“As he was about to climb yet another dune, his heart whispered, ‘Be aware of the place where you are brought to tears. That’s where I am, and that’s where your treasure is.’”
~ Paulo Coelho
According to an old Hindu legend, there was once a time when all human beings were Gods, but they so abused their divinity that Brahma, the chief God, decided to take it away from them and hide it in a place where it could never be found. In order to find the best spot, however, he needed to hold a council of the Gods to help him decide.
“Let’s bury it deep in the earth,” said the Gods.
Brahma answered, “No, that will not do, because humans will dig into the earth and find it.”
The Gods replied, “Okay, let’s sink it in the deepest ocean then.”
But Brahma said, “No, not there, for they will learn to dive, and they will find it.”
Then the gods said, “What about the highest mountain top, out in the farthest corner of the earth?”
But again Brahma replied, “No, that will not do either, because they will eventually climb every mountain, scale every peak, search every hidden cave and once again find and take up their divinity.”
The rest of the Gods were exasperated. They threw up their arms in surrender. “There is no place!” they hollered. “The humans will proliferate, and they will find it anywhere we put it.”
Brahma was quiet for a time. He thought long and deep. Finally, he looked up at the rest of the Gods, a knowing twinkle in his eye. “Here is what we shall do,” he said. “We will hide their divinity deep down in the one place they will surely never look – the very center of their own being.”
The rest of the Gods rejoiced. Of course! It was the perfect place! They all formally agreed on it, and the deed was done.
Ages passed, and since that time, humans have been on a desperate and unending search, travelling every corner of the planet, digging, diving, climbing, and exploring – searching for the one thing they know they’ve lost, and just can’t seem to find.
