The father was a world-renowned intellectual. His wisdom was called upon by businesses and presidents. It had become natural for the world to turn to him. Many had christened him as “The Wisest Fool Since Solomon.” At some point, people just started calling him Solomon.
A fact that very few people knew about Solomon was that he made this trip into the wilderness as often as he could. He would sneak away for a few weeks and suddenly return uttering ideas that no one had ever thought of before, and it would seem that the very act of breathing air gave him power.
This particular trip was special. For the first time, Solomon’s son, David, was with him. From a young age, David had been watched by the public. Great things were expected of him. He was to be a giant slayer. Solomon had carefully nurtured David’s heart, mind, and soul since the day he was born. David had grown strong and wise. Solomon would have had it no other way.
“Father,” David asked, “Will you tell me now why we are here?”
“We are here to seek the council of a very old friend. He is the wisest man I have ever met.”
David at once was silent. He idolized his father. No one that he had ever met was his father’s equal, and when his father did call a man wise, David had found that that man was exceptional. His eyes sparkled a little at the prospect of the coming encounter. Within a few minutes, David was asking more questions (Solomon had taught him to ask questions), “What makes this man so wise?” And why do we have to come out here to find him?”
“This man cares not for the ways of the world. He has no regard for money or fame. I don’t even know his name.”
David was confused, and that did not happen often. “How can a man be wise if he turns his back on the world?”
Solomon answered, “This man has never turned his back on the world. He may be one of the only people in history that hasn’t.”
The pair walked in silence. David had plenty of thought to mull over, and Solomon knew that even he could not explain something to his son that could only be understood once it was seen.
After a few more miles, David asked, “How do we find him?”
“We find him by being ready to be found.”
David at once sat down. He did not do so impatiently, but he no longer saw the need to keep pushing into the wilderness. “In that case, I am ready.”
So Solomon sat down beside him, and after a little while, they began to set up camp. For yet another night, it seemed as if their quest would be fruitless.
“Does it usually take this long?”
“It takes as long as it needs to.”
“What if he got lost?”
At this Solomon burst out laughing, “My boy,” he said, “then he would have found us already. We have spent the last week getting as lost as possible so that we are ready to be found. He, on the other hand, does not get lost. He has no home. He lives where he likes. Lost is not a concept that applies to him.”
David looked a little uneasy. The things his father said always made sense, but he wasn’t sure about this. It wasn’t his father’s style. His father was always in control. He was too smart not to be, but this was different. After an uneasy night, they gave in to troubled sleep in their tent.
Both David and Solomon had been awake for a few minutes before they realized him. He was sleeping only a few feet away from their tent. He must have laid down there noiselessly sometime in the middle of the night. David was at once struck by the peace on the man’s face. He was perfectly happy— a concept that David had thought he understood until he saw the sleeping man’s face. He gingerly approached for a closer look at the sleeping man’s face.
Suddenly, a smile danced upon the man’s lips. With his eyes still closed, the man said, “I have been waiting to show you a beautiful piece of God’s handiwork for hours.” It wasn’t that the man was impatient. On the contrary, he probably could have lain in the same position enjoying the position for forever. Instead of impatience, his voice was overflowing with excitement. He could think of nothing better than to hold the view, as if lying there would ensure that it never changed as long as he didn’t get up, and share it with David.
David tentatively walked over, and the man sprung up with surprising alacrity, excitingly directing David’s gaze with his steadily pointing finger. David looked up and, in a small hole in the trees, saw the remnants of the moon as it melted into the morning light. The berries, leaves, and branches of the tree provided a natural and ornately designed frame for the moon. The contrasting colors brought out the moon’s paleness, but it also made it seem as if it were mystically laden with color.
“Hello, my old friend,” Solomon suddenly greeted, breaking the trance of the moment.
The mysterious man’s eyes sparkled as he turned towards Solomon with a smile that was contagious. David had never seen another face like this man’s. He was youthful. He was alive, but life had not worn him down. In fact, any signs of fatigue or being stretched thin were miles away. Anybody even near this man felt life. David knew at once why his father would seek this man. A glance at his face could write a thousand stories. He was the hero of the tales of old. To be near him was to know what a man was supposed to be. This man was complete. Unlike anything he had ever felt, David felt, even knew, that this man walked and conversed with the God of the universe.
David spoke aloud as he figured it out, “You are in love.” It wasn’t a question; it was just the truth.
“Oh yes!” the man said eagerly, “With a girl whose soul is deeper than the abyss above, and whose eyes sparkle like the millions of stars it holds.” His smile was contagious. He probably couldn’t even have held it to a grin if he wanted to. It just grew on its own accord. He was overjoyed.
David could not help himself, “How do you love like that?”
“God made us to love. It only takes Him reminding us how. We only need let Him.”
David was in awe, “You are amazing...” To David’s further amazement, he immediately knew that compliments had no effect on this man. The man knew exactly who he was, and anybody else’s assertion, whether it was true or false, did not change that. There was no fear in this man’s face. There was no striving. There was just life; there was just God.
Solomon was at a loss for words. He stuttered, “I am sorry that it has been so long since my last visit.”
The living man grinned with an understanding smile, “You have come now, and that is what matters for this moment.” It was strange. All three of them knew that the man’s peace would not have been upset had Solomon never come, but at the same time, there was an abounding joy that he had. The living man embraced Solomon.
“It has indeed been too long,” the living man said with exuberance, “Remember the days when we would track the wolves and suck honey from the combs together.” Solomon’s eyes drifted back into the deep past to find these days, which he cherished beyond any others, but the living man’s eyes reflected the memory as if it were yesterday. For him, it was.
“Have you come to stay this time?” It was a simple invitation. The living man was obviously hoping Solomon and David would join him in his blissful existence, but it was also clear that the most gracious and kindhearted acceptance would be given to a decline. David nearly answered for his father. He knew he was born to be here. This was a lifestyle for the soul.
Instead, Solomon answered, “No. It is just for a short visit. We have obligations that must be tended to and lessons that must be learned.”
David’s heart screamed that every lesson that could ever be learned was in this wilderness, but Solomon had spoken. The living man’s eyes were sad, but that only seemed to make them more alive. It was evident to David that their encounter was quickly drawing to a close.
The living man was moving on. His business was about done in this particular place. Before he vanished into the trees, he told them, “I will be waiting for you, and if you ever come back to this garden, I will find you.” Although David had just met the living man a couple of minutes ago, he realized that he had known him his whole life. The living man had been the hero from the stories. Of that, David was sure. He was also sure that he would come back, and he knew that he would stay.
Suddenly, the living man was gone, and only David and Solomon were left standing there. The overabundance of life had left with the departure of the living man. For the first time in his life, David was disappointed with his father. “You seek this man out, and then you let him go after a couple of brief moments? I thought you were seeking his council?”
“You know well enough that a quick gaze into his face is more council than a thousand wise men could give. We have got what we came for. It is time to go home.”
“But... but... who is that man? Why don’t you stay with him?”
“That man is me. He is you. He is anyone and everyone. He is the man we all should have been. He is the man of our soul. He lives in every one of us.”
“But why don’t you stay with him?” David was beginning to see fear in his father’s eyes. He knew that his father would not, maybe even could not, come to stay with the living man. His father had built too many walls.
“I stayed with him for a time, and they were the best years of my life. But I knew that the wisdom I gained from those years could be used for the good of mankind. I left because I thought the people needed me. Now, I am beginning to understand...”
“Understand what?”
“It wasn’t me that the people needed. It was him.”
