The One with Many Faces
There once was the one with many faces. Many people had seen the one, but only through the faces. They had seen happiness, courage, solitude, discipline, and many other faces. The people thought these faces were tremendous. The faces were articulate, exquisite, brimming with an inexplicable energy, and they had accomplished incredible deeds in the world. They had scaled the highest mountains, crossed the enormous ocean, conquered entire kingdoms, built the most complicated architecture. To these faces, the people wrote many tales. The tale of the happy man. The story of a lonesome warrior. The adventure of a fearless pirate. The ascent of a just ruler. Soon, the tales were gathered into books, collections, and they were studied. People's children imitated these faces, or the tales of these faces, and those who imitated the best were venerated. They were deemed the living expression of the one with many faces.
Yet no one had seen the one behind the faces. No one seemed to wonder, whether or not these faces were only the surface. But, soon enough, a few started to wonder. There were cracks in these faces of courage and success, cracks so small that only those very sensitive and observant noticed. So the few started to question the faces, and desired to unveil the one behind the many faces. To the one behind, they called the Real One.
The Real One was difficult to find. Till this day, no one has found the Real One. Some say the Real One does not exist. Some say, behind the many faces, there is no one at all. There is only an emptiness. Some say, it is like peeling an onion, layer by layer, until you find in the very center there is nothing to peel anymore. And then you realize, the emptiness in the center has always been around you. It is the background from which everything exists. Some say, the Real One is not to be found. To find it is to evade it. Stop finding it, and it comes to you.
Cover photo by Aman Upadhyay on Unsplash
