Keeper of the Trees - Softcover

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

D. Rodney Blanks is a licensed professional counselor who has dedicated his professional career to the treatment of addictive disorders. He holds a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology, and is board certified in his field both nationally and internationally. Dr. Blanks' technical writing experience spans more than twenty-five years, and he holds twelve copyrights for substance abuse treatment manuals. He has produced volumes of training materials for healthcare professionals, and has been published in the Southern Medical Journal. Dr. Blanks is currently a consultant and educator, and produces clinical documentation for psychiatric and substance abuse treatment facilities in several states. He is an avid student of human nature, and has traveled extensively in North America.

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The Keeper of the Trees is an epic tale that chronicles the adventures, adversities, and longings of three generations of Monarch who ruled mythical Oxymora. The story takes place in a primeval world doomed to cataclysmic destruction by collision with a passing star. Facing the inevitability of apocalyptic demise, humankind is left searching for hope, meaning, and direction amid despair, aimlessness, and chaos. Only the few who follow The Way of the Ascetic remain above the time-bound and fear-filled future, finding comfort and meaning in the face of impending doom.

As the saga unfolds, each of the three central characters faces hardships, misfortunes, and calamities which exemplify humankind's duplicity. In their struggles to resolve the eternal conflict between reason and passion, each in his own way and time searches for The Life that Is, discovering through adversity that faith is not always logical, nor logic faithful.

The Keeper of the Trees illumines realities that apply to us all that each generation strives for a higher purpose than the last; that the Way for one is not the Way for all; that when we know that we know nothing, we know that we have learned something; that regardless of how we find truth, it is more valuable than knowledge or wisdom or goodness; that each moment has its own purpose and its own eternity, for no matter where we are, or when it is, it is always here, it is always now.

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The Ascetic looked up from the fire and fixed his eyes on Aleph's face. Aleph gripped the seat of his chair, overpowered by the Ascetic's consuming gaze. "I've been expecting you, Aleph," the Ascetic said. "Welcome!"

Aleph's head jerked up, his eyes widened, his breath quickened. "And just how is it that you know my name, and how did you know I was coming?"

"I know those who follow the Way," the Ascetic replied warmly with a kind smile. Aleph looked intently into the old man's time-hewn face. The rosy cheeks, the curious tilt of his head, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, and his eyes those tranquil cobalt pools that captured Aleph's very soul. This was a face of kindness and Aleph began to relax. "I feel that justice has been ill served to me," Aleph said. "Banishment seems a bit excessive for such a small deed."

"If you choose to indulge yourself in what is just or unjust, you should follow the Precepts," the Ascetic said. "The Way is for those who do not want what they deserve. The Way is for those who seek mercy."

"I followed the Way to find the comfort I was seeking, but it has only brought me loneliness," Aleph said, "and loneliness is a poor companion."

"Then why not live your life like the Hedons immerse yourself in revelry to avoid the loneliness?" the Ascetic asked.

"I have seen the eyes of those who abandon themselves to purposeless merriment and I judge their loneliness even greater than mine. They are ghosts with blank stares of breathing death." Aleph shook his head. "No, Ascetic, I do not wish to spend my life seizing and squeezing every breath of decadence from my remaining time."

"Perhaps you will be one who never grows comfortable with your beliefs."

"And if I do not, what will happen to me?" Aleph asked.

"You will continue to find challenges," the Ascetic replied. "You will continue to grow."

"I only want to do what is right."

"And where do you suppose you will get the wisdom to judge what is right?" the Ascetic asked.

"What do you mean?" Aleph asked. "I have been taught right from wrong all my life."

The Ascetic smiled. "When things turn out the way you believe they should, you label them right. When things do not turn the way you believe they should, you label them wrong. It is better for now that you look only to the consequences of your actions and judge them by your pain, for what is right for one may not be right for another." Aleph gazed pensively out to sea. "I spent much time thinking about my consequences for following the Way while I drifted out there," he said. "My consequences were grave, but I cannot believe that following the Way is wrong for me."

"Logical conclusions often cannot be drawn from emotional experiences," the Ascetic said.

Aleph was quiet for a time. "Why is the Way so misunderstood?" he finally asked.

The Ascetic smiled. "Perhaps it is not misunderstood. Perhaps it is only feared as something which might lead people away from the church."

"Ah, the church!" Aleph exclaimed. "It is the only thing which has caused me more pain than following the Way. It angers me to see the Churchwardens hawking salvation to those who fear punishment, multiplying their coffers in proportion to the amount of terror they instill in their followers."

"Are there not those of the church who do right?" asked the Ascetic.

"Well," Aleph said thoughtfully, "I suppose that many do perform good deeds, but they do so only for selfish reasons. They believe that if they are good enough and perform the right ceremonies they can earn their way into the Place of Eternal Comfort."

"Then which is the greater sin, Aleph, doing wrong for the right reason or doing right for the wrong reason?"

"But it is only the promise of reward that sparks their goodness," Aleph protested.

"And what about you, Aleph? What kind of rewards do you expect for your goodness?"

Aleph thought for a moment. "It is the Way to give and to serve without thought of reward," he said. "I only do good for the sake of making things better."

"Then are you not rewarded by knowing what good you have done?"

Aleph hung his head. "You are right, Ascetic. I suppose I think that my very existence depends upon having a purpose for my existence. When I have no purpose, I have no hope, no future. I have seen many a life taken by its own hand when all noble reasons for living were lost. I think that I too would welcome death if I had no purpose."

"Then would your death serve a greater purpose than your life?" the old man asked.

"You have taught me well that am not wise enough to judge such things," Aleph replied.

"Ascetic, how am I ever to know my direction?"

The Ascetic smiled. "Some follow because they do not know how to lead. Others lead because they do not know how to follow. It matters not what direction you choose, for even if you think it wrong, you will learn something."

Aleph gazed into the fire. "You are certainly right about one thing, Ascetic I do not have the wisdom to judge right from wrong."

"Then how do you know I am right?" the Ascetic asked with a smile.