There were two of them, a man and a woman, and as I came closer I could see they had cameras and tape recorders, but what did they find so interesting? They were scrutinising the stones, and discussing each black mark, and each chip as if these were the most fascinating things in the world. They could hardly wait to tell me what they were finding, evidence of fires, and wars, and human misery coded into the history of the stone. I said to them, ‘Why are you taking such a focus, looking for these historical dramas of pain and distress? Come with me.’
I took them for a short walk, then we turned around. We could no longer see the individual stones, instead the scene in front of us was filled with the magnificence of the grand old castle of which the stones that had so fascinated them were only the lowest few layers. ‘Look at the glory of this castle. It has withstood the fires and wars, and all the other disasters which have caused the surface marks you found. It is strong, and beautiful, with towers and parapets, and courtyards; and within its walls are the treasures of centuries. Isn’t this more important than a few black marks and scratches? I open my mind to meet your minds for I wish to understand your point of view. I find in your minds a desire to concentrate on what is wrong and bad, because the wrong and the bad need to be dealt with and stopped. I find a fear that goodness is weak, and badness more powerful. I find a satisfaction in you to concentrate on horror and scandal, because these bad things need to be stamped out. But I tell you, the castle would not have survived if these bad things had been more powerful than all its glory. Your concentration gives a false impression of the castle’s history. I offer you an alternative point of view. This castle was built on a spiritual foundation so solid and secure that all the attacks against it failed. It has been restored now, with fire damage and war damage superbly repaired, and its original magnificence again revealed.' |
