"You are one of the lucky few who, at
your age, hasn't yet lost the ability to see life without
sticking yourself into the picture. Reality becomes very clouded
and foggy when a person lets his or her individual life affect
their perception. Your perception is still uncluttered. When
most people become who and what they are, they
leave the magic behind, carrying too much emotional baggage and
including too many of life’s little prejudices. James,
inside you’re still like a child who hasn’t yet picked
up all of the misinformation we adults have to cart around.
Access that child within you, and learn what you already know –
to swim again, James.
"I asked you to find out who you really
are. You probably have a pretty clear picture. Discovering who
you are is like learning to crawl, leaving behind the security
blanket of an infant. No longer is suckling at your mother’s
breast enough. Now you must learn and explore possibilities. You
are, in essence, defining yourself, discovering where you can
go, as well as where you can’t. This newfound mobility
defines for the rest of your life, your limitations. Your very
exploration creates your belief system, teaches you boundaries
you cannot see beyond. That is who you are. You are a man. You
are your parents' son, and you have their form, shape and color
emblazoned upon you. Your choice or not – where you stand,
as you stand, is who you are.
"Next I ask you to discover what
you are; that is: learn to walk, not as easy as learning
to crawl. But, we all seem to get it after a few tumbles. Just
remember, when you learn to walk, a lot of the things that you
could do easily as a child may become frightening. In walking we
first recognize the limitations of time and space. Deciding what
you are can impose many restrictions, limits and
constraints." He paused, took a drink of his soda, and
wiped his lip with his napkin. "I want you to learn to
crawl, walk, and soon run, never forgetting your God-given
ability – to learn without constraints."
Then over the loudspeaker, "Pizza for Carpenter. James
Carpenter, your pizza is ready."
I raised up out of my seat and turned to him. "When
I get up to get the pizza are you going to disappear?" I
asked, not knowing if he could answer a question
straightforwardly.
"James, I think that you have more to
digest than just pizza, and for me to be here would only make
you concentrate on more questions. Now you know the question,
spend this time searching for the answer," Max replied. "Just
think about what I have said for a while, discover what you
are, and I'll be back soon to teach you to run."
