THE TOWER OF PERSPECTIVE

When they awaken Insightful departs and Awareness and his companions walk down the path through the park until they come to a large courtyard. The courtyard is circular and in the center of the courtyard is a tall circular building whose name is The Tower of Perspective.

“It looks to be a mile high!” Awareness exclaims.

It has windows completely around the building on each floor. Awareness and his companions enter the building through the huge glass doors and enter the lobby of the building. In a large glass case there is a model and set of plans of the entire building. Illumination walks over to the glass case and begins to look at the plans.

He reads the specifications out loud.

“The Tower of Perspective has a diameter of 80 feet. It has a circumference of 250 feet with an area of 5025 square feet. There are twenty-four view ports on each floor. The view ports are eight feet high and eight feet wide. Each view port represents a different point of view. On each floor there are twenty-four rooms. The rooms are ten feet wide at the view port and six and a half feet wide at the entry and thirty feet long. In the center of the building is a stairwell. The stairwell is twenty feet in diameter with the stairway being six feet wide, raps around the circumference of the stairwell. There is a landing on each level that is ten feet wide by twenty feet long. The height of each level is twelve feet high.”

“Wow!” Awareness exclaims. “This is almost like an Amusement Park. Lets go up and look through the different Points of View.”

“Wait!” Enlightenment stops Awareness with caution. “There is a warning. Let me read it to you. ‘WARNING! As you arrive at each Point of View it is important for you to understand not to take that Point of View too seriously. (It could prove to be fatal). Each time you arrive at a different Point of View your view point may change and you may find that your views had not taken into consideration the broader viewpoint.’”

“I think we should read further before we venture in.” Illuminations warns.

“Very well.” Awareness submits to logic.

“Here look at this.” Illumination continues reading the building specs on the plans.

“ ‘ One level of the tower shall be scheduled to be constructed each year. The construction of each level shall take one year to complete. The construction of each level shall commence on the anniversary of the first day that ground was broken on the first level, which shall hereafter be referred to as the Control Tower. It will be completed on the day before that anniversary of the following year. Each new level will elevate the Control Tower one level above itself. Therefore always giving the Control Tower the greatest vantage point.’”

As Enlightenment and Illumination read the specifications Awareness’s excitement builds. “I can’t wait any longer.” Awareness says. “Let’s go in.”

Awareness runs over to a large circular structure in the center of the lobby. “This must be the stairwell.” He says. He runs over to the door and discovers it is locked.

He knocks on the door. Looking through a small glass window in the door he notices two strange looking security guards walk up to the glass.

”What do you want?” They ask in unison.

“We want to go up to the Control Tower.” Awareness answers.

“What is the Password?” They recite together.

“First tell me your names.” Awareness demands, trying to appear that he has some right or even authority in the Tower of Perspective.

“My name is Near-sighted,” The character says squinting, trying to ascertain who Awareness is and what authority he might have. “And this is Narrow-minded.”

He gestures to his companion.

Now what does this character Narrow-minded look like? Well he can look like anyone. He can look like you. He can look like me. But you don’t know what I look like so then image him to look like you, or better yet image him to look like someone you know who is narrow-minded. The important thing is that you understand how he acts. He cannot comprehend broad ideas. He has a limited imagination. He is unsuccessful with multi-tasking. He has a prejudiced mind pertaining to persons and/or opinions. He is not

receptive to new ideas and he has a closed mind. Well, upon looking at what this character is like if you have gotten this far in this book you are certainly NOT a narrow-minded person. But you undoubtedly know someone who is so insert his or her picture here.

In like manner there is Near-sighted. How can I describe him? He can also look like anyone of us. However he has a limited vision. He lacks tolerance and understanding. He is unable and unwilling to act prudently. He lacks foresight and discernment. He has a hard time seeing the big picture and he squints a lot.

Well now that you have an idea of what these characters look like let’s get on with our adventure.

“You may not pass unless you say the password.” Near-sighted and Narrow-minded recite in unison

Awareness, Enlightenment and Illumination huddle together and discuss a strategy to outwit the guards into giving them the password.

Enlightenment is the first to walk up to the stairwell door and speaks up loudly so he can be heard through the closed door as he looks through the small glass window. “Is the password something that I should know about from every day life?”

“Yes” Near-sighted nods in agreement.

“Do I experience it everyday?” Enlightenment asks again

Again Near-sighted nods enthusiastically “Yes!”

“Would I know it if I see it?” Enlightenment continues.

“Yes! O Yes!” the guards chorus together.

“Is it in plain view?” Enlightenment asks.

“That’s it!” They cry out. “At least that’s half of it.”

“Here let me try.” Illumination relieves Enlightenment.

“Does it have a direction?” Illumination yells at the door

“O, it most definitely does.” Narrow-minded replies.

“Will I understand it when I see it?” Illumination continues

“That you can, that you can!” The guards chorus together.

“Have I ever had it?” Illumination desperately asks whatever comes to mind.

“O yes you certainly have!” Narrow-minded exclaims

Illumination strains to think of what it might be. His mind begins to hurt from trying to think so hard. He simply has no idea. He looks at the others who have blank expressions on each of their faces. He cannot think of any more questions to ask.

“O what’s the point!” Illumination lifts his hands in frustration.

“That’s the other half!” The two guards rejoice. “But you must say both halves together in their proper order.”

The three look at one another in bewilderment and then huddle together again. They chatter back and forth for a moment and then Awareness exclaims, “I GOT IT!”

He stands directly in front of the door, looking through the small glass window at the two guards and says confidently, “View Point.”

“You’ve got it alright!” the two guards chorus together. “You may pass.” The door opens. Near-sighted bows politely. “We may escort you only to the lower levels and then we must return to our post.”

Awareness and his companions, along with Near-sighted and Narrow-minded walk up the stairs together and Awareness asks. “Can you tell us a little about this place?”

“Well,” Near-sighted begins. “Our views are quite limited remaining on the lower levels as we do. From where I stand my outlook is rather confined. Actually my only view port is the window that looks out into the lobby. But that doesn’t matter much since King My Way came in and took away all the light. There’s nothing much to look at now. I guess you could say that Castle Glade is completely near-sighted if not blind.”

“What’s your opinion, Narrow-minded?” Awareness asks.

“Opinion?” Narrow-minded growls. “Why should you care about my opinion? I am utterly intolerant of yours. I don’t care much for strangers and I don’t care much about you. You three look like trouble to me.”

“But you don’t even know us?” Enlightenment questions the comments of Narrow-minded.

“That doesn’t matter!” Narrow-minded answers.

“How could you understand us without hearing our thoughts on any subject?” Illumination asks.

“That doesn’t matter either!” Narrow-minded again answers.

“Is there no reasoning with you?” Awareness asks.

“Don’t waste your time!” Narrow-minded replies.

“Well,” Near-sighted interrupts. “This is as far as we go.”

“Good reddens!” Narrow-minded storms down the stairs.

“Wow!” Awareness exclaims to his companions. “What do you think of that?”

There was no comment worth making so the three climbed the stairs quietly. As they come to each floor they attempt to enter but the door is locked. They keep trying until they come to the Tenth Level.

Awareness and his companions open the door to the Tenth Level Vantage Point. As they enter the level, they notice a series of doors surrounding the perimeter. On the other side of each door is a room with a large window. At each window there has a chair in front of it. Awareness walks into one of the rooms and sits down in the chair. Suddenly a scene appears on the eight-foot by eight-foot window. On the screen is a young ten-year-old boy playing in a park. Awareness thinks to himself, this seems so familiar. As Awareness continues to watch he comes to realize that he is watching himself when he was ten years old back in the Land of New Beginning.

“This is AMAZING!” Awareness exclaims. “ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! Where did they get such a thing? How do they know all about me?”

“Perhaps he can help us.” Enlightenment points to a small booth just to the right of the stairwell door. There, a young ten-year-old boy sits. Above his head is a large sign, attached to the booth that reads, “INFORMATION.”

Awareness walks over to the booth. “Hello, my name is Awareness. What is your name?”

“My name is Memory”. The boy answers politely.

“Can you please tell me what these rooms are all about?” Awareness asks, “ And what do those windows do?”

“Well first of all these rooms, which you refer to, are called Points of View. The area that you are currently in is called the Tenth Level Vantage Point of the Tower of Perspective. And ‘those windows’ are not windows they are called View Ports. There are twenty-four View Ports on each floor. Each View Port represents a different point of view. For instance, the View Port that you were just looking at is for a ‘Child at Play’. From that point of view the child learns to do all the things that are expected of him while he is at play. Such as, learning how to interact with children he doesn’t know. He is also learning to stand in line for the slide and learning the boundaries of sharing and taking no for an answer, when other children don’t wish to share. The View Port next to that is for the student. Here the child learns the educational process. He learns order. And once again he learns to wait his turn when he wants to give an answer but has to raise his hand and wait until he is called upon. Then there is the View Port of the son. Here he learns to interact with Mom and Dad. He also learns about authority. And of course there is the View Port of the brother with an older or younger brother or sister…”

“But how come I saw myself at that … View Port?” Awareness interrupts.

“That is because you sat in the chair.” Memory patiently answers. “Whoever sits in the chair in front of the View Port will see himself at the age of the level Vantage Point he or she is on and whatever the Point of View room that he or she is sitting in.”

Awareness runs back into the ‘Child at Play’ Point of View room and calls out to the others.

“Here, Enlightenment.” Awareness beckons. “Sit down here”.

Upon sitting in the chair in front of the View Port Enlightenment and the others witness a swarm of 10-year-old beings of light running around a schoolyard with their lights blinking off and on like a swarm of fireflies.

Awareness shakes his head, “Absolutely amazing!”

The three leave the Tenth Level Vantage Point and climb the stairs until they come to the Twelfth Level Vantage Point. Awareness and the others enter the area and just as below on the tenth level there is an INFORMATION Booth to the right at the stairwell door. And sitting at the booth is Memory… only he looks little older. Awareness thinks to himself, This must be Memory’s older brother. Awareness walks up to the booth and introduces himself. “Hi my name is Awareness, I met your younger brother downstairs.”

“That wasn’t my younger brother”. The young boy replies “That was me two years ago.

“What?” Awareness asks.

“I remember meeting you two years ago”. The boy answers emphatically. “You had asked me about the View Ports. I remember you were very funny.”

“Two years ago!” Awareness exclaims, “It couldn’t have been more than ten minutes ago. How long does it take to climb two flights of stairs?”

“Oh, I see.” Memory says understanding the problem. “You don’t know the ways of the Tower of Perspective.”

No”. Awareness replies, “We are strangers from the Land of New Beginnings. We are only just learning the ways of this marvelous castle.”

“Well then”. Memory tells them, “I will explain them to you. Each level of the Tower of Perspective represents one year. Whatever level of the tower you are on that is your age. That is also your outlook”.

“You mean to tell me,” Awareness asks mortified. “That when we were on level ten we were only ten years old?”

“That is correct.” Memory answers.

“I don’t believe it!” Awareness exclaims. “That would mean that we are only twelve years old now.”

“That is correct.” Memory answers.

“Impossible!” Awareness exclaims. He looks at the others and they don’t look any different to him. The two Beings of Light shrug their shoulders.

“See for yourself.” Memory says as he points to the mirror just to the right of the booth.

Awareness and his companions look into the mirror and they see the reflections of themselves as twelve-year-old children.

”I still don’t believe it!” Awareness exclaims. “Why did we see ourselves as young adults when we looked at one another but when we looked into the mirror we saw ourselves as children?”

Memory shrugs his shoulders and simply says. “The mirror doesn’t lie.”