Lone Wolf

He goes on, oblivious to the rest of the system. A system that is the world, a system that is affectionately called society.

A handful of men respect him; they praise his intellect, admire his courage, and they tell him how proud they are of him. An equal number of men, or perhaps a few more, despise him; they criticize his attempts, doubt his faith, and express their overall disapproval about him. Some are indifferent to him. Others do not know about him.

On the emotional level, he thanks the men that praise him. On the intellectual level, he studies the criticisms leveled against him. But, on the spiritual level, none of the above means anything to him. Neither is he attached to the former, nor removed from the latter. All that he thinks about is his ultimate goal, the unveiling of Reality.

He continues on his set path, doing all that is necessary, all that is to be done, regardless of what the society thinks or says. Support or opposition, he does not stop to count heads. He cannot care less about social judgments sentenced against him, or about the number of followers he has. He wants to achieve the goal for himself and for those who are dependent on him, so that he may then retire to unwind in the silence of the Chasm.

It is not that he disrespects society, but he simply has no time to care. He knows what is to be done, and he knows how it has to be done. He also knows that he may not be able to do it alone, but is left with no other choice. He knows that he may not depend on them, that he may not expect anything of them. He knows that they have programmed themselves to believe baseless arguments, which they would not give up without a fight. To achieve a desirable change in them, he would have to alter their fundamental programming, which they would defend at the cost of their life. Or his!

He is not afraid of the risk, but he simply has not the time or the tools to convince them. He was given a job to execute, some time within which to do it, and some tools to assist him. He needs to use the time and the tools wisely, and for the purpose they were meant, rather than to re-educate them at the risk of losing all that is needed to accomplish his goal.

He has nothing for or against them. He has neither respect, nor disrespect for them. He neither loves, nor hates them. All he wants is to walk his set path, and to achieve his set goal. He has to try, with or without them, against all odds, and even at the cost of his dearest possessions. He has to forgo most of his desires and most of his rights, because he sees something that they cannot; because he knows something that they do not. He has to walk alone, because he was gifted with the vision, because he was the chosen one.

When he succeeds, they would all partake of the feast. They would congregate in his dining hall, whether he invites them or not. They would drink his wine and eat his food, whether they know him or not. They would claim to be his cousins, aunts, or friends. Some unknown face would even claim to be the mother of his children. She would educate her borrowed kids to point a finger toward him if asked about their father...

When he succeeds, the world would claim to be his family, and society would claim a share in his success. They would congratulate and praise him, although they might not understand a word he says. They would crown him and offer him a high pedestal, although they might not even know what he has achieved. And yet, there would be a handful of them who would criticize him, although they might not even know what they are up against. For, those are the symptoms of the system.

He goes on, oblivious to the system. A system that is the world, a system that is affectionately called society.