Chasing the Wind: Chapter One Excerpt

The day started like any other day. I got up and performed my morning activities, did my work and came home. As was my routine, I sat in my chair and reflected on the things of the day and what I would do tomorrow. As I sat on my chair, I started to wonder about the meaning of life. This thought came all of a sudden and I don’t know what brought this question into my mind? Perhaps it was because of the routine of my life and how monotonous it seemed. Or maybe some outside force put it into my mind. Then again, this could be just all a coincidence. The answer to this question was far from my learning. So I asked around my village to see if they knew. Unfortunately, from the merchant to the village elder, the answer to this question was not known to them. However one of them, a traveling merchant, told me of a wise king who lived in the great city which was many days journey from here and that he might have the answer. So I gathered some supplies which consisted of some blankets, material to make fire, and my tent. I then went to the market and purchased some food; mostly bread and a side of beef. I placed all these things in my bag and placed the bag unto my back. I said my goodbyes to my friends and family and set off on my pilgrimage.
The road was rough and dusty since my village was in the outskirts of the country. It was also very flat which made my journey easy. Sadly, there were no people on the road so eventually I got really lonely. To pass the time, I started pondering on the things of life that were in my heart. I also thought about the wise king and all the wisdom he might share with me and I hoped that he would answer my question about the meaning of life.
My thoughts wandered on these things as I crossed the river bridge at the edge of the county. For some reason, I felt compelled to stop in the middle of the bridge and looked at the river that was before me. The river was blue and rushing fast under the bridge I was on. It originates from a large lake nestled in a mountain range in the east. This lake is fed by rains during the winter months. I followed with my eyes the river’s path from the mountains all the way to the distant ocean in the west. Then I realized something; the river feeds into the sea and the yet the sea is never full. How could this be, I thought to myself? It didn’t make sense to me because whenever I filled a cup with water all the way to the top and add more to it, the cup would spill over and yet the sea does not overflow.
As I thought about these things, a strong east wind hit against my body causing me to cover up in the cloak I was wearing. I decided that this was a good time to keep going, so I crossed the bridge and continued on the road with the wind blowing against me. As I traveled on, the wind changed course from east to west; I adjusted myself to face this change of the wind. As time went on, the wind changed directions again blowing north and then south. This made my traveling cumbersome especially when I came upon a large hill that I had to go up. The wind blew and blew as I hiked up the hill; it made it twice as hard to reach the top. I also had to adjust myself every time or else my cloak would blow away. After a long toil against the wind, I reached the top and started going down the hill. Then, just as sudden as it came, the winds died down and it was calm. I continued walking and my thoughts considered the wind. It was always changing and it was beyond my control. I always thought that people have the ability to control their destiny and yet people can’t control where the wind blows. At the same time, the winds will always remain even when I am gone.
This thought made me stop a moment and brought me back to my thoughts about the river under the bridge. No matter what, the river will continue to flow from the mountain lake to the sea and man can’t do anything to stop it. Of course people could try to dam it or redirect the river but that will never stop the river’s journey to the sea for eventually, these things of man to control the river will break down and give way to the river’s power. In the same way, we may grow crops or build cities; but when a strong wind comes upon both, they too will eventually be wiped out by the winds. This gave me an unsettling stir in my heart.
As I continued on my journey; I looked to my right and saw a bustling town off the roadside. I could tell there was a lot activity. There was a trail leading from the town to the road and I saw people going to and fro on this trail. From the town I could hear the sounds of people talking, shouting, and even laughing. Who knows what each person did. They could be merchants, farmers, artisans, or even travelers like I was. The town was alive and inviting and I couldn’t help but smile at what I saw. For this city showed what people can do with the environment around them. For to make town they had to clear away all the trees and animals; build the city foundations; and bring people from all over to make it alive. As these thoughts of human mastery over nature overwhelmed me, I looked to my left and saw an abandoned town. It appeared that it had been deserted for a long time for even from this distance I could see trees growing out of houses, grass growing all over, and animals roaming about the area. There were no sounds to be heard; just the sound of the wind blowing through the empty buildings. After surveying the dead town, I was filled with sadness and moved on. For it occurred to me that the lively town that was on my right side would also eventually become dead like the abandoned town and be taken over by the land. So it didn’t matter what man was able to accomplish, for it will eventually fade away and be blown away by the wind.
These thoughts bothered me so much that I struggled to put them from my mind and thought of other things and set off on my trek. I left my village before the sun rose so that I would not get too tired from heat. I stayed in some shade in mid day and ate some food from my supplies; afterward, when the heat lessened, I pressed on. Eventually, the sun began to fall and I began to set up camp off the road in a ditch. I built my fire, cooked my food and set up tent for the night. Once everything was in order, I sat down and watched the sun set. As the sun fell, my thoughts from earlier began to plague me again. For like the river and the wind, the sun has a cycle to go through. It cycles from rising to setting every day and there is nothing that people can do to stop it. It startled me at that moment to realize that if I was to die tomorrow, the sun would continue on its course paying me no mind just as it rose and set over the dead town that I walked by today.
This made me feel very small and insignificant. I had always thought that my life had some meaning; but after seeing the things of nature and realizing that man can’t master it, it seems that my life is as meaningless as chasing after the wind. I shook these thoughts from me and thought about the wise king that I would soon meet. He will surely give me the answers I so desire; my mind was at peace thinking on this, so I lied down in my tent and went to bed.

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