I had a premonition that the demon would come on the ninth night. Sure enough, I found him on my pillow as I was about to go to bed. He stared up at me, then commented about how he had only one night left after that one to convince me. I nodded cheerfully, then encouraged him to try his best. The little guy looked pretty depressed. Soon, though, he got to business. The little monster decided to focus on my fascination with Japan, citing in how many ways the Japanese lived productive, moral lives using a system of ethics completely contrary to that which could get me into Heaven. I was a little confused, and I asked the demon what the Japanese code of ethics had to do with my values. He looked a little downtrodden, then came up with something I felt to be pretty brilliant. He told me that, since God judges all humans with the same standard, how could it be fair to judge those who hadn’t had the same opportunities for kindness, or hadn’t been influenced in the right direction to lead good lives? I recognized that his point was valid, but I responded that the only thing that mattered was my judgment. I knew, and have known for a long time, that I would have to measure up to my own standards before I could ever measure up to God’s. The demon didn’t seem to understand what I was saying, so I went on. I told him that each person must recognize that he wishes to be good individually, and then strive towards that goal on his own terms, rather than pursuing goodness merely to please God and earn a ticket into Heaven. We must be good people for others’ sakes, and not our own. The demon was shocked, but he obviously didn’t realize how much thought I’d given to this particular brand of spiritualism. He left me to my cheery thoughts, and I had dreams of flowers and freedom.
Table of ContentsPreludeThe First NightThe Second NightThe Third NightThe Fourth NightThe Fifth NightThe Sixth NightThe Seventh NightThe Eigth NightThe Ninth NightThe Tenth NightEpilogue©2004-2009 Kris Brower All Rights Reserved