be welcomed.  Hesitantly, almost in a whisper he spoke:  
"Mustapha, when I was but a child -it seems you were here.  Even 
as we children would chide and ridicule you, you always had a 
smile, and a kind word.   Even when we were rude, you were full 
of warmth and joy.  I remember you always challenged us to sing 
rather than cry, play rather than complain, and run swiftly into 
our futures.  And so we did, never looking to either side, always 
eager to face the new day -but then one day we were no longer 
children, no longer could we fill our days with fun, no longer 
could we be care free.  As those days drained us of our joy, many 
found escape in others pain.  I, particularly, learned to inflict 
it without mercy until one day I was trapped in an alley where no 
mercy could find me.  There, another full of pain inflicted upon 
me what I had done to so many others.  So, here I sit, unable to 
walk, unable to dance, unable to move from my seat of pain.  
What, as my future looks so dim, would you have me do? What, fair 
Mustapha, can I hope for in the future?"

                The sun had finally breached the clouds, shining 
brightly in the now blue sky.  The edge of a rainbow just now 
forming toward the east caught his eye, as Mustapha began to 
speak:  "Reclaim your dreams and you will reclaim your future.  
Tomorrow never comes to those trapped in yesterday.  Tomorrow 
never comes for those mired in the reflections of mirrors that 
only look back.  Today is forever a gift, as tomorrow is forever 
gone.  It cannot be relived, regret only paves the paths to 
destruction.  Painful distractions that continually destroy your 
today is the evil that refuses to allow you to move from the pit 
of your despair.  If you would walk from your yesterday into your 
today, then you must leave the chair of your pain."

"But", the young man began -"How can I leave this chair, my legs 
are spent, can't you see that I am a cripple?"

The rainbow had spread as the sun shown ever more brightly.  Yet 
looking at it, Mustapha continued:  "You were born a cripple.  
Your legs, arms- your entire body, mind, and spirit were trapped 
in the body of an infant.  As time passed, you learned to control 
your body, mind and spirit and thus learned to use both your legs 
and arms.  Now that you are older, and have been injured, have 
you forgotten how to control your mind, body and spirit.  Sure 
your legs and arms are limp.  But they have always been so, it is 
your mind and spirit that controls your movement.  Even, were to 
be completely paralyzed yet you could soar -your spirit is not 
trapped to either your body or this earth.  Your mind-the bridge 
between your spirit and your body, is forever in your control.  
When you lose control over your mind then truly you are trapped 
in your body.   Would you leave your chair of pain?"

"My chair of pain has been my prison, how might I be free?  Death 
seems my only choice."

Death is not a choice, it is an escape.  Death is the door that 
awaits us all.  That door is not the one for you today, there is 
another door that stands before you.  That door is the key to 
unlock the mysteries of your own dreams.  Again, reclaim your 
dreams, reclaim your future.  Have you lost the keys to unlock 
your dreams.  Look deep within you, remember the joys of your 
youth.  Each day full of possibilities.  Nothing has changed but 
you.  Your days, each day is full of possibilities.  Grab onto 
these, let them rekindle the hope that brings life.  Let go of 
the pain that only brings death.  Then, my son you will again 
soar, and that body will cease to be trapped in your chair of 
pain but your vehicle into your future.  Now my son, stand up and 
walk."

The sun filled the sky as the rainbow, now fully formed, pointed 
to another horizon.  There we watched as dreams poured into the 
sky and more rainbows formed.  It seemed that the sky was filled 
with the brilliance of these rainbows, as the young man began to 
sing, tears in his eyes, and walk into his new day.



The Drum beats, some listen, all wonder if the sound is real.  As 
the drum sounds, some hear, and all wonder if this is the year.  
As the time passes, and we listen, all wonder if we will make a 
difference.  As the difference is sounded, we hear, and wonder if 
it's time to be clear --Change demands that Change happens for 
life, nature, and reality abhors a vacuum.  Come, listen to the 
beat of the Drum...


Come check out THEDRUM on Face book


Invite our friends.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&gid=212449760268#/group.
php?gid=192020342433&ref=mf



The man who has no imagination has no wings.
Muhammad Ali


Rodney D.  Coates
Professor



_______________________________________________

---
Keep up with cutting-edge theory and practice in the OD Network's 
journal, the "OD Practitioner" and our two online publications 
"Practicing OD" and "OD Seasonings" at 
http://www.odnetwork.org/publications/ available to all OD 
Network members only! See all the benefits of membership at 
http://www.odnetwork.org/membership/index.php
--
Manage your ODNet list options, including unsubscribing, at:
http://www.odnetwork.org/resources/discussions/mem-ops.php?list=o
dnet
--
Revisit all of our list norms at:
http://www.odnetwork.org/resources/discussions/norms.php