Time to Tell a Story
The Earned Survives Sacrifice
Hello everyone and welcome back to Wednesday Balms.
The theme of the week is Story.
And the best way to showcase this theme is - - - to just tell a story.
For today, the “Sides” will function more like chapters as opposed to different essays and conversation.
Have a read and enjoy.
Today’s Lineup:
Experiment
Side A - Setting
Side B - People
Side C - Conflict
Side D - Lesson
Context
Experiment
Find someone you haven’t talked to in a while and just tell them a story.
And then after, have them tell you one.
Side A - Setting
In the middle of an endless ocean,
There was a particular island.
On this island, there was a vast forest.
Within that forest, there were special trees.
On those trees, there were branches that seemed to reach up and touch the sky.
Below the ground, there were roots so deep, they must have dug into the ocean floor.
Side B - People
Next to the forest, there was a town of people that called this island their home.
For generations and generations, those people carved all of their experiences, lessons, and history onto those special trees.
The bark hardened in such a way that the writing would remain for many years and multiple lifespans.
One family, was responsible for being the keepers of the forest.
It was their job to take care of the trees and to guide people that wanted answers from the forest.
One day, the father of the family brought his young son to the forest, to begin teaching him how to navigate the trees.
This tree knows medicine. Come here when someone’s sick.
That tree knows history. Go there when you are lost.
Those trees over there are still growing. But once their branches touch the sky, you can give them your stories.
The boy turned and saw an old stump in the middle of the forest. He asked his father, “what tree was there?”
That, we don’t know. At least, not anymore.
Side C - Conflict
Seasons changed. Years passed.
Eventually, the boy learned to navigate the forest on his own.
But over time, he grew dependent on it.
He was comfortable in the forest, where he could guide people to the right trees for the right answers. However, outside of the forest, he lacked the confidence and the certainty needed for helping others.
One day, his father disappeared.
He had gone up a mountain and never came back down. Everyone in the village worried about him and everyone wanted to help him. But no one knew how. If anyone would’ve known, it would’ve been the missing man.
They turned to the boy, who turned to the forest -
There, he found the trees that could help. One tree that knew the way up the mountain. Another tree that knew all kinds of healing techniques. He studied the trees as fast as he could and then he raced out of the woods.
As he fled the forest, initially armed with right information, the knowledge seemed to evaporate the farther he ran. By the time he was halfway up the mountain, he started to confuse himself.
Which way to turn? What was the right healing method? Where do I go now?
In fear of not being able to succeed, he decided to run back down to the forest.
Side D - Lesson
Time was running out.
It had been days since the father had gone missing.
In an act of desperation, the boy decided if he could not bring his father to the forest, he must bring the forest to his father.
Although his family’s duty was to tend to and take care of the trees, the boy decided to instead take care of his father.
With permission and help from the rest of the town, the boy cut down the trees that he knew would help.
The trees were no longer bound to the forest, but their immense weight made it impossible for one man, yet alone one boy, to carry.
Initially, the entire village helped him carry the trees up the mountain.
But soon, one by one, they grew tired and could not continue.
In reading the tree over and over again, the boy decided to cut away the parts that he felt weren’t necessary. Cutting away at the excess weight.
As less and less people helped, more and more of the tree had to be carved away.
Farther and farther they climbed up the mountain.
When the boy finally made it to the summit. He was all alone with only a few pieces of tree left.
There, he saw his father, laying on the ground. Injured, but still alive.
His father’s leg broken, bruised, and battered - unable to walk.
The boy, used the last pieces of the tree to “heal” his father.
One piece to use as splint for his father’s leg.
The other, to use as a crutch for him to walk down the hill with assistance.
And with that, the two returned home.
Context
Myka: So, when Kellen and I were first working on this project, we were trying to figure out the best way to convey some of the ideas and themes. My wheelhouse is in creative writing and story telling, so it was natural to create something fictional that could house the idea(-balms) we were working on.
However, due to a couple technical technological errors (my fault) we actually lost *ALL* of the writing we did on the Wisdom chapter.
One pertinent component of earning wisdom is sacrificing the unearned. For which, the first question is “how do you know the difference between the earned and the unearned?” Ultimately, “the earned” is just whatever’s left when you sacrifice everything. It is the material that cannot be destroyed.
And that was a lesson that was only truly felt and integrated by this experience. It is easy to give up things that you feel are unnecessary. However, when you lose more than you’re comfortable losing, that is truly a testament to the idea of sacrificing the unearned.
That said, the story featured is actually a variation of what we worked on.
The actual writing from back then is gone - which in many ways is really trippy in how it parallels the theme of the story and the theme of wisdom we were working on.
TBH you two are way beyond my comprehension! Yet I am compelled to read what you share. I feel I am a part of your worlds. I thoroughly enjoyed this story in particular! It was intriguing and warm. It reminding me of the classic book The GivingTree.