THE GLASS IDOL OF HOPE
3/03/08
There once was a glassmaker who lived in a small village. He was known for making very special glass figurines. Some people thought his figurines were magical and could make wishes come true. The glass maker was an old man and had no children. His wife had passed away many years ago and the glass maker was very lonely.
His name was famous throughout the land, and his work was sought by kings and queens and wealthy merchants, and several of his best figurines were cherished highly by museums around the world. One day as he opened his shop a note was left in his door. The note was unsigned and said; Please make me a life size figurine that would be admired by all who see it. It must be made of colored glass, but be extremely brilliant when shone in sunlight. Also it must be of your highest quality,as it will be a symbol of hope and pride for millions of people. I will return for this figurine in one month. Enclosed is a draft for a gold deposit held for you in the local bank, as part payment for your work. The remainder of your payment will be given to you upon my return in one month time.
The glassmaker was confused by this odd request for a full sized figurine made of colored glass. He had never created a full sized figurine , yet his creations were always admired for their brilliance and were said to bring hope and luck to all who owned them. The glassmaker entered his shop and looked about his shelves for a color of glass that he might consider to use for a full sized figurine . He thought for several minutes of what the figurine should look like, what it should resemble if it were to resemble hope.
He went to his work bench and took out a piece of paper and began to draw a man. The man would be tall , and handsome, he would be dressed well, and have a pleasing smile. He would be a man who all men would be proud to have as their son, yet he would have to have a greater stature than most men. He would have to appear ellusive and mysterious, yet with a common appeal to him that would make all men wish to possess him. He must be so perfectly created, that no one would dare criticize it’s beauty, and all would admire every aspect of it.
As the glass maker drew he became overwhelmed by the thought of creating the perfect symbol of hope embodied in a glass figurine. As he drew each detail he was overcome with sadness at the loss of his wife and lack of a son or daughter. As he drew each fine detail of the figurine he saw it come to life on the paper. He felt a surge of excitment overwhelm him as though he were witnessing the birth of his own son. He focused upon the force that he felt until each unique aspect of his creation was drawn to perfection. Once he was completed he fired up his furnace and began to prepare to make the casting. He worked feverishly thoughout the day and night , until the right amount of glass was made for his full sized figurine. Exhausted , he sat in his chair near the large table and fell asleep.
As he slept he dreamt. He saw standing before him a tall , handsome man wearing a well tailored suit. Though the glass maker was dreaming he thought he was awake. He thought that the man standing before him was the same man who left him the note the day before. In his dream he rose to greet the tall man and asked him,”Are you the one? ” The tall , dark man smiled at the glassmaker and replied;”Yes I am the one.” The glass maker then asked him his name, and the man replied, “I am “Hope”.
The tall man extended his hand in greeting to the glass maker and smiled saying; “I am the one you created in your drawing, and I have come to aid you in creating me . I am appearing before you so you may get a better idea of what I will look like once you have finished creating my image.” The glassmaker was amazed at what he saw. It was the exact image he had drawn. In his dream he heard the man speak, and saw him move, and come to life. He made a mental note of every aspect of his creation as it appeared in life before him. After several hours of sleep and dream, the glass maker was startled awake by the wind that had blown opened the front door of the shop. It was late winter, and the wind was strong and cold . The glass maker rose from his chair and went over to the front door to close it when he saw the long dark shadow of the village church steeple as the morning sun rose behind it and cast a shadow on the snow covered street. The shadow was black and shone like onyx against the white snow. He looked at the shadow for several minutes from behind the large glass display window of his shop. The color of the figurine would be that color. It would be black against white, and shine like pure onyx. It would stand tall in the sun as the figure of a man. The glass maker could not wait to begin his work again, to create the identical color he saw as he looked at the shadow in the street.
The days past by quickly as the glassmaker worked . He barely rested, but a few hours each night until he had completed the glass figure. It stood as tall as the man in his dream. It was gleeming in the sunlight as brilliant and handsome as any sculpture known to man. His final brush of polish was applied to the figure and buffed to a brilliant shine.
As the glassmaker sat down to admire his finished work an elderly man entered the shop. He was near the same age as the glassmaker, but he wore fine boots and a fur trimmed coat, and had the heir of royalty. The glass maker greeted him and asked him what he could do for him. The well dressed customer saw the full sized figure of glass, and could not take his eyes off it. He could not reply to the glassmaker , until he was asked again if he could be helped. The man smiled gratiously at the glassmaker and said ; ” Yes I am the man who left you the note, to create this full sized figure of hope, and I can see you have done wonderfully. This is greater than I had imagined. I noticed you did not present the draft I left you for partial payment, I would like to give you the full amount now and pay you anything you ask. I will take the figure with me. It will first be presented to all the dignitaries of the country, and then displayed before every man , women , and child as a symbol of hope and good fortune to smile upon them. ”
The glassmaker was astounded that his work should be given such high esteem and said that he would not accept payment for this work, but would give it his countrymen as his gift of hope and promise for the future. The well dressed man became overwhelmed by the glassmaker’s generosity and offered him his thanks and the highest esteem of the government, and an invitiation to the unveiling ceremony. The glass maker declined the invitation and said he was rewarded enough at being granted the assignment, to create such a symbol to mankind. The man then turned toward the door and said he would have several men come to pick up the figure that afternoon, and thanked the glassmaker again, and went out the door into the street.
The old glass maker sat back in his chair and admired his creation, but the thought occurred to him that if his creation was to be a symbol of hope for mankind, would it not become an idol. He wondered if in his enthuisasm he overlooked the ulitmate meaning of his assignment. He pondered the idea, that hope can not and should not be embodied in a glass figure. Hope can not be made of glass. Hope has no color, or polished finish. Hope is a gift from the divine. The glass maker’s pride in his creation became shame. He could no longer look upon his creation without realizing what he had created was a glass idol, that would be worshipped by mankind. He could not accept it, but decided not to destroy it; instead he would sand off much of the perfect details, and present it to the world defected, as men really are. A rough ,unfinished creation, cast in darkness.
L.A. STEEL
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