The Plague

I already knew from the reported symptoms what I was dealing with, as I made my way down the stone path.  The elaborate house stood as a paragon of serenity in the mid-morning sunlight, but it did little to deaden the dread that I had as my approach continued.  I remember my younger days as an inexperienced physician’s assistant, and how I would never have thought that anything could dark could dwell within the bounds of Copiosus.  I knew it could be found in Inops but not here.  This was the center of culture, philosophy, and truth, or so I had thought.  Dualism had dwelt deep within as I recall, covering over my eyes and blinding me to the many similarities that the twin cities had.

You see, Copiosus has long been a haven for joy and peace.  Wealth and knowledge flow freely through the streets and moral character stands at the cornerstone of the cities foundation.  Well kept houses, green parks, and well paved roads mark advancement and progress that can only be described as a religious devotion to tradition and achievement.  Intricate school systems and strong family values have led to an unshakeable cultural foundation which ensures that each individual knows there place and responsibility.  Such was my view in my youth, and even today I’m tempted to believe every word of revelry and praise.  But, as I continue to nurture the horrible truths that I have unleashed it spreads like a cancer to the innermost points of my being.  I first realized it in Inops.

Inops, the sister city and ugly twin of Copiosus, reverberates with the affliction that results from a variety of vices and sins that so often entangle the less fortunate.  Filth ridden streets and run down shacks stand in place of true city life.  Violence and corruption run headlong through the alleys and capture unaware travelers within talons of misfortune.  The people there are sick from the darkness around them, and they struggle through the depths of mind numbing confusion and irrevocable brokenness.  Many are crazed and self medicated.  The lost of the lost, or so it was I thought.

I’m not as sure that a dualism exists any longer.  A single solitary factor has crept into my conceivable existence.  This lone factor sees that all are brought low under the same decaying conditional reality.  The Plague is that condition.  Corrupting and contaminating everything within its grasp, the Plague tears apart the world at the seams and burrows into the darkest and most intimate hollows of consciousness.  It resides almost everywhere.

At first the destructive dark agent infiltrates into basic patterns of thought and action, but once it has taken hold it blossoms in its full overpowering forms.  Culminating in death of morality, self, and sanity, the Plague has taken its toll for generations upon the witless and defenseless inhabitants of Inops.  Most believe that Inops is the origin of the Plague’s dark design, and that it resides predominately there.  Yet, I have come to find this to be false, and what is more regrettable is that I have found it to dwell in all the districts which I have witnessed.  In some ways it is better understood in Inops, for it seems that the inhabitants of Copiosus feel that instead of dealing with it they must brush it under a rug.

It is true that wherever the Plague exists there also exists shame.  Yet, whereas in Inops the shame is self evident upon the faces of the inhabitants who bear the physical manifestations of the dreadful scourge, it manifests itself differently in Copiosus.  Instead of treading upon the inhabitants self esteem and lacking self-worth, the Plague causes suspicious secrecy and blindness within the walls of Copiosus.  It’s most sinister presence is revealed when it is most severely ignored.  Such is the condition of those under its noxious affects.

Never the less, all of this in mind, I felt the false calm presiding over my body as I drew closer to the house inside the wealthy cities well fortified defenses.  A part of me yearned for the streets of Inops where at least human life was often present; the emptiness here did as much to cause my discomfort as any amount of symptoms would.  Being of the order, I did my best to gather my wits upon arriving at the door.

Once inside I realized that my original suspicions were as accurate as ever, and as I looked at the poor youth expiring upon the bed I felt the deep pangs of loss within my blood.  I wasn’t sure if I could save him, and even if I could have I would not know at what cost until the deed was done.  My time was limited and the healers in the area few.  As such I had to watch as though helpless.  Such is often my lot.

The only way to avert the Plague is with compassion and steady strengthening.  The Great Physician is the only one who can fully cure the disease, although those of my caliber can slow it with heavy exertion.  As such, I looked about myself as I stood within the chamber and took note of that which I could see.  Sadly, it appeared no different from any other home that side of Copiosus, and it was only through minute details that I could determine the general origin and occupation of the family.

On the outside everything appeared normal and fine.  Warm photographs with bright smiles lined bookshelves and the mantelpiece, but as I surveyed the poor boy lying in agony I saw what the pictures could not show: seclusion, loneliness, and broken hearts.  A broken heart is possibly the closest thing to defining the actual condition of the plague.  Looking into the boy’s eyes I saw the same shame, fear, and sorrow that plagued those in Inops, yet this was worse.  It was worse because for his entire life this boy had been told that he was better off than those who he now unknowingly resonated with.  He was for the first time feeling what it meant to be human.

I knelt down beside him and put a hand on his shoulder.  I asked his name and what he wanted to do with his life.  At first the talk came slowly and with much trouble.  The Plague almost always inhibits even the most basic actions of compassion.  Yet, as we talked I saw the hope that I had hoped for.  We talked for hours, but it seemed like seconds had flown by.  In time I would come to show him the true healing that there is, but for a time I would be that hope as much as I could.

I knew what he was going through.  He wasn’t suffering from an Inops or Copiosus’ Plague, but the human condition.  He was choking on the fumes that come from our fallen race, and as I stood beside him to face that darkness I would come to show him that only one can change that.  I was sick too.  Still am sometimes.  I’m human, but I know there’s a way out.