CONQUERING FEAR OF DEATH
The Dying Youth's Divine Reply

In his laughter he had often heard the echo of God's merriment. This laughing youth of many charms lay dying in a hut, yet the blast of illness was unable to wither his smiles. The doleful doctors came and said to him, "But a day, but a day, we give you to live."

The dear ones of his family cried aloud, "Leave us not, poor youth of our hearts, our souls are bursting for thee, for thy plight."

The smiles of the youth grew brighter and he joyously and pityingly spoke in a voice of song, "Ah, just a day, yea, but a day between me and my long-lost Beloved. Yea, the hours of the day are slow to die. When they have expired, my Beloved will open the prison gates of my life and embrace me in Her infinite arms, the balloon of life will break, and the imprisoned breath of life will cross the mortal shore and reach my immaculate kingdom of dainty dreams, where no nightmares of illness will dare to cross the threshold of my peace.

"I am the billow of the sea; in the sea I will be free. I am dust of light; I will swim in the stars. I am a drop of ambrosia; I will be a sea of nectar. I am the river of the moon; I will melt in iridescence. My nightmare of desires has ceased, my dreams of grief are broken, the light of laughter has awakened. The lamp of many lives, flickering over my earthliness, is extinguished forever. My light has plunged into the divine light and is playing over the splendors of eternity. The shadows of fanciful fears have slipped away, and the infinite light has spread over the dark nooks of my soul.

"I am making preparations with laughter and songs. I have clothed all my thoughts with new robes. I have asked my reverent feelings to sing a celestial chorus, and I have roused all the inhabitants living in the villa of inspiration to observe this gala day for me—the day of my entry into the infinite kingdom as a son of the King of Peace. I have asked the sentries of my will and determination to banish all sad inhabitants from my kingdom and kill the Satan of fear, pain, sorrow and attachment, at sight. My celebration of entering the bliss kingdom must be attended only with laughter and songs—no timidity or dark sorrow will be allowed to join my festivity. All the subjects of my mortal kingdom are roused today to continuous unleashed watchful merriment. They are all waiting to welcome the entry of the divine messenger, delightful death, when he will come to open the latch of finitude and let them out into the free kingdom of infinity.

"All the inmates of my consciousness are rejoicing to leave this mortal prison, where they have been lashed with worries, thrown into the dungeons of uncertain, unsafe living, and constantly pounded by accidents, failure, disease and unhappiness. My inmates are glad to dump the broken cage of brittle bones and throw the cage of flesh into the fire of infinity, letting the bird of paradise out to soar in the skies of blissful omnipresence. The in mates of my life are quiveringly, joyously waiting for the slow hours to pass by, in order to welcome Savior Death to come of his own sweet accord and let them into his kingdom at his sovereign command.

"Oh, dear ones," the youth continued, "rejoice in my joy on the eve of my freedom from the mortal prison—long before you. For me no breaking of bones, no accidents, no fear of failure or financial loss will ever exist; no thought of unpaid bills will ever keep sawing through my mind, no greed for possessions will ever be gnawing at my soul. No discourtesies, nor naggings, nor quarrels, nor pain, nor disease will ever dare make a noise when all the doors of my senses are closed, for I will be out roaming with my Beloved on the tracts of cosmic freedom. Pray do not wish me to be back in your prison, just to join you helplessly in your chorus of wails. But if it is needed I will gladly come a million times, wearing the robes of immortality, to take you out of your mortal prison to my home of blessed freedom.

"I am free! I will soon be out! But it will be sad to look at you through your prison bars of mortal life, locked up in your misery-making mundane prison.

"'Tis now less than a day, as the doctors say. I shall be gone on my infinite way. No music is sweeter than the song I shall sing every moment, 'Now less than a day. Less than a day, 'til my Beloved comes in the dazzling chariot of Death to take me away, to take me away to the kingdom of deathlessness, to the palace of bliss-dreams, far, far, away.

"You weep for me dark tears, weeping for your loss in me, but I weep for you joyous tears, because I am going before you, for your welfare's sake, to light candles of wisdom all the way, and will wait to welcome you there, where I shall be with my Only Beloved and yours."