Hey I’m Trevor, 18, from South Florida and I’m an aspiring philosohper I guess you could say. I’m going to college at Vanderbilt next Summer and philosophy will very likely be my major
I have a short story I wrote for my school recently; it is not great or too deep: I can’t remember taking too long on it, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.
As Zachariah trudged along the path, he began to realize that he noticed things that others did not. To his horror, he found that people were blind to the truths he found and that his ideals were different. He had learned from his experience, that difference was wrong and that people who are different are bad. Zachariah was upset about this realization and sought to change the things about himself that set him apart, but the more he did this, the more of an outcast he felt.
“To leave one’s true self, is to be the most true outcast,†Zachariah said to himself one night, and when he woke up the next day, he sought to find who he truly was.
Continuing along the path, Zachariah took another route from the others. “I need some time alone he said, I’ll meet you up ahead, brothers,†he spoke. But Zachariah discovered that the others looked down upon those who take other paths, and he soon found that he had no more brothers.
As Zachariah walked down his path, he saw that this way was not so easy. Zachariah wore no shoes, and he encountered ants, rock, and thorn, and his feet were cut. Zachariah wanted to turn back the other way, but he found that the path behind him had blown away in the wind; he realized that there was no turning back.
The seasons changed, and Zachariah felt cold and lonely. He sat down on the path and declared that he would go longer, he would simply let life pass him by until a stranger picked him up on his back and walked him the rest of the way. Zachariah laid down and looked up at the sun and felt warm, and he slept for a week straight.
When Zachariah awoke, he felt bored. He looked all around him, and saw that the path around him had no people, so he reached into his bag and opened his book. As Zachariah read, he realized that he must pick himself up. Zachariah was no deep reader, and he soon grew restless and began to walk again.
“I read only for inspiration, for to read for too long is to lose sight of one’s self,†he said, and the words fluttered by.
Zachariah found something else in books though, all his books miraculously had a map. He realized that with these maps there existed roads that others could not see; he followed one of these roads, and down them, he encountered people.
Zachariah stumbled upon a group one day and introduced himself. He found that these people were very generous, and offered him refreshments, for Zachariah had been traveling quite a long time. Zachariah wasted many hours with this group, and they chatted and were delighted with each other. When dawn broke, the group told Zachariah to follow them the next morning, but Zachariah looked down glumly and said, “my path is not your path,†and told them he wished they would meet again at another crossroads.
As Zachariah walked long and far down a path one day, he saw not people, but individuals walking around him in all different directions. Some looked forward and continued straight ahead with confidence; others looked confused, like they wanted someone to guide them but could find none. Zachariah approached these people, but few seemed interested in talking, and they swaggered off in their brisk pace. When he approached the confused, they seemed ready to talk and eager to follow, but they were not earnest, when paths grew steeper they asked to turn the other way, but Zachariah left them, not wanting to change his direction.
Zachariah trudged along and began walking in mud. His pace slowed and he grew dirty. This upset the lad, and he wished that he had not gone down such a treacherous path. Zachariah soon realized that he was overreacting though, his path was not really too hard; he scolded himself for his dramatics. “At worst, this rain could give me a cold, and my path is not so hard that I encounter snakes; I have no fear of being poisoned- continue on!†he said boldly.
Zachariah looked around himself and felt reassured that he would find his path soon. “Life is my creation, with these hands I will make myself man,†he said to himself one day, as if to reassure himself that he had power. When Zachariah peered ahead at the horizon though, he realized that he saw a path approaching. Knowing that he could not turn back, he continued forward, and soon found that all around him everyone was coming to the same point. All of them youths, he saw, whether traveling in large or small, were converging on to one point.
Zachariah realized, that he too, would have to go down this path. He knew that following down this way for now would lead to a bridge, where all other paths are made possible. Zachariah hoped that one day he would be able to find his own way down the road, but for now he would have to make steps in this direction.