The Fall

Life will never go easy on anyone… True as it is, I can still say life is beautiful. Why? Let me tell you a story that my father and I created as we we’re talking about life during my teen age years. My father may have a different version of it now, if he were to tell the story– but allow me to tell you my version. Here is how the story goes:

Once, there stood a magnificent and mighty tree in a midst of a thick forest. So vibrant and lush was this tree, that whoever saw it, adored it. Even the kings and the nobles admired it’s grandeur. It’s resident leaves however, appear to be dominated by another feeling–a feeling that consumed them daily–the fear of “the fall”. “We are clinging to the mightiest tree ever there was in the entire forest” said one leaf, “Let’s live our lives selfishly and indulge every moment of it, worrying about nothing but ourselves.”

As a result, it was a chaotic world.

While they were consoling themselves with such words, unknown to anyone, the tree budded a new leaf. Unobserved, the new leaf was the picture of innocence. Unsophisticated and unworldly, the new leafWhile they were consoling themselves with such words, unknown to everyone, the tree budded a new leaf. Unobserved, the new leaf was a picture of innocence. Unsophisticated and unworldly, he was a picture of naivete. At the heart of a crowded tree, a new life was born that day.

After a few days had passed the young leaf became conscious of his surroundings. One early morning he was awakened by a disturbing sound–a sound of a worm munching another leaf just beneath him. It was a horrible scene. “I had one of those things on me one time,” said a voice beside him. The new leaf glanced and saw a malformed leaf, so horrifying that he could not bare to look upon it, “Thank goodness a bird came and swallowed it,” the deformed leaf continued, “Keep an eye on those things, they’re beasts, they’ll show you no mercy.” Then the deformed leaf said nothing more. While he was left startled by the scene he had just witnessed, the young leaf noticed just slightly above him, a leaf with a different color, pale and brownish. It was a leaf completely drained of his youth.

Then without warning, a deafening CRACK filled the air–down came the brownish leaf, never to be seen again, detached from the mighty tree to a place no one knew of. The young leaf turned to the deformed leaf and asked, “What happened to that brown leaf?”

“That is the final destiny of everyone here. We call it “the fall” everyone here is afraid of “the fall.” answered the deformed leaf. Shocked and speechless, the young leaf didn’t know what hit him, he was baffled.

For days the young leaf spoke to no one. Then finally he said, “From now on I will mind no one and care for no one. Life is unfair and has no beauty. Bad things will happen anyway, no matter what. I will live my life selfishly and indulge every moment of it, worrying about nothing but myself.”– And that’s exactly what he did from that day forward.

Years passed, and then one particular day he noticed his color was turning. “No, not me!” he pleaded with no one in particular, as he remembered “the fall.” Suddenly he was stricken with great terror. Day after day right before his eyes, his color faded and he became filled with great fear. Day after day there was more anxiety, until eventually he heard it again, CRACK! and the dreaded day happened to him,”the fall,” down came the once young leaf.

Slowly the wind took him further and further, gradually he began to see the entire tree where he once had lived. Beautiful and splendid, the tree stood in all it’s glory. “Wow…” was the only word he could utter. A delayed admiration underlying a regretful ending.

“Why didn’t I enjoy my time here while I was a part of that beautiful tree? Why was I engrossed with fear of ‘the fall?’  Why was I so absorbed with worry that it choked the very life out of me?” asked the leaf.

…end of story.

It is undeniable, yes, that life is full of negative things, but how you handle them makes all the difference.

I had a rather unpleasant childhood myself, however, given the chance to relive my life, I would still choose to be born the way I was because those negative experiences led me to look at things rather differently–to better sympathize with people in pain and also compels me to help others rather than withdraw. For in the process of walking an extra mile, I am finding healing for myself…

Jaurlando Urot is a freelance writer who resides in the Philippines. Although he has gone through some health trials (and survived a difficult childhood), he keeps a positive outlook on life and reaches out to others in a positive way. His belief is to leave a legacy of hope and goodwill every day. Life is not just a gift, but an opportunity. Read more of Jaurlando’s writing on his “Life’s a Journey” blog.