Post by Thomas Uriel Bates on Jun 13, 2017 13:57:03 GMT -6
The Second Saga of Thomas Uriel Bates
Part III: Happiness
Part III: Happiness
What is the meaning of life? This is one of the most important questions in all of human history. Why are we here? What is our purpose? What is our meaning? Philosophers have pondered this meaning for millennia, scientists have sought the answers in the heavens, and everyone at one point asks themselves the very question. They have continued to search for the answer, and yet they actually discovered this answer around twenty-four hundred years ago with The Philosopher and his students. The answer to the riddle is quite simple. The answer is happiness.
Happiness is not some random occurrence which brings a smile to our face. It is not the fleeting moment of a lover’s embrace. It is not wealth, it is not fame. It is not witnessing your child’s first smile, or their first bicycle ride, their graduation, or their first child. It is none of these things, and yet it is all of these things. Happiness is only achieved at the end, when we know that our life had meaning. This is true happiness.
Did you seek and achieve wisdom? Did you discover moral reality, and make use of this knowledge in your daily affairs? Were you rational? Did you follow logic? Did you learn from your own mistakes, as well as the mistakes of others? It is not simple enough that you know these things, you must have used them well in your life. Wisdom is not knowledge, but rather the application of that knowledge.
Were you courageous? Did you set a code for yourself, and do everything in your power to keep it, even against all odds? Did you stand up for the weak, protect the innocent, and fight the good fight even if you stood by yourself? A true warrior can stand alone on the battlefield, moments from being engulfed by his foes, and smile with the knowledge that this is happiness.
Did you practice moderation? The human body and spirit desires many things, yet these desires are like poison. It is not necessarily bad to drink alcohol, but it is a sin to be a drunkard. It is not wrong to desire food, but it is a sin to be gluttonous. If the thing you desire is at the cost of your character, then you will never achieve happiness.
Were you a Just man? Were you guided by your morality, and live your life a righteous man? Did you seek justice rather than vengeance? Did you serve the people rather than demand obedience? Did you commit to your duty, or did you seek the fame of glory? Did you love rather than lust? A Righteous man does nothing for himself, but spends his life in the service of others.
It is through these virtues that we achieve happiness. It is the completion of these goals in which we may take comfort in. If we have lived a virtuous life, then when we lay our weary head in the warm embrace of death, we may take comfort in our happiness.
For a man such as Thomas Uriel Bates, his pursuit of happiness has brought him back to the wrestling ring. Though under contract, he bought tickets and watched the show from the crowd. He found satisfaction with being near the ring again. He found comfort in the arena. It was his hope, that by continuing this career, he would find happiness.
Now, nearly alone, save for the break down crew, the massive figure of our protagonist stands from his chair. With one foot in front of the other, he begins his slow march towards his destination. Step by step he approaches that old and abused ring. The smell of blood, sweat, tears, and other bodily functions too vulgar to expose to our dear reader, grows stronger with every step. The familiar smell of hard work, determination, and sacrifice.
He stops briefly at the center of the ring, and stares down at a drop of fresh blood. The crimson pool reflects his own image staring back at him. An image all too familiar with our giant. He knows the sacrifice required at this alter. He has paid it, but this sacrifice is not due only once, it is continuous. He will make this sacrifice again.
He raises his massive hand, reaching the top rope, and grabs hold. The nylon wrapped rope compresses in his hands as he tightens his grip. He pulls down, stretching the rope to its limits, and pulls himself to the apron. Now elevated to his stage once more, he gives pause yet again. His fingers gently run over the ropes, caressing it as if it were a lover. Once more, he pulls down, and lifts his leg over, breaching the plane, and fully taking entrance upon his stage.
His ears hear the chanting of the crowd, their cheers, and their jeers. He listens to the sound on the wind, blowing through the nearly empty arena, and embraces the images harking back to a time where he last stood on this grand stage. He listens in the silence, and he hears their call. It pulls him back in, and carries him to a state of joy.
A smile breaks upon his face as he stretches out his arms and roars loudly. The sound echoes through the arena, bouncing off the walls, and returning tenfold. The workers, few in number now, turn and watch as the lion proclaims his territory. A towering lion in the ring, excited once more for the future, and no longer burdened by the turmoil of the past.
For the first time in many months, his lips open, and sound emits from his own mouth. Like honey is his accent, though the words are too few to satisfy our hunger. Music in our ears for only a brief moment. Lyrics floating in the air if only for a second. To the author, his three words speak volumes. It is a novel worthy of publication. It is a tale to be told, a story to share. The heavy words which escapes his lips;
“I am home.”