Making the Best of Death by Torture
An unforgettable story a friend told me some years ago…
A band of Iroquois natives captured a Jesuit missionary in the Ontario wilderness in the 17th century. The Jesuit expected – as was the custom with captured missionaries by this particular tribe of Indians – to be tortured for several days and then finally burnt to death.
In case you don’t know… death by fire is very slow and painful. The Jesuit wasn’t looking forward to that. Plus, a week of torture, beforehand, wasn’t much to his liking either.
It was one of those “let this cup passeth me by” moments.
“Before you begin your torture,” said the French priest to the Iroquois, “I have something of great value to you.”
“What’s that?” they asked.
“A magic ointment that would make you invincible in battle,” said the Jesuit. He took from his bag a bottle filed with a paste. “Any part of your body will become invincible when you apply this holy ointment.”
“Show us,” they said. “Show us how your magic ointment works.”
“Very well,” said the Jesuit, “but if I prove to you it’s magic and show you how to make your own, do you promise to let me live?”
“Yes,” they promised.
“On your word,” asked the priest.
“On our word,” said the Indians.
“Alright,” said the Jesuit. He put his hand in the bottle and scooped up the ointment spreading it all over his neck. “Have your strongest man thrust his tomahawk as fast and as hard as he can at my bare neck.”
The Indians looked at each other in amazement. But they motioned to a tree stump. The Jesuit calmly walked over and placed his head down. One of the Indians raised his axe and brought it down…
…and the Jesuit’s head rolled away – the rest of his body falling dead to the ground.
Talk about making the best of a bad situation…
The Jesuit had already come to terms with the fact his time on earth had come to an end. His goal was not to save his life, but merely to avoid torture. He tricked them into killing him quickly and relatively painlessly.
Sometimes, I guess, it’s good to lower your expectations.
It also, shows, that the Jesuit was not too attached to his body.
Such non-attachment to our current state of existence is an issue I deal with a lot in The Redemption of Talafi (my upcoming metaphysical fantasy). The reflection we see each day in the mirror, along with its name, belongings and accomplishments, will only be with us for a relatively short time. Yet we put so much stock in it.
The Redemption of Talafi looks at how our experiences in this life are but a short scene in the grand performance of our existence.
I’ll be releasing part one (at no cost) of The Redemption of Talafi soon. I’m in the midst of (slowly) setting up a special section of the website for the virtual book release. If you’d like to see the cool header I designed, click here.
Namaste,
John C. A. Manley
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About the Author: John C. A. Manley writes writes spiritual science fiction and fantasy novellas. He's been practicing Kriya Yoga since 1996. For three years he lived in in hindu monastery in the mountains of of Southern California. He currently lives in Stratford, Ontario with his wife Nicole, son Jonah and cat Astral. Click here to read more or click here to subscribe to his MetaphysicalSF email column. |