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Saturday, December 12, 2009

The Tale of Balaam's Ass

Once upon a time there was a body. The body had what all bodies have: a Head, arms, hands, torso, legs, feet and various other body parts both seen and unseen. There was a time, however, when the different parts, except for the Head, didn’t know they belonged to the body. Neither did they know that the greatest part of all the parts was the Head.

Over a period of time, however, one by one, each part became aware that it was in fact connected to and directed by the Head, but, at the same time, each part still failed to see the other parts as equally important and equally connected to the Head. Each part, depending on the degree and disposition of its self-absorption (whether one said "woe is me" or "woe is you"), responded differently to the idea of belonging to the body. The foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," and the ear would say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body." These pusillanimous parts, in their feelings of inferiority and unimportance, envied the vain eyes and hands and saw no place for the pitiful and pathetic parts that they thought themselves to be. To make matters worse, the eye would say to the ear, "I don't need you!" and the hand would say to the foot, "I don't need you!" These puffed up parts only reinforced their own delusions of grandeur as well as the delusions of degradation that the other parts felt.

In the midst of all this, the puffed up parts began to suggest ways to promote their prominence within the body. One suggestion was to cut off those parts that they thought were demeaning to the body at large. Another suggestion was to try to make all the lesser parts imitate all the greater parts. Both suggestions brought the body to the brink death in a macabre fashion. Whether each part saw itself as the best or the least of all the parts didn't help the body as a whole in the end.

Healing, however, began within the body when it began to realize the importance of each and every member, no matter how lofty or lowly. And this realization came when the lowliest of the lows, the bottommost of the bottoms, i.e., the sphincter muscle, heard and obeyed a commandment from the Head: "Hold thy peace." And so the sphincter held its peace and said not a word. Now as the lowly sphincter held its peace, the rest of the body began to shake and shudder with a cold sweat and spasms of searing pain.

"Woe is me!" cried the hand as it trembled uncontrollably.

"I am done for!" cried the knee as it began to buckle and bend."

“Help me, Lord! Help me, Lord!” wailed the eye as its ducts filled with bitter tears.

“I can’t take it anymore!” shouted the foot as it hopped up and down.

All the stomach could say was "Arrghhhhhhhhhhh!"

No part of the body was spared the paroxysm of torment and agony that resulted from the lowly sphincter’s simple obedience.

Just as the body was near collapse the Head spoke before the presence of all:

"Lowly sphincter release thy peace!"

In response to the command the lowly sphincter let loose its burden and the entire body let out a unified sigh of relief.

"Well done, lowly sphincter, you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things, but first things first," said the Head in a calm yet commanding voice.

"Woe unto you, parts and members of my body! Who told you that the way to live was to see your part as the whole? Who told you that the way to unity was to eradicate diversity? Who told you that some parts are more important than other parts? That some parts are exceptional while others are expendable? That certain parts must take upon themselves duties reserved for other parts? Am I not the Head of the body? Do I not see how each part connects with the whole? Is not unity found when each part is connected to me and to each other? Do not all suffer when one part suffers? Should not all rejoice when one part rejoices? And above all things, do you not see that love is what keeps the body alive and healthy? That love is what allows each part to see the preciousness of the other parts?"

And so the Head and its body began to experience a deepening of both love and unity as each part began to contribute itself to the health and welfare of the whole. And even until this day, from the Head the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

And the lowly sphincter waits and wonders in eager expectation for the glorious day when it will become a ruler over many things. But until then it must needs be content to be…

The End.

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