The Master Manipulator
1
Once Upon a Time
There Lived a King in an Ancient Land.
Over a Difficile Passage of Time
His Kingdom Decayed into Total Disarray
Godowns were Low on Grains,
Trade Was in Decline,
Subjects Were Unhappy and Poor,
And Enemies Were Ginning Up for War.
The King was Paranoid and Felt Betrayal in the Air
“Why,” He Wondered Aloud,
“Should These Adversities Happen to Me?”
And Then a Slice of the Past
Flooded Back into His Memory
“I Once Met This Special Being in the Forest
Who Seemed to Know It All
From the Movements of the Stars
To The Nature of Men
Maybe He will Know What’s Ailing my Kingdom
And Find a Way to Reverse this Slide.”
“Find the Wise Sage,” he Ordered
“And Bring Him to me Alive.”
2
The Sage Entered the King’s Court Looking Splendid
He was Hardly Dressed Except For a Narrow Loincloth
And Had the Air of Someone Who Truly Had No Care in the World
With No Burden of Thought,
No Impulse of Desire,
And No Weight of Expectations,
He Seemed Permanently Soaked in Bliss.
“O’ Holy One,” the King Said in a Low Voice
“My Kingdom is Being Betrayed
By Those Disloyal to Me.
I am Consumed with Profound Angst, O’ Wise Sage,
I Bow to You and Seek a Solution.”
The Sage Laughed and Looked into the King’s Eyes
“O’ King, Yes, There is a Simple Reason
For Your String of Misfortunes.
Your Kingdom Has Become Susceptible
To a Master Manipulator.”
“Hah, I Knew This,”, the King Exclaimed.
“Speak The Name of the Traitor
And I Shall Lynch this Person
In the Public Square.”
A Dozen Names Passed the King’s Mind in a Flash.
Brothers. Sons. Wives. Mistresses. Ministers.
Who Could It Be?
None Were Beyond Suspicion.
They Shall Learn an Unforgettable Lesson Very Soon.
The Sage Laughed Again.
“Let me First Tell You
What the Manipulator is Doing
And Then You Shall Know Who the Person Is”
The Sage Continued With a Smile
“You See Things Not As they Are,
But What this Person Wishes Them to Be.
You See All People and Situations
Through His Warped Filters.”
The King Was Confused.
“Who Is This Person You Talk of?”, He Demanded in an Angry Voice.
“I Will Decapitate Him With My Own Sword.”
“The Manipulator, Dear King, is Thy Mind,” the Sage Answered.
“It Neither Recedes Nor Rests,
Filled with Doubt, Anger, and Pride,
It Constantly Whispers Stories In Your Ear,
Coloring Your Perceptions of Reality.
Every Decision Driven By the Mind
Was, Is, and Will Always be Fatally Flawed.”
The Sage Paused for a Pregnant Moment and Then Said:
“Now that You Know, Will You Execute this Traitor?”
The Sage’s Words Were Direct and Scalding,
But He Had Spoken the Truth
Capable of Seeping Through to the King’s Soul
Dismayed and Ashamed,
the King was Shaken
to the Very Core of his Being,
“How do I Kill My Mind?”, the King’s Voice Trembled.
The Sage Laughed Again, This Time With a Roar.
“You Cannot Kill By Engaging With It.
You Can Only Weaken It by Ignoring Its Voice.
You Attention is its Nutrition.
As You Ignore it More,
It Will Wither and Deflate
And Loosen Its Hold on You.
And When the Mind Begins to Lose Its Identity,
It Will Listen to You and Be a Faithful Servant.
You Shall Operate from a Different Place,
Making Wiser Decisions for Your Kingdom.
Only When Solving for the People, Not Self
Shall Your Suffering Cease
And Then O’ King,
True Joy Will Arrive With Ease.”
The King Bowed and Thanked The Sage
And Vowed to Deal with the Invisible Beast
By Seeking to Be More Aware
Of his Breath and Attention
Every Waking Minute.
3
From Medieval Empires to Now,
The Nature of Man Has Not Changed a Whit
The Dissonance is Internal, Not Outside
And The Real Demons Lie Within.
The Most Profound Questions Are Disarmingly Simple.
Are We Aware of Our Minds,
And What It Whispers to Us Every Day?
Do We Ignore It
Or Act on it?
Are We Telling It What to Do
Or Is It Telling Us?
Do We Truly Know the Difference?