The Surface & Beyond
To judge the whole solely by the surface is like judging the boundless universe by the appearance of the clouds. If the trees in the forest are shaken by the breath of the tempest, the universe remains calm, fixed, and unaffected,
The surface is merely a threshold to the whole, being mysterious and true. The door is open to all who wish to enter the house that lies beyond the surface. If someone stammers in speech but his soul shines like that of an angel; clear, pure, and serene, should not judgment be multi-dimensional and considered not only the surface but its being as a whole?
Who is worthy to be deemed judgmental? Who is empathetic enough to feel the breath of truth and the pain of the untruth? Who can see the transpiration of the heart? If the words are eloquent and precise, but the soul dwells in the valley of the wicked, let it wander aimlessly through the forest – alone, naked, and ineffective. But if the words are kind and eloquent and the soul is a mirror of them, let it sing to your heart and exalt your spirit. Let the song to you be your baptism.
If the surface is a stranger unto your face, do not let your biased judgment of the whole outweigh your insight and compassion. They are the hands that open the windows to the soul; whereas physiognomy fastens the doors and longs to be the gatekeeper to the threshold of wisdom, that unreachable island, reserved for the seekers of truth.
The road ahead is not easy to traverse, but the end is a knowledge of the whole that will take you to that island. It will set you free and place you near the throne of the almighty where you will become a shadow of his shadow. You can see how the achievers of truth acquired the capacity to judge, and you can imagine yourself looking at all sides, in and out of every mountain, every rock, every mind, and all the beyond behind the surface. Your quest for the truth would be completed.
