The Master, growing weary of the crowds pressing him, relays a parable in hopes of loosening their devotion. He speaks of creatures living on a riverbed, among the rocks and debris for generations. It's all they know, it's everything they've ever done. One creature reveals that he can no longer bear such an enslaved life. He plans to let go, to trust the river, and take his chances. The chorus against him is loud, but he knows what he must do. "Clinging, I shall die of boredom. I shall let go, and allow the current to take me where it may."
After being bounced and bruised, he floats downriver on his journey. River dwellers who see him from below proclaim him Savior: "see him fly, no one has ever flown!" Despite his reassurance that they too can swim free, they regale his glory above all others. Unreal, he thinks. Don't they see, they're just like me?
One of the lessons Richard learns from Shimoda in Illusions is that we are all masters of our own fate. That the one thing God wants for us is to be happy. He doesn't want us to sit back and let someone else live our lives for us. We must seek out things that give us joy, people that make us laugh. We aren't solitary creatures, we need like minds, like hearts.
Sometimes, if things get quiet, I can hear my heart call out. It wants companionship. It needs friendship. It craves interaction. We need other people. To expand our knowledge, to fulfill our dreams. To complete... ourselves. Without that community we surround ourselves with, we become stagnant. Complacent. Yes, bored.
No one is coming to fix your life. No white knight will ride in to save you. Nobody has a magic wand. It's up to you to make a difference. Unless you're happy with the boredom, you'll have to be the one to step up. You need to learn to let go of the things that made you feel safe. Allow yourself to live. Personal responsibility, remember?
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