Underground: A Parable

Imagine if you have lived all your life underground, and a leader used to draw stars for you to tell you how it looks high up there, in the sky.

But one day, the thick curtain suddenly falls... You see a star, and you feel it is real - as real as you are. You know what it is to feel now, and, most importantly, you know you can choose for yourself!

What does it mean for your leader? You are right: loss of power and control – something people do not easily give up. And she does not.

You are asked whether the picture of the stars look more familiar to you than that object from the Unknown.

They certainly do, for you used to contemplate them for years.

You are asked if you have ever seen anything as bright as that star in the sky? And if not, how do you know it is not harmful? And even if you might think it is not, it is just an illusion of yours…

Happy choosing!

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P.S. This parable came up while I was listening to a great jazz tenor-sax player Chris Potter last night at McCarter. Curious to learn more about the artist, I went to his website. I read that one of his albums is entitled Underground. Another coincidence :)