by D. J. Holmes
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For days at the Beach House, Treysen tries to understand everything that Daniel had told him. He finds Daniel alone in the hallway, and works up the nerve to ask, “Who’s here, Daniel?”
Daniel’s mood changes, just as it did when Treysen listened to him a few days earlier. He begins to walk once again with great determination. Treysen quickly follows so that he can hear what Daniel has to say. “…The people who ruled and destroyed my home, my culture, and my world. I’m sick. My heart told me the possible future of this world.”
“What’s going to happen here?” Treysen questions….
“The same group of people, who created havoc in my world, have sent a search party here to start the same process.”
“Process….”
“Yes, the process of hate. Hate can only destroy individuals, the nations they live in, and the world they occupy. These people that came here from my world can’t exist without hatred….” Daniel suddenly stops walking. Turning to face Treysen, he makes this point. “You see, they have to hate someone else, so that they don’t hate themselves. They don’t feel at home unless their heart and the hearts of everyone around them are full of hate… so I fear for this world.”
“You fear for this world?”
“Yes. At the beginning, it was a world of love. But, little by little hatred has crept into the minds and hearts of all human beings. It has had a hold on them ever since.”
“What can be done, Daniel?”
Turning back around, Daniel begins to walk again with great determination, “I don’t know for sure. Hopefully the people of this world will be stronger than my people were…. There is a saying that I have learned while living here. ‘What one generation endures, the next will embrace.’ On my world, my generation endured. We couldn’t believe that people could exist with so much hatred in their hearts. We thought that if we just did the right thing that they would change. We were so naïve! We continued to endure, year after year. We didn’t stand up for our God given rights! The rights that many of us took for granted. We all thought that in the end, nothing would really change, that it would evolve back to the kind of world that we were used to. And if it didn’t, someone else would come to save us….”
Coming to the outside door, Daniel opens it, taking in a breath of fresh air. Looking up to the pale blue, cloud covered sky, he emphasizes, “What we failed to realize, is that each individual has to save himself. It is up to each individual to make their own choice. If they decide to stand with God, then they have to stand their ground. They have to become aware, remember, and stand up for what God has given to all of us.”
Walking onto the beach, he takes his sandals off.
Following Daniel’s every move Treysen takes his shoes off also.
Squishing the sand under their feet as they walk, feeling the pounding movement of the waves hitting the beach and hearing the sound of the Sea Gulls over head, all of this begins to calm Daniel’s mood, as he turns to face Treysen.
“You see, we all felt that we were living righteously, because we weren’t physically fighting with those that hated us so much. We endured what was handed out to us, feeling that it was God’s will.”
“Most people do that, Daniel.”
“I know. We felt that we had to set a peaceful example for our children.”
“Most parents try to do that too.”
“You are correct Treysen, but we didn’t realize two very profound things.” He puts up two fingers to emphasize his points. “First, God doesn’t expect anyone to endure abuse of any kind! And second, we didn’t realize that our example of enduring would push our children to embrace the teachings of hatred….”
“I don’t understand, Daniel. If you were setting the right example, why would your children choose something else?”
“You see, it’s easier to embrace something, rather than enduring it, or fighting against it…. It’s easier to be a part of something, than to stand on principles by yourself.”
Daniel’s expression changes from a concerned type of energy to a very deep sadness. “Because we endured hatred, and our children embraced hatred, they became a part of it. And everything in our world changed. Hatred took our freedom away. Hatred destroyed our beautiful world, Gliese.”
His words fade away as he looks up to the stars shining brightly above them. Reverting back to his own world, Gliese, he remembers everything that he had been talking about, all the feelings of abuse and pain that he had endured. He began to wonder what could have been, if only….
Trying to regroup, Daniel finally looks back at Treysen. “I have learned a great deal from the people of this world. One of the greatest things that I have learned is this: You don’t have to endure, and you usually don’t have to physically fight to win and to keep your God given rights. You just have to stand your ground.” Taking a stick he finds on the beach, he begins to draw a line in the sand. “All you have to do is draw a line. One side represents what is right. The other side represents what is wrong. Just stay on the side that represents what is right.”
“But, Daniel, what if someone tries to push you over to the other side of the line? Or what if all of your friends and family are on the wrong side?” Treysen asks.
“Then you have a decision to make, Treysen. You have to decide what the Lord would want you to do. Do you want to stand with the Lord? Or is your need to feel part of a group so important that you choose to do what they do, so they won’t make fun of you.”
“It’s hard sometimes, Daniel.”
“I know how hard it is, Treysen. But, it’s your choice! And if you choose to stand alone in honor of what’s right against all those that you love, remember this…plant your feet securely, do not let them move you. Do only what you need to do to defend yourself and to keep your God given rights. If you are attacked, you have a right to defend yourself. But to kill someone out of hatred is absolutely wrong. You kill only when your life or the life of those you are to protect, is in danger.”
Looking back at the stars, Daniel adds, “You see, it is so easy to hate. To hate and to be filled with hatred makes everything look, and feel so dark. It brings on depression, and that is a sign that you are on the wrong path. When you choose what is right, your world is bright.”
Putting his hand on Treysen’s shoulder, he adds, “When you have to stand your ground, your mood at first may be filled with conflict and pain, but your heart will be calm, and in the long run it will be filled with happiness.”
Contemplating what Daniel has just said, with his right index finger on his cheek, Treysen says, “I think that I understand what you are saying.”
Looking directly at Treysen, Daniel says, “I knew that they would come at some point in time. But I can see why now, it wasn’t just to find me…they weren’t satisfied taking over just one world. They have come to spread their hatred throughout this world also! And it will continue throughout this whole universe until everyone makes a decision to stand for what is right. Hatred, and all that it entails, can’t survive without those individuals that are willing to embrace it! We have got to stop it now, Treysen.... Somehow we have got to stop it.”
Sitting down on the beach; listening to the quiet ebb and flow of the ocean waves Daniel and Treysen contemplate the future of the world.
Chapter 4