Allegories

I very much value the allegory as a method of instruction. I have come to value them due to the types of books I have read (and read) that use allegory. I have two very clear topics in mind for this post, the periods of rest in one's life and those of action.

Shakespeare's Hamlet shows the consequences of both of these topics in gory detail. Hamlet's father's ghost comes to him and tells him to avenge his death and Hamlet spends the rest of the play not doing much about it. We see the consequences of Hamlet's inaction quite clearly when there are more dead people than living left in the Danish court by the end of the play (unintended consequence is another post for all you Ophelia fans out there).

Hamlet has enjoyed the privileges of his royal life and the chance for inaction that comes from those privileges. Now comes the time for action and we the audience must decide if Hamlet is to be blamed for just standing there talking to himself. I'm not sure what I would do if my father's ghost came to me and said "Hey! Your uncle killed me while I was taking a nap, take care of that for me." Most know the anguish of having to get over the initial shock of big news and having to then take action. Some say that inaction is a kind of action as it demonstrates the more important fact that you made a choice, thus overcoming indecision.

It is all to easy to say "I didn't ask for this you know!" and any fair minded person will agree with you when that is the case. History is full of examples of undue hardship (various genocides, plagues, etc.) where people are expected to not just survive, but overcome. The best thing to say to someone who faces sudden adversity is to remind him that indecision is never an option.

So then in life we have the times spent in the green valleys, the garden shades. We must learn to see these times for what they are, a chance to refresh and restore what was taken away by the journey to get there. The other periods are spent in the high places with rocks, snow, wind, and cold. These high places also afford a look around at where you have been and (sometimes) where you are going. We may become battered and bruised while in the high places, but we are still there.

Alright, enough of that for now.

This sermon brought to you by my love of reading and by a little verse in the book of Habakkuk.