Belief.

Belief stands as something of considerable value to a great many people. It represents a compass-point by which one might chart the course of their life in the manner they deign most appropriate for their values and goals. It often gives direction to the misguided, hope to the downtrodden, and purpose to the apathetic. Yet, there are many ideologies in our world, cultivated by many different cultures. Often, as children, we grow up indoctrinated into these beliefs because they are the only thing we know at the time. They are taught to us by our parents, our wet nurses, our role models, and all those closest to us. Thus, we find ourselves carrying with us those beliefs through adolescence.

As we mature, we occasionally begin to expand our awareness, opening ourselves to other beliefs and welcoming unfamiliar experiences. After all, what is the value of understanding only one ideology? What enlightenment and revelation can be obtained by strictly refusing to weigh the options available? For some this refusal to consider other beliefs and ways of life stems from ignorantly clutching to the misguided notion that their way is the only way; that there are no other true paths. Such subjectivity can cultivate naught but a myopic mind. For most, however, the refusal to set aside the familiarity of a particular doctrine centers around fear of that which is unfamiliar and unknown.

We often do not like pushing ourselves outside of our comfort zones; challenging ourselves and voluntarily exposing ourselves to different points of views for worry we will stumble upon some sliver of truth which shakes the foundation or our belief. Some people are comfortable being raised in a house and living out their days in the same structure, staring at the same walls and experiencing the same mundane, ritualistic process to their day without inviting excessive change. Others find the need to roam like vagabonds or gypsies, never staying in one place long enough for it to grow overly familiar, welcoming frequent change, impromptu experience, and walking multiple paths for if no other reason than to see where they may lead or what might be experienced along the way.

Regardless of which one you see yourself as, we all share the primal need, nay, the hunger, deep inside which strives for purpose. We seek to be sated with understanding, not just of ourselves, but of the world around us.

So I pose the following to all interested in entertaining it: How well do you understand your ideology? I am not referring the platitudes associated with the sermons or teachings which proclaim that one path is more true than any other, for that is nothing less than subjective mimicking of what once resembled original thought. What do you believe in? Why do you believe in it? Do you understand it or are you just parroting what you were told about it?

If you believe in something without understanding it, whether it be the pursuit of enlightenment regarding Chaos, the preservation of Creation, the pursuit of Strength, or any of the countless beliefs in the world to choose from, then you are simply a puppet who has not yet cut their strings. I'm handing you the knife to do so now, should you wish to take hold of it. Whether you sever your ties to ignorance with it or attempt to slip it between my ribs is entirely up to you. Only one choice results in not looking back on years wasted with an empty mind filled with the opinions of others, when you could have be forging your own.

So understand why you believe in something, even if you experience the humility of realizing you may not fully understand the belief itself.

If you've grown tired of the theological hypotheticals of what -could- happen at some indeterminable time in the indiscernible future, or the moralistically contradicting practice of protecting Creation by systematically seeking to eliminate every perceived threat to it, or if you're simply wandering wayward and looking for purpose, there is a path prepared for you. It is not the path of least resistance, for without challenge there cannot be growth. Without growth there cannot be change. Without change life is naught more than a flat grassland of stagnation and apathy, with no valleys to descend in to, no hills to climb, and no mountain peaks to conquer. What a boring and pathetic existence that would be.

If you are one who seeks more understanding and purpose, not just of world, but of and for yourself as an individual, seek the path amongst the Western mountains shrouded with red fog. Brave the jagged, inhospitable terrain, and should you arrive at the gates of Mhaldor, step through them with not fear, but determination and confidence. The gates are always open; we will not herd you through them by coercion, manipulation, or fear. These gates you must seek out and pass through of your own volition, if you've the courage to walk the path that lies beyond them.

Regards,

Kresslack I'llur

It has been signed with:
Or, a wolf's paw print Sable within a bordure of the second, the arms of Kresslack

Penned by my hand on the 11th of Scarlatan, in the year 672 AF.