Mirror of the World

Mirror of the World 

(Short Story)

The smell of ripe fruit was in the air, when the wandering dervish entered the small village. On that hot summer day he was looking forward to a cooling drink of water from the common well at the market place.

Suddenly the dervísh heared the yelling voice of an angry man:

‘Get out of here you dirty lot or you will feel my stick on your back!’

Heading towards the very direction, the dervish saw an old man standing beneath an apple tree whose branches were covered with ripe fruits.

‘Peace be with you!’, the visitor greeted friendly. ‘ Tell me, what made you so angry? ‘

‘These damn lads stole some of my apples!’

‘Nobody wants to be robbed of their possessions but I see that you have an abundance of apples. Is this incident really worth to lose your peace?’

The old man’s face was still red with rage. ‘You don’t understand! ‘ he exclaimed. ‘I’m old. I can’t do my work as a woodcutter anymore. To earn money I sell the fruits of my trees at the market. And then these careless boys steal my apples!’

‘Yeah, I see what you mean… Have you ever thought about making these boys your allies?’

The old man shouted indignantly: ‘My allies? Are you crazy? It’s better for you to go now and mind your own business!’

But the dervish objected: ’Listen, you won’t be able to pick the big ripe and sun kissed apples from the upper branches, am I right? But the boys could easily climb up the tree and pick them for you. As a reward you might offer them some of your fruits.’

‘No, this wouldn’t work! Young people are cheeky and disrespectless!’

‘How can you be so sure? People are like mirrors. When you expect them to be unfriendly and without any respect, they reflect you exactly these attitudes and BE unkind. But when you give up your prejudices and treat them as your friends, like a mirror they will also show kindness towards you. Just give it a try!’

The old man shrugged undecided. ‘I don’t know, I have to think about it.’

‘Take your time!’ With a smile on his face the dervísh continued his way.

After a while, he passed a young woman sitting all alone on a green meadow, her face cupped by her hands. She was heart-wrenchingly weeping.

The dervish approached her and sat down next to her.

‘Why are you so sad, my dear? Is there anything I can do to lift you up?’

,:No … Nobody … Can help … Me … ‘ the girl said, her voice interrupted by sobs.

‘Take a deep breath and tell me what burdens you so much. It can be very helpful to empty your heart and share your sorrow. I’m here for you. ‘

The man’s calming voice seemed to have a soothing impact on the young woman. Tears were still running down your cheeks but she didn’t sob anymore.

‘The man I wanted to marry doesn’t love me anymore! ‘

‘Oh, I’m very sorry to hear that. Did he tell you? ‘

‘No, but I have eyes to see! He used to bring me flowers or small gifts! But for a week now there is … Nothing! Not even a smile or a wink of his eyes.’

‘At the time, when he courted you, what did you give to him? ‘

The young woman looked at the dervish in disbelieve and replied,

‘Me? Nothing of course! That’s not appropriate for a woman!’

‘Okay, try to imagine yourself in his place. The girl he loves doesn’t have sweet words for him, not even a warm- hearted smile. He must think she doesn’t love him, am I right?’

‘Oh my goodness! I have never looked at things from his perspective before! Do you think it’s too late now?’

’No, it’s not too late. But don’t let him wait any longer, tell him about your feelings for him!’

‘Yes, I mean no, it’s impossible to speak to him just like this!’

’You don’t have to. Write a letter to him. Explain that you were torn apart between social rules and your feelings. He will understand. And don’t forget: whatever the problem is, love is the solution!’

Like sun appearing on a cloudy sky, a smile brightened up the young woman’s face.

‘For sure I will follow your advice! You’re a wise man! Thank you so much!’

‘Thàt is just what life itself has taught me. When you look into a mirror, and the reflection that you see of yourself is a friendly face, you will show your surrounding also a friendly smile which will be answered by people treating you kindly. Life is like a mirror: when you want positivity, meet the world with positivity. Now dry your tears and begin to write your letter!’

With these words the dervish got up and took to the road again. He stayed many weeks in the village, got to know many people, helped around wherever he could, spread loving kindness and didn’t miss to introduce his example of the mirror.

When his time to leave the village was near, the inhabitants prepared a farewell party in honor of the dervish.

At the celebration one man said,

‘You were talking a lot about peace. Allow me one question: if a burglar enters my house and threatens to kill my wife with a knife, should I really stay peaceful and take the risk that he kills my spouse??? ’

‘No, of course not’ the dervish replied. ’If’s your right and your duty to protect your loved ones against all evil. But it’s not inevitable to do this violently. I will show you what I mean. Who is the strongest man in your village? I want to fight against him!’

Horrified whispers and calls were to hear among the gathering. Finally the blacksmith got up and exclaimed:

‘Tthat’s me. I’m by far the strongest man here. But please think twice, I don’t want to hurt you!’

Smiling, the dervish looked at the muscular man and said, ‘Don’t worry, you’re the ideal person. Let’s fight here and now!’

First the two men circled each other, then the blacksmith attacked. The dervish fought him back with precisely the same movement. This way the match continued. Each and every movement of the blacksmith was mirrored by his sparring partner. The whole spectacle looked more like a dance than a fight. Suddenly and unexpectedly, the dervish grabbed the blacksmith’s arm, turned around and threw the man over his shoulder to the ground.

Horrified, the man set up and shouted: ‘How can this be!? I have never lost a fight! Are you a sorcerer?’

‘Calm down! Everything was done naturally. I let you lead the fight and reflected each and every of your movements like a mirror. When I discovered a gap in your defense, I was able to perform my final technique. The shoulder throw is an element of Asian martial arts, that’s why I was able to defeat you non-violently.’

The dervish gave the blacksmith a hand and helped him to get up.

The audience applauded enthusiastically.

Finally the mayor addressed the dervísh:

‘You have been a welcome and highly appreciated guest of our village. Now I want to invite you in the name of all inhabitants to stay as long as you wish. You will be provided with everything you need.’

‘I am very grateful to all of you but I cannot accept your generous offering. I’m a wandering dervish and have to move on. I hope you understand.’

‘Yes of course!’ the mayor’s wife spoke up.’You made us realize that it depends on us to have a good and satisfying life. Now go on, visit other towns and villages and hold a mirror to many other people like you did for us, and inspire people to become better versons of themselves. You are the mirror of the world!’