I've considered putting this in Implorations... then, I guess it does fit here.

-------

Watching the man from a distance, Glenn gathered his thoughts and focused carefully on his assumed future actions. The 'How to'. The 'What must's. The 'What if's.

Stealing another glance at his prey, he took a final glup of 'normal' air and approached the person. The man had finally accomplished his painstaking counting of the donation money and was clocking in numerical values in a piece of crumpled paper. The money was for the Singapore Cancer Society. Just another one of the organisations that he helped out at.

"Hello, could I have a few minutes of your time?"

Glenn cautioned himself and studied the signals of the man, he seemed friendly enough. He painted a very sincere smile and showed full attention to Glenn's simple statement.

"I was just wondering if you have seen this book before?"

Glenn whipped out the Four Spiritual Laws booklet which saw an immediate change of the man's expression. The latter nodded and replied, "My name is Paul." Oh yeah, forgot to introduce myself. Damn. "I've heard that story before... and yeah, I guess you do still want to tell me more, don't you?"

"Um... yes." Glenn thought quickly and responded, "So, you have heard about the whole thing before? About Sin? About..."

"Jesus. The Cross. The Sacrifice. God's Grace. His love. All that, yeah I have. Many times too. You Christians are some lot of a efficient bunch," looking directly at Glenn, Paul pointed towards the empty bench across the table, "Sit."

"Okay..." Glenn crossed the bench and settled himself uncomfortably onto its cold texture. He fingered his bag pocket, prepared to whip out a retort after figuring out the main problem.

"What's stopping me from accepting the load, right?" Paul said, while stacking up the donation bags and piling them neatly by the crumpled paper.

Glenn looked uneasily towards Paul and nodded, "Um... yeah. What exactly.."

"Heh. Always the same pattern."

Glenn felt speechless. Tentatively, he massaged the pocket of his bag.

"I got my reasons. I can open a university with the crapload, and even fit the concepts into modules that cluster themsevles by their own faculties. But for today... I'll give you a special preview on probaly the most highly discussed, importantly contrevisal matter of - Suffering."

Glenn begun to rummage for the "10 Ways to understand why God allows Suffering" Brochure, when Paul shook his head, amused.

"I've seen that. Pretty logical and somewhat satisfactory. But theres the loops everywhere, and you dogmos yourself know it."

Glenn bit his lower lip and begun, "Yes... I know theres so much in life we cannot control... many things that can threaten to drown us if we aren't careful.. Suffering is one. But that in itself can't measure up to his sacrifice..."

"Un-huh?"

"I mean... we can't question him... we cannot..."

"I think. You don't understand."

"Wha-what?"

"You don't understand. Your young. Your unexposed. You have no idea about the true realities of the world... you don't know what the heck suffering is."

"I... its.."

"Let me just tell you about one incident. Boy abducted by thugs, taken to other country. Legs chopped off. Made to beg for thugs. Thugs take away his money. Give him megre wages. Repeat. Thats his life."

Glenn recoiled his arugement and sat back slowly.

"Its worse if your a girl. You know what they do. They can do a lot of things. And in the finality of all these is that they get her to be pregnant, and they have the baby grow up... into slavehood."

Glenn felt speechless.

Paul continued, "And the thugs themselves enjoy finery. They take the good stuff and live their lives as rich assholes that have no woe. No pain. No lessons..... and your telling me, that both of them. Both of them. Go to hell ?"
"Thats only one instance, lad. One small example to show you have fair the world really is. How much justice really is allowed in the world. I've heard many things about your faith. Many, many things. I respect it, its good enough to be respected. But sometimes... you people aren't what I would call life-changers."

Glenn made eye contact with Paul and then broke away in an instance.

"I am sincere... and serious. Well, I guess you couldn't like go to a government to appeal for a bit of changes... or whatsoever.." Paul chuckled and said, "You guys. Some of you are pacifisits. Some of you are are hardcore followers. Some of you try to be sword wielding apologists. Some of you try to defend the faith at every angle. To find a reason to back up any factor. I've read those stuff... the Scientist and the student who stood up with faith. The mountain climber and how he did not let go... the footprints on the sand story... I've seen assholes who say that they can't stand this world and want to be taken away, in some End Times speculative matters that is in internal conflict within your faction. I've seen idiots who claim they are not of this world. That they have a burden to hold. That they would be persecuted."

Glenn shifted uneasily and gripped onto his Bible tightly.

"In all this - I see selfishness. I see ego. I see arrogance. I see.... ignorance."

Paul picked up his donation bags and folded the crumpled paper, putting it into his shirt pocket. He took a final glup of his Coke and said, "You say, we are blinded from the truth? Because you see the light. I tell you, think about this: You yourself are blinded from the truth as well."

With that, Paul turned around and headed back towards the Singapore Cancer Society. Ready to go for his new part time job that he had taken up in order to pay for his mother's hospital fees.

And Glenn sighed deeply. Upon reciving an SMS from his friend to go play basketball, he picked up his Bible, zipped his bag pocket and headed towards the Community Centre.

Three minutes later, the lightings came crashing down onto that very same table which Paul and Glenn had talked.

Five people died.

--------

Truth.
Its a powerful word, a substance that is fortified by so many structures and powerhouses. Percieved in so many lights and degrees.

"the truth shall make you free"

And being free... what does that imply? To take the analogy directly... a bird being free is not shielded anymore. It needs to hunt for its own food. It needs to find its own shelter.
But should it be taken in that sense?

"Ignorance is bliss."

And bliss does not mean happiness. Nor is it completeness or wholesome fufilment. Its just what it is... bliss.


I didn't give a happy ending to the story. Because, maybe one has to realise that there are no such things as happy endings. Everything seems to suggest so.

Its life we're talking about here...

---

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