The Echoes of Life.

I walked in the heavy rain with low lying clouds this created a lovely light and atmosphere. Away in the distance, I could hear the roar of the stags performing their rutting chorus. It was coming from behind me yet echoing up the glen I was scaling. A marvellous ethereal sound.

This made me think of the tale of the blacksmith, my father in law was such a blacksmith. 

There once lived a very skilled blacksmith in ancient Rome. His name and fame had spread to far-off nations. His creations began to be desired because of the quality of workmanship. He became so well known that his crafts sold far and wide.

One day, Rome was suddenly invaded. The invaders demolished Rome, and captured the top hundred citizens. Amongst the top hundred citizens, the blacksmith was considered one of value. 

All of them were handcuffed and chained and were taken and left on a faraway hill to die or await their execution. Among the 100 prisoners, 99 were crying. Only the blacksmith seemed to be calm and composed. He knew that the moment the soldiers abandon him in the hill, he would easily unlock the handcuff and the chains. He had that skill. 

So, the moment the soldiers left the first thing he did was to look at the handcuffs and chains that imprisoned him. He was shocked with what he saw. 

With his handcuffed hands he started beating his chest and began to wail in remorse. What did he see in the handcuff and the chains? A very strange thing which he had never imagined he would ever see in his Life! 

He had a habit to emboss his signature on whatever he created. And that is what he saw on those chains and handcuffs, his own signature. They were his creations, which had been sold in some far-off marketplace, and eventually had come back to him through the invaders. 

Now, for the first time, he became nervous. He knew it was impossible for him to unlock himself because he had never created anything weak. He was well acquainted with his creations. He had always designed and created the strongest and the best objects. Obviously, he had never imagined or dreamt that the handcuffs and the chains he had created, would one day imprison him. 

The sage teaches us the moral of this story thus: “No man ever foresees the fact that the chain and handcuffs he has been creating, will be the very chain and handcuffs of which he’ll be ultimately held captive. 

No man ever dreams that that the cobwebs he has been weaving are the very webs that he will eventually get entangled in, in his Life.”

One way or the other. 

If you are kind to people. Kindness pervades your Life. 

You let someone down. And someone lets you down in return. 

You touch a Life with love, compassion and care. And people touch your Life the same way.

Like the echo what you send out comes back to you. What you give is what you get. 

Have a marvellous day.