Dark Side Of The Moon (585 hits)
Category: UberMadness! EntryRating: 2 on 2 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by youarsoghey (View user info) at 2004-10-21 15:50:50 EDT
This post was an official UberMadness! entry. Click here to view the original matchup.
"Look up there, Joey." Joey shifted his position so he could look up at the fully illuminated orb in the sky that lit up the grassy field they sat on.
"When the moon is lit up like that it's called a full moon. For thousands of years humans have created vicious stories and fantasies about the full moon. Werewolves are mythical creatures that are humans for most of the month, but when the moon is full, they turn into horrible monsters that stalk the night. Did you know the word "lunatic" comes from an archaic belief that people went insane toward the end of lunar cycles? Humans have spent much of their entire existence developing an evil association with the moon that is fully lit. I always thought this had to do with their inability to understand the wonderful symbolism of the moon's phases."
Joey stared up at his father who, although he was sitting in the same position as Joey, towered over his nine year-old son as he continued to study the moon with misty eyes.
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Joey sat in his 11th grade trigonometry class, but his mind wasn't focused on the angles and lines drawn all over the blackboard, it was focused on the smooth curves of Amanda Jacobson. Joey had been infatuated with Amanda since he first met her during their freshman year. She had always been very nice to Joey, and she was also very beautiful.
When the bell rang to signal the end of class, Joey asked Amanda if he could have a word with her. Once the rest of the class left, Joey spoke up and said what he had finally built up the courage to ask.
"Amanda, do you want to go see a movie Friday night or something?" Joey could feel his heart racing as it sat snugly in his throat.
"Umm...sure!" said Amanda. "I'll meet you at the theater at 7."
The days leading up to Joey's date with Amanda were some of the most exciting of his life. When Friday finally came, he spent the afternoon proclaiming excitedly to his father that he finally got a date with Amanda Jacobson. That night, as Joey sat next to Amanda in the movie theater, he leaned over and gave her the first kiss of many to follow.
Months went by during which Joey grew closer and closer to Amanda. They talked on the phone every night and confided in each other their deepest secrets. One day, Joey was sitting at the kitchen table with his father eating dinner when he suddenly made a profound statement.
"Dad, I think I love Amanda." Joey's father just smiled and continued eating.
Three weeks later, Joey went out to eat with his friends in the center of town. When they entered their favorite restaurant, Joey spotted Amanda in the back sitting at a table. He was going to call out to her until he realized that she was there with someone else. He recognized the person as a senior who played on the varsity hockey team. Just as Joey began to wonder if they were just on a friendly date, the senior hockey player leaned across the table and kissed Amanda.
Joey's heart was broken. He walked out of the restaurant without a word to any of his friends. He ran all the way home and sat down at the kitchen table where his father was preparing dinner for himself. After some coaxing from his father, Joey told him what had happened.
"...and she just kissed him, Dad. I thought we loved each other."
"Joey, do you remember what I told you a long time ago?"
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Joey's father smiled knowingly. Joey was confused and his elbows started to hurt from leaning back on them to stare up at the sky.
"Joey, you could spend all of eternity believing the moon's got just the one side. We only ever see the one facing us, you see?" He put his hands into fists to represent the Earth and the moon and spaced them a foot apart in front of Joey's face. "The moon and the Earth are huge. The moon rotates around the earth like this, but what's amazing is that it spins around like a basketball on its own axis at exactly the speed in the same direction as it's rotating around the Earth. Because of that, the same side always faces the Earth and the other side is never seen by us."
"Is it dark back there?" asked Joey.
"No," said his father. "Of course not. When the side of the moon that faces us is completely dark, the far side is experiencing full daylight, but still we never see it from Earth.
"It takes a significant amount of understanding to realize there are two sides to all things, Joey. You may spend years looking at the moon and think you know all there is to know about it, but one day you might travel up there and realize, much to your dismay, that there is a whole other side that you may or may not like compared to the side you've spent all that time studying.
"There are always going to be things about the people in your life that you don't know about. One day you may find out one of these things and it may hurt you, but it takes a lot of maturity to accept a person's faults if they are minor, or to take a stand and say that what they have done is unacceptable."
Joey looked back up at the moon and let his father's words sink in.
Joey's father looked up and said, "Maturity, Joey. Maturity breeds forgiveness, understanding, and in the last case, abandonment, but only in the last case after all other things have failed. With the proper mindset, you can explore a person's far side and learn that although you are moving further away from what you knew, you are moving closer and closer to fully understanding the person you wish to know."
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"Amanda!" cried Joey from across the quadrangle. She rushed across the grassy area and hugged Joey.
Two years before, when Amanda betrayed Joey's trust, Joey issued her an ultimatum. He said that he would forgive her if she promised, with all her heart, that she would never betray his trust again. He made it very clear to her that he was going out on a limb in trusting her again, but he believed in giving people second chances.
"Joey," said Amanda, "you know you shouldn't make me run like that. I'll pull a muscle!"
The years had passed by without many problems, and they believed their relationship was strong. However, Joey had always had a difficult time fully forgiving Amanda for betraying his trust. He knew that she had done all she could to gain it back after her mistake, but he couldn't help feeling unsure whenever she went out to party with her friends without him. This feeling of unease only increased when they both left for college after their senior year, although it wasn't all that bad since they went to the same college.
"What are you doing tonight?" asked Joey.
"I'm going to a party," said Amanda. "There's going to be lots of free beer! Are you coming with me?"
"Sorry I can't, Amanda. You know I'd love to, but I have to study for this midterm."
"Aw, you're no fun," said Amanda with a smile. "I'll call you after I get back then. I have to get to class. I'll talk you later!" Amanda walked off and Joey watched her go for a few seconds before turning and heading toward his dormitory.
Joey knew that Amanda would never do anything to hurt him again, so he wondered what made him fully trust her. When he got back to his room, he sat on his bed and tried to understand what was going through his mind. After a few hours of no new developments, he decided to do what he always did when he needed a good answer: he called his father.
"Hey, Joey," said his father. "How's college? How's Amanda?"
Joey told his father everything that had been happening and then he explained to him his quandary. After Joey had finished, his father was quiet for a few moments before he spoke.
"Joey, do you remember what I told you a long time ago?"
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A gust of wind rustled the grass on the wide plain where they sat. Joey was still trying to understand what his father meant by everything he said. After a few moments, Joey's father spoke up again.
"Long ago, an ancient Indian tribe, that used to live on this land before they were forced out by our ancestors, had many symbolic superstitions about the moon. They didn't understand that it was another celestial body orbiting the Earth in our solar system, so they invented myths to understand its significance.
"They said that the moon was a god that was brightest when the people had the most faith in it. When the people began to lose faith, the moon began to wane. When the moon became new, the people needed to reaffirm their faith in the god. It was said that if all the people in the tribe did not fully trust that the god would return, he would not and the moon would disappear forever. When the moon began to light up again, they rejoiced, for their faith was shown to be true.
"It is important to understand the significance behind this story, Joey. While the moon was dark and hidden from view, the tribe made themselves trust the God that he would return because that is exactly what they had to do. Many times in your life, you will encounter many reasons not to trust someone you love, but in paying attention to those reasons, you will miss the one most important reason you should trust them: you love them. You may not want to trust someone, but in order for love to work, you need trust. If you do not have it, you need to force yourself to have it."
Joey knew that he trusted his father, whom he loved, so he knew that one would be easy. He lay back on the grass and stared at the moon some more. His father was right about the moon, it was more interesting when you thought about it with two sides. There was so much mystery in the far side that he might never get to see.
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Joey stood at the altar waiting for Amanda. They had successfully made it through high school, college, and a working life. One day when they were both 26, Joey proposed to Amanda and she gleefully accepted.
Amanda appeared at the end of the aisle and began her long walk. When she reached the altar, Joey could see that she was crying tears of joy. The priest began the ceremony and, as instructed, asked Joey and Amanda if they had anything to say to each other.
Joey said, "Amanda, I love you, and after everything we've been through, I have learned how to trust, forgive, and understand. However, the one thing that is most important through all of this is the fact that we have consistently loved each other. Commitment is the last great quest that any sensible man must see through until death." Joey looked over at his father who was sitting in the first row. He had a big smile on his face that proved how proud he was of his son.
"My father has spent my entire life giving me nothing but good advice. I remember one thing in particular he told me a long time ago."
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"Joey, although the moon can teach us many things, there is one that rises above all. For millions of years, the moon has been in the sky. Every 28 days, it goes through a cycle that has hardly been changed since it first showed up. You may not be able to see it all the time, but the moon is always there no matter what happens. You should always strive to be as committed to whomever you love as much as the moon is committed to being in the sky.
"Just like with love, whenever you feel in doubt about whether it's there or not, just remember that there is no dark side of the moon, there is just a side on which we currently cannot see the light."
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Submitted by thaumaturge (user info) at 2005-01-18 11:58:11 EST (#)
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Submitted by Spooner (user info) at 2005-01-16 15:28:01 EST (#)
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Spectacular!