The Tao of Dark Sages
by Scott Bradley
by Scott Bradley
Editor’s Note: As it turned out, everyone had ample opportunity to consider Mark-tzu’s suggestion. The Kailash Valley, where our sages were hidden away, is quite close to the Afghan border and unfortunately got caught up momentarily in the supposed “War on Terror”. Thus local friends admonished us all to stay hidden in their lodgings until the tide of war receded.
It is true that Taliban remnants were making use of the valley and its tributaries to play hide and seek with American and Afghan forces in Afghanistan, but when the Pakistani Army decided to root them out, the locals, needless to say, got involved.
Since times immemorial these people have fought tenaciously to preserve their independence and attempts by Pakistan to once again bring them into line with the central government did not go unchallenged. Thus, for more than a week there was skirmishing between not only the Taliban and army, but between the locals and the army, as well. In the end, the army decided they’d lost enough men and done enough damage to show the Americans — who were pouring in their billions of dollars for the general exercise—that they were serious.
Now might be a good time to mention a few things about this area and its people. The wider region is known to the Pakistani government as Kafirstan. “Kafir” meaning pagan, “stan” meaning land. (Thus Hindustan, the land of Hindus, Rajasthan, the land of the rajas, Pakistan...you get the picture.)
The people of the Kailash Valley are not traditionally Muslim, but are said to have a religion without a god. This is saying a lot when one considers how difficult it must be to live as a tiny island of "infidels" in a sea of militant Islamists.
For Islam, which means "submission", believes its mission is to ensure that all likewise submit. That these people have for so long refused to submit, is a testament to their independent spirit and tenacity. And it made them equally welcoming to other nonconformists, our dark sages. Thus, these warnings having been scrupulously heeded, our little band only met again after ten days in hiding.
If you're interested in reading more from this series by Scott Bradley, go here.
I sure wish that the world was not so intent on enforcing "one size fits all," no matter what the topic. In fact, one size fits no one well, and we'd be a much richer planet in every sense if diversity and differences were at least respected if not honored. Thanks for this post as I am woefully ignorant about that part of the world and I learned a lot.
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