To meditate
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The power of the black door
Once upon a time, in the land of a thousand and one nights, there was a king who was heavily criticized for his acts of war. Once he had taken all his enemies prisoner, he invited them into a great hall.
The king was shouting:
- I will give you one last chance. Look to your right.
They all turned their heads toward a row of soldiers armed with bows and arrows, ready to shoot at them.
- Now, said the king, look all to the left.
In that direction, the prisoners could glimpse a gigantic black door of a Dantesque appearance, inlaid with bloodstained human skulls, emaciated hands, and pieces of putrefying corpses. A door of an infernal aspect... that made them shudder with horror.
The king was positioned in the center of the room
- Listen to me all. What do you desire most? To die pierced by the arrows of my archers, or to try your luck and cross the threshold of the black gate? Decide, I will respect the choice of your free will…
All the prisoners exhibited the same behavior: when it came time to make up their minds, they would approach the giant door, cast a tormented glance at it, and declare their decision, trembling:
- We would rather die under your arrows!
None of them dared to open the door, imagining what unbearable fate they would find behind it.
But one day, the war was over. And a soldier who had once been part of the archers' firing squad dared to question the king:
- You know, great king, I have always wondered what was behind the black door.
The king replied:
- Do you remember that I gave the prisoners a choice? They could push the porter or opt for a certain death. Well, you, go open the black door!
The soldier, trembling, complied, and the door creaked open on its massive hinges. A pure ray of sunlight swept across the tiled floor. Then the soldier swung the door wide open. Light flooded the room. It came from a verdant landscape. The soldier saw a path winding up through the trees. And he understood: this path was the path to freedom!
We all have a black door in our minds. For some, it is the fear of the unknown; for others, it is a difficult client, frustration, the fear of ridicule, of risk, of being rejected, of innovating, of changing…
But if it is true that we can lose, it is equally true that we can win! Behind the fear lies a ray of sunshine. Behind the apparent chaos, there may be a new stage in your life, happier, more serene. Do not despair in times of crisis… move forward without fear. Decide to triumph!
Courage is the resistance to fear: the mastery of fear, not its absence.
Mark Twain