Where I come from - a story - [de] [es] [eo] [fr] [it]

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Where I come from - a story

In a small country there lived a wise man and in another much bigger country there lived a wise woman. Although they lived apart they had the magical power to communicate with one another from the bottom of their hearts.. The man had a special kind of knowledge, something you can’t learn at school, a kind of basic knowledge for living. They knew where they came from and where they were going to and, above all, why they were living on this planet earth.

Jan and Janina lived in the same small country as the wise man. They were very fond of each other, indeed they loved one another very much. They often said how wonderful it was that they had got to know one another. “But where does our love come from, where does life come from and all the beautiful things around us?” they asked themselves

They asked people far and wide for an answer to their question but nobody could give them a satisfactory answer. “We don’t know either. But why do you want to know this so exactly. Just live as you are!” But Jan and Janina were very sad about this answer. They excused their friends by saying that they were probably too young and so not interested in such things. So there was still a yearning for an answer to their questions which grew and grew.

This yearning reached the wise man and he decided to help them. Then the wise man lived, not by chance but due to a wise ruling, near to the young couple. One day the man decided to go for a walk. After a while he sat down, took out his bread and something to drink and refreshed and fortified himself.

At the same time Jan and Janina, who loved one another and so much wanted to find out more about their life and the world they lived in, set out for their morning walk. After a while they came to the place where the wise man was sitting and having a short nap. They didn’t want to disturb him and had just decided to walk on when the man opened his eyes, blinked, smiled at them and, with a gesture, invited them to sit down.

“You’re not disturbing me,” he said, “on the contrary I have been waiting for you.” The couple were astounded to hear this. But they trusted this friendly man and sat down beside him. They unpacked their sandwiches and ate in silence. Then Janina opened a bottle of Coca-Cola , which they drank. “Well,” said the man, who had been watching them without saying a word, “that’s not exactly the healthiest drink.” “You’re right,” answered the young woman, “but one doesn’t always eat and drink the healthiest things.” And she sighed a little.

The wise man was, however, already fond of the couple and was happy that they were sitting next to him.

He looked at them full of love and yet at the same time his thoughts turned to past times which now awoke to new life. As he spoke these thoughts grew with an unaccustomed and refreshing clarity and vivacity

“Yes,” he said,” you’ve probably been wondering about what I have just said. I heard of your yearning for an answer to your questions and so I made my way here and waited for you. You want to know about life, your love and the world around you. I want to tell you about these things in a story - that makes explaining easier.”

“A long time ago a great number of men and women lived in a boundless and beautiful world. The people had everything they could wish for. They were happy – but not as you would think, that they just lived for the moment. They had the desire to make their world more beautiful and more varied. As a result, new worlds evolved that were more beautiful than the ones before.

One day a couple said, “We want to have children and give them one of these worlds. They should be happy, like we are, and should make their world as beautiful as we have done.”

And so this happened

They had children and they gave them this world. The sons and daughters were happy and were pleased with their gift and, full of joy, they told their parents about their achievements and successes. They were delighted and spread out all over their world. As they became stronger and got to know and understand more about the secrets of their world, they also became aware of their power. That took a very, very long ‘time’ – unimaginable for you.

These people were also creative and keen to try out new ideas. They had the same talent as their parents and were pleased to make new worlds. Then, one day, they decided to build a new world. Full of zest they created the world in which you live:

Light and dark became day and night

High and low became mountain and valley

Hot and cold became fire and ice

Dry and wet became earth and ocean

Plants and birds, animals and fish

Man and woman.

They looked at your earth and found it

beautiful, strong and healthy ”

For a while there was a silence
between the wise man and the two young people.

Then the wise man broke the silence and said,” I have just shown you in very large steps where you come from. Now you know where your world, your life and your love come from.”
The couple had listened to the man attentively and with growing surprise. A sigh of relief went through their whole bodies – a calmness spread throughout their being – like after a storm. “Thank you for these unexpected and novel findings.
We shall have to assimilate this first” they said, and added a little reluctantly
“Can we communicate with these people?”

“But of course, answered the wise man thoughtfully, “every person has his own spirit. With it you can perceive what goes on in and around you. And with this power you can reach these beings. The question isn’t if they speak to you, but

rather if you hear ‘them’ and take notice of them. Where do I have my knowledge, do you think? If you want to we can talk about all these things another time.” – “If you have time for us again, we would appreciate it,” they said.

What we have talked about today is just the beginning,” said the wise man. He smiled at Jan and Janina and watched them until they turned a corner and disappeared from sight.

Then he stood up and was somewhat relieved. For the first time he had explained the beginnings of this world to people of this ‘time’.

And deep in his heart he felt the smile of the wise woman with whom he shared such a deep bond, even though he lived in the small country and she in the bigger one so far away…

Text and Fotos from Albert Jäger

Pictures courtesy of Arne Jäger.
The foto crépuscule de Daniela

Translation courtesy of Vicki Herrmann

2008