The Mirror
After all these years of faith and contemplation, I summarize my experience in this dramatic short story:
In the labyrinth of life, I wandered like any human being, driven by curiosity to seek a god whose existence I had only heard of. My determination pushed me to search for signs, to follow clues, and to meet people who helped me on my journey.
During my quest, I found myself among a group of seekers who shared the same goal, standing before a grand palace surrounded by a magnificent garden, its beauty so breathtaking that it stole the very breath from my lungs. I approached its guards to inquire about the palace’s occupant, and they answered with unwavering certainty:
“The Lord and His servants.”
I was told that only a select few could enter. With a burning desire to be one of His chosen servants, I prayed, pleaded, studied, and devoted myself—until, at last, the gates opened before me, and I stepped inside with others who had been granted passage.
From there, I followed the paths revealed to me, moving forward until I reached a majestic door, so awe-inspiring in its design that I fell to my knees in reverence.
I asked, “Where is the Lord? How can I meet Him?”
The guard replied:
“To cross this threshold, you must become one of the Lord’s closest servants.”
And so, I strove even harder; I deepened my studies, intensified my meditations, and increased my prayers, all in an effort to draw nearer to Him.
Then, the day came when I was permitted, along with a select few, to join the ranks of His greatest servants.
The first veil was lifted, revealing a radiance so overwhelming that my eyes shut involuntarily, blinded by its brilliance.
When I opened them again, I saw that some had moved forward toward the second veil, while others remained where they were, content with the first revelation.
How desperately I wished to continue alongside those who pressed on! But I was weak—overcome by the blinding light that prevented me from advancing further.
There, I remained in deep meditation and prayer until my eyes adjusted to the overwhelming brilliance. Finally, I resumed my journey, advancing through stage after stage until only two of us remained, standing before the final veil—the last barrier between us and the presence of the Lord.
And then, the last veil was lifted…
In that moment, we collapsed in awe, overwhelmed by the sheer splendor before us.
For countless years, I had tried to grasp the nature of this boundless radiance—something beyond anything I had ever known.
Then came the moment when my own soul urged me to raise my head and gaze directly upon His face.
And when I did, I was struck by a profound shock… for I recognized those features.
I looked closer…
And closer…
Yet, my companions remained prostrate, lost in their reverence.
In a moment of perfect clarity, all the paths I had followed, all the steps I had taken to reach this place, were revealed before me. I saw with absolute certainty every experience I had lived—the daily lives of human beings, the stars, the sky, the oceans, the earth…
All of nature in its endless transformations, everything that exists in this world… was displayed before me.
I stepped forward, closer still… and realized that I was standing before a mirror, reflecting everything it saw.
Ah… Ah…!
The height of my astonishment and disbelief!
Was this the Lord? Just a mirror reflecting reality? Just an echo of what we experience?
Overcome by disillusionment and frustration, I clenched my fist with all my strength and shattered the mirror with a single blow.
Then, I took a step forward, searching beyond the illusion, leaving behind those who remained trapped in their blindness.
Returning to Reality
Regretfully, I found myself back among the people, in the streets of the life I had once departed from.
Shaken, I absorbed my shock and stood up—only to discover the world around me for the first time as it truly was.
The very life I had neglected, dismissed, and overlooked had been there all along, waiting for me to recognize it.
I realized that God exists only as a memory in people’s minds, a mere idea created by the human intellect… and not the other way around.
Yes, I had wasted half my life as a servant.
But fortunately, I still had the other half—to live as my own master.
