Empathy, sometimes a forgotten word in this self centered world, were sympathy and apathy are more common. Here’s the definition for the sake of this post,
The power of understanding and imaginatively entering into another person’s feelings.
Recently I posted a thought on my Facebook page regarding the power of creation that we experience as mortals:
“When you hold an infant in your arms for the very first time, you feel the awesome power and the love of creation. Never allow that sensation to escape your mind, for one day, without warning, and from all your efforts to protect from shared wisdom, you might lose that which you created through the corruptible forces of the world. Should that moment ever happen, have empathy for the creator of that world, no matter which you choose to believe in, for the loss that creator had to endure for the fall of the mortal family. Hug and kiss someone dear to you today.”
As I have mentioned many times before, my trilogy, The Chosen One of Allivar, has many underlying themes topical to our current time in history and allegorically relevant. In my years on this world I have seen many changes, none as rapid as the loss of the prospect that we were created by an unseen power. Scientific theory has replaced faith in anything other than oneself, yet science has not advanced the manner in which we treat one another. For once, imagine being a creator of earth, what would you do? Would you hold on in the expectation that mortals would one day see the light and finally seek peace? Would you wipe out all humans from their actions? Would you allow demons to continue their quest with the corruption and destruction of that which you created? How long could you take being cursed by your own creations? What test of faith would you give mortals?
My trilogy is an epic fantasy adventure and a mythology. It is not Christian fiction. However, it is influenced by Christian and other stories of faith. Yes it deals with creation and the viewpoint of the fictional creator – the Unseen, the Lord of Light and Life. The first nine chapters of Rise of the Fallen may give the impression it is biblical, but this was done solely to create familiarity and nothing more of the creation story, the fall of immortals and the birth of evil. To create a credible story I engaged in much research, including the understanding of the hierarchy of Angels and the classification of Demons. From this research I created my own classifications and gave them entirely new names. I scoured for banned stories to improve my understanding of ancient people’s view of their world. Like J.R.R. Tolkien, I wanted my very own mythology, so I created one. The type of story I wanted to read.
One of my family friends who is now 79 years old and a devout Christian stated he hoped one day a story would be told where one is wrapped in the full armor of God. Funny he should say that, because part of the story plot involves this very concept. What he was referring to was a passage from the Bible in Ephesians:
The Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-17)
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Many people today believe the Bible is no more than a myth and literature. No matter your beliefs, the Bible is one of the most fascinating reads you will ever undertake. As a writer, you must experience different viewpoints to enhance your story. However, the main premise of my story came from the Jewish story of the siege of Masada. Some of the story is influenced by the Bhagavad Gita and many, many other sources including pagan mythologies. The hero of the story Arimar, has been given powerful gifts by the Unseen, including the shield of faith, derived specifically from this passage in the Bible. It is from this passage that the title of the final story, Last Stand of the Living, was derived. I can guarantee my friend, that in the end all the powers of good and evil collide, with a surprising and thought provoking ending.
In the ten years of writing this trilogy (2000 – 2010), I poured many of my various beliefs, opinions and philosophical thoughts into the story. Today, many people want simple and entertaining reads, yet very few can recall the detail of the story they had just read. I am slow reader, when I find a good story, it is engrained into my memory. I like to think and have all my senses evoked. In my opinion, too many modern stories are short of story and too quick on sensory stimulation. My story will challenge you, only if you are ready to be challenged. It will certainly entertain you, once the foundation of the creation story has been read and understood. I have embedded clues and hints that will keep you guessing maybe for the rest of your life. In the end, you should be touched emotionally and philosophically if you can have empathy for a creator of worlds.
Are you ready to challenged?
