A boy once decided to walk through the Valley of the Gods, a sacred region said to be the resting place for the God of the Mountains. This god was reputed to speak wise words to travellers who passed through.

Walking along a path shaded with rocky walls on either side, the brave boy looked up and about waiting to hear a celestial voice say something to him. But nothing came; there was only silence.

Becoming impatient, the boy shouted, “Are you stupid? Can’t you say something?”
A great voice suddenly boomed back to him, “Are you stupid, can’t you say something?”
The reply surprised and irritated the boy who shouted, “How rude of you to shout!”

The reply from the Mountain God was even stronger and louder, “How rude of you to shout!”

This infuriated the boy. In his harshest most vicious tone, he said, “I hate you.” Immediately came the stony response, “I hate you.” This was the last straw! The outraged boy had had enough and turned on his heals back to his village.

A few days later, a wandering monk came bare feet from the mountains to the same village. The farmers and their families collected around to hear him share his spiritual wisdom. The monk told stories of his travels and described the Valley of Gods as a very special and beautiful place. The boy who had also been to the valley was in the audience and couldn’t believe his ears. He cried out in disbelief and retold his bitter experience. Understanding the situation, the wise monk nodded kindly and suggested that they both revisit the valley.

The monk led the boy down the same path surrounded by rocky walls until they stood in the same spot where the boy has previously stopped. The monk looked up to the sky and shouted, “Greetings to you.” The God of the Mountains replied at once, “Greetings to you!”

The monk responded with another shout, “I love you,” which provoked a louder and clearer, “I love you” back.

The monk turned to the boy who was taken back and puzzled.

“Just see, life is exactly like this: whatever you give out comes back to you like an echo. If you are respectful and give love, kindness and understanding, then you will receive the same back – in abundance. If you are disrespectful, unkind and offer only hate, hurt and blame to the world, then that is exactly what you get back. Before you can expect to see good things outside in the world, you have to change yourself on the inside first. Then the world outside just reflects what is inside of you – this is the advice of the God of the Mountains!”

————————–

Inspiration: Taking responsibility for ourselves transforms us because we stop blaming the world – our family, friends, home, school, society, and even little things like traffic, weather, the population and ultimately God and instead look to change ourselves.