The Land of Radiant Light

THE LAND OF RADIANT LIGHT by Mario C. Veo

In the most ancient of times, long before even fabled Atlantis, this land was united, linked in Brotherhood and the wisdom of respect.  Man was free to walk this Earth, and the Earth embraced and nurtured him.  He had nothing, and needed nothing, for the bounty of the fields were always ready to be shared, and the soil would turn soft to present him with a bed, and even the mountains offered caves to shelter him from the rains…. it was an idyllic time, truly based on Oneness.

So Man walked, exploring this Land of Plenty, never once desiring more than his needs, never once hoarding against a dire future … why should such a  darkness arise, when the Land was so gracious, and all freely given. This very thought was one that could cause confusion, and in this confusion could be the seed of fear, and even of resentment.

Many ages went by, and Man, content in his bliss, became more and more radiant … his very cells shone forth with an inner light, his voice became song, his vision one of pure beauty … until the day he met ‘the others’.

Even though they were not of his tribe, Man embraced them as brothers, and with true innocence guided them to the most bountiful fields, showed them where the purest streams ran, and where the safest caves were to be found … and having completed his proper duty, left them to continue his travels [for still much was to be explored, and  even greater beauty to be found]

This he did for many a year, and great was his joy as more of Earth’s bounty revealed itself … Life was filled with seeming endless delight …Yet as decades went by he found less and less, and that only of lesser radiance … and some even rejected him … him Man of pure light was being shunned by the very Land he once called brother …

Confused by his new found lack he now turned to this puzzle, and began a different search to try to find the cause, the reason for such unpleasant divide … And so he walked, for many days and many miles, but instead of uncovering less he found only increasing strife … and at times even outright disowning, for that which once was one, now stood against him  “You no longer belong here … go away Betrayer … You did this to us all … No place, no place, no place left for you …” … and no matter how much he tried, and begged to have the Land listen to him, he was Outcast … No other choice but to move on and continue his search …

So many more years passed, and for him who once was Eternal Youth, now found himself puzzled as he grew older and older … not yet feeble, mind you, just … ageing [as if the Land which once sustained him, now refused but the most basic sustenance]

And now, today, he finds himself once again in the valley where he first met ‘the others’ … and tears sprang to his elderly eyes, for before him no longer lay the beautiful valley, filled with pure streams and bountiful trees … no, now there were only crude buildings, sterile walls guarded by hard men with weapons, and even animals who once roamed free were now incarcerated in dirty pens, simply kept for slaughter …With tears streaming down his wrinkled face he moved forth, still yearning in his innocence to he talk sense to them, to show them Union, to teach them the Way of the Land …

And so he was brought in to stand before their ‘King’ – a fat man gorging himself with flesh, already half drunk with rotting fermented juices and surrounded by toady sycophants: “Have you come back to admire my kingdom, old man … or to steal the jewels you forgot behind … This is MY land now … I own it, body and soul …  I am King –  not you anymore … I am the one who claimed it, and now hold it with fist and claw   …”

With each sentence his words grew louder and louder, his whole being shaking with suppressed anger, his body bloated with infected power, his eyes bloody with near madness, spittle foaming at the mouth and his jowls all aflutter …  …  …  And when Man saw this he knew he was too late, too late to change what had taken just a few lost years to corrupt and destroy … He now understood that there was only one thing left to do … to let them go, and fulfill the destiny which they had set in motion …For the last time he stared at the corruption that had once been a Living Land, and as he turned around he softly said: “I leave now, and let you embrace the world you’ve created”.

And so the Man who once was Pure Light turned away, and walked out into the greater world, the one that still survived beyond these tainted walls… and as he took his light with him, he became aware of thousands of Shadows emerging from every crack and cranny of the dying earth, all rushing to the hall of the foolish King…