In a land filled with people born blind from birth, all following one path and being guided by one man who claims to be the only one who could see.
They follow him for they were blind and could not see, not knowing what he is leading them to or if he indeed is the only one in the land that has sight.
They are the man’s blind sheep and the man is there shepherd, guiding them through a path they know nothing about.
One day however, a man, blind like the rest of the people in the land made his way to man guiding the people, finding through his loud and commanding voice and asked, “Excused me sir but where are we going?”.
“Why are you asking me such a question?” asked the man leading the people replied, shocked hear one of his followers questioning him.
“I’m just curious; I and the others have been walking down the path you’ve lead us through for many years now, most of us are old and many of us can’t be found and have stopped making sounds to indicate our location” said the man.
“With old age comes wisdom and being able to maintain silence is an admiral quality to have” said the man leading the people.
“Perhaps what you say is true but I have lived for so long now and I’m sure I’m old but I don’t feel wise and those that remain silent have not spoken for very long time. I seems as though they’ve ether left or disappeared completely” said the man.
“They haven’t left, they are still here, walking alongside us but you just can’t hear them because they reached a point in their lives were they no longer need to speak as they have said everything they’ve needed to say. It is a point in life where no words need to be spoken because they already have been” said the man leading the people.
“This point in life, tell me will everybody reach it one day” asked the man.“Yes, everyone, including you” said the man leading the.
"What about you?” asked the man?
The leader, not wanting to give a reply to the man’s question said, “You don’t need to worry about that. Just do what everybody else does, follow my voice and the path I’ve set for you all”.
The man, upon hearing what the leader said, felt unsatisfied with his answer and so decided to question the lead of the blind man even further.
“Where are we going and why must we follow you?” said the man.
“We are going to somewhere safe and you all must follow me because I am the only one who can see” said the leader.
“Aren’t we safe here?” asked the man.
“No we aren’t” said the leader.
“Why aren’t we?” asked the man.
“It’s because you all are blind and I’m the only one who has sight. I can see clearly across this land, dangers you all can neither comprehend nor perceive due to your lack of sight” said the leader.
“Oh, what kind of danger are there?” the man asked.
“You lack sight so you cannot know” said the leader.
“So tell me then, what kind of dangers are there that I lack the sight to see but you see oh so clearly” asked the man.
“Far behind us is a pit that never stops growing, it is slowly consume the land and everything on, it has no end and anything that falls in to it is doomed to fall for all of eternity. So to avoid falling in to the pit and be doomed for the rest of eternity forever fall but never reaching the ground, you all must follow me for I have the sight that you all lack” said the leader.
“So, we if we don’t follow you we could fall in to the pit?” asked the man.
“Yes” said the leader.
The man upon hearing the story became curious, wanting to know more about the pit, even though he lacked the sight to see it.
"Where is the pit?” asked the man.
“Why do you want to know?” asked the leader, surprised that the man wanted to know where the pit was.
“I’m just a little curious” said the man.“But you are blind, even if I tell you won’t be able to see” said the leader.
“Maybe not with my sightless eyes but if you describe it to me I might be able to see it with mind’s eye” sad the blind man.
The leader upon hearing what the man said just sighed, hoping that if he told the man what he wanted to here he would stop asking questions.
“The pit is lies in the opposite direction away from the path that I ‘m leading you all through” said the leader.
“What opposite direction?” asked the man as he was blind and unable to see or comprehend any path except the one the leader led them all through.
“The opposite direction is any path that I didn’t lead you through” said the leader.“So any path you didn’t lead us through is the path to the pit?” asked the man.
"Yes” said the leader.
“How so?” asked the man.
“Because I have sight and can see the correct path to follow” said the leader.
“What if you’re wrong and you’re actually leading through the wrong path?” asked the man.
“I’m not leading you all down the wrong path” said the leader.
“And how do you know that?” asked the blind man.
“Because I have sight to see what you that is blind cannot” said the leader.
"Okay, how can I know you are leading us through the right if I’m blind?” asked the blind man.
"You can’t but you don’t have to know because you are blind. Only I can know for certain” said the leader.
“Okay, if I can’t know and only you know why must I follow?” asked the blind man.
“Because you are blind and lack sight” said the leader.
“And?” asked the blind man, not satisfied with the leaders answer.
“That’s it, you're blind and so you must follow someone who have sight” said the leader.
“How do I know if somebody has sight if I myself am blind and even if the person has sight why must I follow, what if I follow and the person leads me down the wrong path?” asked the man.
The leader upon hearing all the man question could not think of a proper reply to give so he said, “Isn’t it better to follow someone who can see when you are blind than to walk alone through an uncertain path”.
The blind man after thinking about what the leader said sighed before saying, “I don’t know, I’ve never walked alone before but I know how could find out”.
“Really how?” asked the leader, wondering how the blind man meant when he said he knew how he could find out.“Be leaving and finding my own path to follow” said the man.
The leader, upon hearing what the blind man said couldn’t help but burst in to laugher.
“Don’t be a fool, you are blind how could you possibly find a path to follow?” asked the leader as he continued to laugh at the blind man and the idea of him possibly find a path for himself when he lack sight.
“By take one step after the other. My eyes may be broken but my feet work well enough for me to be able to move towards a path I chose, even though I can’t see it” said the blind man.
The leader upon hearing what the blind man said realized that he was actually serious when he spoke about following his own path.
“Don’t be a fool, you’re blind and thus have to fool someone who has sight, in other to avoid the many dangers of this world, dangers which yours fail to see” said the leader.
“I may not be able to see the dangers that are there but I can also not see the dangers that are not there. I cannot know for sure what is really out there because of my lack of sight” said the blind man.
“Precisely, you lack sight so you must follow someone who can see” said the leader.
"Says who?” asked the blind man.
The leader upon hearing what the blind man said remain silent for a few moments, not knowing what or how to reply the blind man’s question before, after thinking long and hard, coming up with an answer he believed was sufficient enough of an answer.
“Says the natural order of things, it only nature for those who lack admirable qualities just as sight to lead those who do not. You can’t roam these unknown lands on your own without my guidance” said the leader.
“How can I know that for sure if I don’t dare to walk on my own and follow the path I choose?” asked the blind man.
"If you dare to know, you risk facing death from the many dangers you lack the sight to see” said the leader.
“If I don’t I risk growing old and eventually succumbing to the eternal silence that has befallen so many of our companions” said the blind man.
The leader upon hearing what the blind man said just sighed, pondering what the blind man said before saying, “Isn’t a long life and the chance to reach were you no longer feel the urge to speak and simply follow better than a short life alone, out there in the lands you’re too blind to see”.
"I don’t know but I know how to find out” said the blind man.
“How?” asked the leader.
“By leaving and walking my path alone” said the blind man.
“But you can’t see and if you go out there in to the wilderness alone you will not survive” said the leader.
“Maybe what you say is true, maybe if I venture out in to the unknown with my blind eyes I’ll end falling in to a pit but I don’t I will never know they truly is a path besides the one you lead us through” said the blind man.
The leader upon hearing what the blind man said just sighed for saying, “Fine, walk your path alone but know that if you do you are fated to forever walk a path unknown to you, filled you lack the sight to perceive”.
The blind man then spoke with a bold and determined voice, “Then so be it. If that is my fate for chosen to walk alone I shall embrace it with my head held high. And even though I lack the eyes to see what path I follow, I shall still follow it to the very end”.
Those were the last and final words the leader heard come from the blind man’s mouth before he heard his footsteps, slowly but surely, moving away from the path he led.
The blind man was sure of where he going to and as he walked he couldn’t help but wonder if he was truly going to in a pit like the man who led the blind told him but still he continued to move on.
Despite the blind man’s fear of the dangers the existed which his lack of sight prevented him from perceiving, he still continued his journey, moving farther and farther away from the path of the leader he once followed.
Fudging onward, a path for himself and himself alone, a path filled with dangers he could not perceive but it was the path he chose to follow and he was determined to follow it still the very end.
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