A wish granted - a parable

tonterias · Eligible to vote! Joined: 18 Jan 2005 Posts: 10 Gender:

ONce there was a physician who lived in a far away place.
He dreamed of fame and fortune like so many others.
What he craved for was recognition for having accomplished
something good.
That which would benefit the lives of others and which would put
make his name a household word like Pasteur, Salk, Barnaard,Harvey
or someone else in the same category.
Perhaps he will discover a great cure or a wonder drug that would alleviate
the sufferings of thousands and earn him the respect of fellow physicians
the world over.
He would be granted the Nobel prize for medicine and have his name entered
in the great hall of fame.

So one day by chance he heard mention of a sorcerer who by the aid of spirits
known as the djinn, could grant any wish known to man.
BUt there was a price always to be paid for this and it wasn't just the fee in money
paid to the sorcerer, but something else.
What this price could be can be anyone's guess.
It could be a small or a large price depending on what one's opinions or values are.
He heard various rumors of what this price could be and not all of them could agree
on what it is exactly.
For the price was usually different for each individual depending on what they wanted.

Still however that did not completely discourage him from giving this matter some
thought.
Even though a part of him was fearful of considering this option.
However after awhile his dreams of fame and fortune became an obsession too
much to ignore and so he went to visit the sorcerer.
He lived on the outskirts of town in a rather shabby area that seemed deserted.
His dwelling was an old decrepit place that had quite a bit of room inside.
The sorcerer invited him inside and asked his request.
When the physician told him the sorcerer looked at him without any emotion
and simply nodded affirmatively.
He told him to sit and wait while he went through his old dusty tomes.
He found the right spell in the right volume and motioned him over to the
center of the living room where on the floor was a large circle containing
rings within it.
There were also all sorts of strange names written within this circle.
Like Belial,Azazoth, Choronzon,Molech and others just as equally
meaningless.

The sorcerer told him to stay within the circle at all times
while he summoned forth one of the devils or djinn.
So within the circle they both stood while he the sorcerer mumbled his
arcane gibberish.
Pretty soon a wind blew in from somewhere bringing with it a noticeable
chill.
Then the room went black with darkness despite the fact that it was mid-
afternoon.
For a few moments there was not a sound and then in the darkness there appeared
a shape of glowing light that materialized like a wisp of smoke.
It quivered like a flame and then took shape as a bent human like figure.
It had a human like face with a goatee and dark piercing eyes while it's skin was
a glowing phosphorecent green.
It looked at them both and smiled cunningly.
It asked them of their request and the physician told him or it.
The creature looked at him replied "hmmm" tilted it's head all around
as if to ponder.
Then it replied that his wish would be granted but remember there would be a
price to pay for having his dream come true.
The physician asked him what the price would be but the creature simply looked
at him and said that his dream coming true will be the price he will pay.
Then the creature vanished and so did the darkness.

The living room was once again as before and the sorcerer motioned to him that
it was okay to step out of the circle.
On his way out after paying the sorcerer his fees he was reminded again that there
would be a price for his dream coming true.
The physician quickly went home with some mixed feelings about what he had asked
for but he simply dismissed his ambivalence after a few drinks.

For the physician life went on as usual and a few years had passed by while his medical
career steadily improved.
One day he came across a great discovery.
Something he discovered at home in his back shed.
He had cultivated a certain type of herb which when smoked brings a sense of peace
or tranquility.
Also if the leaves were eaten raw it would do the same thing for the one who devoured
it.
Immediately he began to see the possibilities here if he were to somehow market this
herb.
Already he could see all the pharmacies in the world selling this in packs like chewing
gum.

So he got together with a few trusted coleagues and told them about his magic herb
that brings relief from tension and stress with just a few puffs or a few bites.
He showed them his herb and passed out samples for his colleagues to smoke and
chew,while he sat back and waited for their responses.
Well the responses he got were all positive and all agreed that this was indeed some-
thing worth touting.
They formed a company and began to market this product to the world at large.
It was advertised as the new panacea for those escaping stress,anxiety or tension.
A few puffs of this wonder herb and a feeling of peaceful tranquility will come upon
you.
As the physician and his colleagues discovered it lowers blood pressure noticeably
so it was something that was medically beneficial for those with a high blood pressure.

And soon the physician's dream of fame and fortune materialized as the world took
notice and began to buy his product in huge quantities.
On television,radio and countless billboards the world over his magic herb was adver-
tised.
Magazines and newspapers also had ads espousing the benefits of this new medicine
for the stressed out souls desperately seeking peace.
And the physician recieved awards and recognition for his contribution to the medical
world with the discovery of this herbal remedy.
People all over began to give testimony as to how smoking this herb had changed
their lives for the better and in some cases even saving it from death.

Time passed by and like many things even public opinion is not immune to change.
Some doctors however began to discover that this particular herb had it's side effects
which made up for it's beneficial results.
For one thing it became addictive for many who relied on it continuously.
The feelings of joyful tranquility that it brought relied on more and more puffs for those
who smoked it while the amount of leaves chewed was also more and more.
Like cocaine the feelings of peace or tranquility came only in greater quantities than
the first time when taken.
To achieve the same desired effect one had to smoke more and more of this herb than
previously.
So great was the reliance on this herb that many people did nothing else with their lives
but smoke this weed and centered all their activities/efforts in obtaining enough of it.

It was credited with relieving or getting rid of much ambition and desire of achievement
along with the stress and tension.
Many of those who found themselves strongly attached to smoking this herb tended to
be those who became underachievers or less than greatly successful in their endeavors.
These were the type of people who wouldn't push themselves to accomplish much as
they tried to be constantly in a state of tranquility and went out of their way to avoid
anything that would disrupt thier sense of joyful or delightful calm.
Their intellect and awareness would be somewhat dulled over a period of time as smoking
this tended to put one in a stupor or state of lethargy.
As some critics began to point out it tended to turn people into docile sheep or zombies.
It made people more tranquil but also made them more boring at the same time by dulling
their souls and senses.
The reaction times of these addicts tended to be slower than those who were not addicted
to this stuff.

And to make matters even worse the medical reports also indicated that this herbal
tranquilizer was also causing a high rate of lung,throat and mouth cancer among it's users.
So much so that the medical community began to pressure the government in various
nations, to put warning notices on the packs of these herbal cigarettes or joints, that were
being sold in the pharmacies.
The number of voices speaking out against this herbal drug was increasing day by day,
and what was once touted as a panacea to stress and anxiety was now being condemned
as a cancerous curse and a cause of mental detiororation.
The firm that was founded by the physician and his colleagues began to become the target
of international lawsuits.
What he discovered and promoted became discredited as the magic herb became anathema
to the health conscious, like tobacco.
And the physician's name became associated with it and in the medical world his name became
a synonym for folly.
His case became a literal textbook example of how a so-called medical miracle can turn out
to be the exact opposite.
His wish for fame did materialize but not in the manner he had originally concieved.
For he had gained recognition not as a benefactor but as someone who through by mistake
had unleashed a poison onto the world.
In medical schools the world over this physician and his discovery became a typical case
or example of how something good turns out to be something bad despite the original
intention.

And so this physician had to live the remainder of his days with the legacy of what he
had done and the reputation he had incurred.
Rather than having something to be proud of he had become a well known medical mistake,
a case of a well meaning intention turning into a negative result.
And in the quiet moments to himself he remembered the time when he was at the sorcerer's
house and the djinn that was summoned.
He also rremembered what this creature had said to him.
" his dream coming true will be the price he will pay. "

What is the sound of one hand clapping?
Slap someone in the face and find out.

H.L.


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