Mystery

Mystery is dangerous, particularly to those on the right handed path, in the village.  Those in the village want definition, those in the village seek out concrete answers.

Yet concrete answers can lead to more conflict and in turn tear the village apart.   

A role of the left handed path is to bring mystery to the village, to those on the right handed path.  There has to be balance, to much mystery, and things fall apart, too little mystery and things fall apart. 

Those on the right handed path seek concreteness 

Those on the left handed path seek out mystery

For those on the left handed path, there is an internal drive, a desire to seek the unknown, to see what hasn't been seen.   Those on the left handed path recognize the role of mystery, of the unknown, of not understanding, of only being able to grasp at it.  Those on the left handed path revel in the Tao, for the Tao that can be known is not the eternal Tao.  

But on the left handed path, alone, mystery is not dangerous, it is curiosity, it drives us further and further away from home, where we can learn and we can engage.

The right handed path needs some mystery, which is why the Village must welcome the traveller, the village, those on the right handed path, must embrace the traveller and listen to their stories so that the Village knows there are other ways to exist, not that they have to cease doing things the way they are doing, but must realize that not all is set in stone, that creativity is important, that things should not and can not be done just because thats the way it was always done, some problems need new solutions, some old ways need to be reanalyzed.  

In our current religious context, we are losing the mystery, at least within the Christian context.  Western Christianity has ignored the mystery of the trinity, the mystery of resurrection, the mystery of the eucharist.  To often we give concrete answers to questions that do not actually have answers, we have forgotten how to dwell in the mystery of the events that occurred in the life of Jesus, in the way God works in the world.  

Those on the left handed path, continue to seek mystery, those on the right handed path, do not be afraid to listen to the stories of those on the road.