"The symphony" a parable

The Symphony

 

Once there was a banker who dutifully worked his job, entertained friends at his home, held a few close friendships, donated to charities, and ultimately died a happy old bachelor. Yet over the years, he held a secret in his heart, and it was this: he had always wanted to be a musician. In fact, he spent his whole life writing one piece of music and on piece of music only, a great symphony. Nobody knew that he had transmuted all his experiences, hidden longings, and labyrinthine desires into the rhythms and melodies of this wonderful piece.

Being bashful, and not entirely believe he had any talent in the first place, he shelved the project, and when he died, nobody had any idea of it. But Ama knew of it head from foot, and sung the symphony in her heart, which is also the allheart. The banker never heard her singing his song, but after he died, this was all he heard, and his consciousness filled the symphony as his own personal heaven.

Eventually, somebody ran across the musical transcripts, and passed them along till at last they fell into the hands of a musician. This composer in fact didn't think much of the melody, but accidentally was influenced by it. The works it inspired brought men and women in touch with the banker's heaven, and he could feel their hearts, and he could touch them back.

Finally, the music fell into the hands of a musician able to appreciate it, and for the first time since it was created, it was performed for an eager audience: then was the banker's heaven filled with the hearts and spirits of myriads of men women and children.

Ama, meanwhile, inspired sapient beings across the galaxy with similar symphonies, and these too reached the bankers heaven, and with gratitude felt his passion and were changed thereby.

Through all this, the banker's heaven grew thicker and more complex, and the symphony itself grew more nuanced, fuller, wider, and infinite, and both he and Ama were grateful that in life we are given a heart to create.