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Once upon a time a boy was born in the city of Self. The city of Self was a vast open space that stretched as far as the eye could see. As the boy grew so did the city of Self. Through the power of the boy's mind the city grew and grew to whatever his heart desired. He could create towers, buildings, gardens, roads, and whatever his imagination could conjure.
As the boy lived and grew he came across feelings and emotions. One time the boy became so scared he couldn't move. This feeling of fear was something new for the boy. He didn't like it, not one bit. Along the edge of the city of Self, a brick plopped into existence from the boy's fear. This brick remained alone on the outskirts of the city of Self until the next time boy felt vulnerable. As time moved on more and more bricks were placed together. From the boy's fear, hurt, and pain, these bricks began to form a wall. As the boy grew, so did the city of Self, but now so did the wall. The boy felt he must need protection from being hurt or scared and the wall could give him protection.
Slowly, the city of Self, became the walled-up city of Self. Protected from all things that may harm the boy. The walled-up city of Self was still a beautiful and amazing place. Massive hanging gardens overlooking the bluest lakes the world had ever seen. Towering buildings shot into the atmosphere above. The boy continued to create what the boy wanted to see and be, but so did the wall. The hurt he felt and fear that scared him made the wall tall and thick. So the walled-up city of Self was now completely surrounded. The monstrous walls now matched the tallest of tall skyscrapers.
Every once in a while someone would wander by the walled-up city of Self. They would come to the front gate, now firmly locked, and ask the boy if they could come in. The boy would feel the excitement he had back when he was young and go to open the gate. Only to stop just short of actually opening it when the thoughts of fear and hurt would return. He carried on living in the walled-up city of Self, safe and secure. Throughout time people would come and go from the gates. Sometimes the boy knew they were hurt or had their own fears and he would try to help them the best he could from the large gates of the walled-up city of Self. They could see into the walled-up city of Self; just glimpses of the magic that laid behind the walls. The boy would tell them everything would be okay and that they need to make a city for themselves. They could be as free as they wanted to and just needed to believe once again in themselves. They would leave the gates of the walled-up city of Self feeling better and once again able to not be afraid to venture out into the world. And so, this is how the boy lived.
His encounters with people were not always good. Every few years, it seemed, he would actually let them into the walled-up city of Self. They got to enjoy the wonders behind the walls and things could not have ever been better. This is, until the hurt came. They were exiled and the fear returned, looming over the walled-up city of Self. The boy withdrew into the protection of the walls and the city went dark. Eventually, the boy would return to the days of old and the walled-up city of Self lived and breathed once again. This cycle happened many times in the boys life. All the while, the walls grew taller and thicker. Sometimes just by a brick and sometimes by miles and miles. But they boy lived on and so did the walled-up city of Self.
One day, the boy was playing within the safety of walls. When he looked up to see someone peering over the edge of the walls. He asked what they were doing and the voice of a girl asked the same thing back. He said he was playing and living in this city. She asked if she could do the same. The boy had never seen a visitor like this in all his time in the walled-up city of Self. The boy thought to himself, how can she just look over the walls right into my city. For years the walls had stood firm and never been broken. Yet there she was atop the tallest stretch of the wall; looking right at him. He felt for the first time in a long time, panic. He was panicked because this was something new, something he had never encountered before in all his time in the walled-up city of Self. He told her to wait outside while he had time to think. So for day and days he sat in the towers of the walled-up city of Self and thought. Oh, did he think.
Occasionally, he would walk to the gate and peer out the bars to the fields outside the city. He watched the girl play and live without fear. He watched her encounters with other people. He saw the care that she gave them. On one of the days after the person left, the girl sat crying in those fields. The colors that usually surrounded her became dim and dull as she sat, hands in tears, in the fields outside the walled-up city of Self. He wanted to run to her. He wanted to hold her and say that everything would be okay and that she need not be afraid anymore. But something was holding him back. Behind the bars of the gates of the walls that contained the walled-up city of Self. He felt sad for her, but safe from everything else. The days went on and girl returned to her colorful self. She played and he began to think about opening the doors. But he needed to ask her a few more questions.
He called out to the girl and she came to the large gates of the walled-up city of Self. She looked at him between the bars and he asked her why she was outside the walls playing. He asked if she was okay from when she was sad. He asked what she wanted from him. So there they stood. The girl did not respond for some time. The boy just waited. Finally the girl smiled at the boy and walked forward. The gates of the walled-up city of Self opened even though the boy had not commanded them to open up for the girl. The girl and the boy now stood eye to eye. The girl said that the walls do not protect the boy. The boy felt weak and vulnerable. But the boy stood tall and asked why. The girl, still smiling, said that walls had stood too long and that she could see clearly into the walled-up city of Self and straight to the boy within those walls. The boy felt naked. The girl said that all along she could see the boy and the city of Self, that she had wanted to come to the city in order to learn and know the boy. The boy feeling so afraid but so calm understood that the girl knew more about him than anyone had in a long time. Through the gates and walls, she had seen what he was, is, and will be, and continued to wait for the boy to be accepting of the fact that the walls didn't protect him from fear or hurt but only prevented him from living and loving.
So the boy and the girl looked at each other. For the very first time the boy looked just like himself and the girl smiled. Then a sound that started with a crack, became a rumble, and then a crash. The walls of the the walled up city of Self began to crumble and crash from the skies above to the ground below. The girl laughed and held out her hand. The boy smiled and held her hand as they walked and explored the city of Self. The boy knew that the girl may leave once she had seen everything in the city of Self but for once he was glad. He was glad that someone could see all that had been created. The city of Self stood tall and proud from that day on.
And without the walls around the city of Self; you are, I am, everyone is...
