CHARITY Who has ever felt his skin crawl while they creeped in the dark down a long

hallowed hall? Who has ever fallen from grace when confronted with the sins of the whole human race? If you have, then you - like I - know the meaning of life. Hairs standing on end, breath shallow and slow, you find yourself living as if at the end was a brand new beginning. And down life's hallway you go. Balanced, you live on the edge of a knife. You find that you still spend most of your life failing and sinning. Escaping from this takes the bulk of your time, of your mind and your being. You've tried it all, meditation and worship all meant to lead you, truly seeing, to what the answers are for the greatest questions. Is it all written in rhyme, or in Latin or Sanskrit? Does revealing your deepest admissions bring you closer to your goal? Does partaking in sacred practices and reciting holy passages result in nirvana? Perhaps not, perhaps never. So what do you do with this thing you've been given? This thing hung 'round your neck like a chain on the deck of some great, gray warship. Were you given it or did it just happen? Regardless of this, there may be one answer. One lofty, worthy idea. An answer contained in every version of all the great philosophies and religions. It may be as simple as this: "For the least of these..." ----------------------------------mindbringer, 13 October 2013