Daily Wisdom 06-04-2001 Medicine Man

Timothy heard a knock at the door. A solid, confident knock. Most visitors he ignored, as he was too weak now to get to the door without considerable effort, and he didn't want to waste his effort on salesmen, which, it seemed, were all that ever came to his door lately. Timothy usually sat or reclined near the window that afforded him a view of the front porch so he could size up his visitors without moving much. As he looked out on this occasion, he saw a man whom he had never seen the likes of before. He held no briefcase and was dressed modestly, but neatly. Timothy decided to answer the door, and he pulled open the window, and called "I'll be right there," in the direction of the porch.

The sickness had showed itself in young Timothy about five years ago, during a vacation in the mountains. He had noticed a numb sensation in his legs during a trail hike. It seemed to grow in intensity over the next few days and though he would normally have dismissed it, he visited the doctor. He found that what he had was incurable and would result in his eventual death. The sickness would slowly weaken and kill him.

In his subsequent fight to find the cure for the incurable, Timothy had met all manner of self-proclaimed healers and quacks. He spent much money and time in his pursuit of therapies, none of which really worked. Mind games, foul-tasting elixirs, incantations and various other "medicines" filled his days. But, he had tried them all it seemed. For Timothy, life had become a waiting game.

Timothy opened the door to find the stranger patiently waiting, a slight smile on his face.

"I think you have the wrong address. Try two doors down," said Timothy, in an attempt to save himself time, money and heartache.

"I have your cure. Do you want it?" said the man, in a firm but sympathetic tone.

"Look, let's just get this all out in the open right off the bat. How much is this gonna cost me?"

"This is not one of those 'visualize your self getting well' things, is it? I've tried that. I'm not getting well."

"This cure is real. But, it will require your trust. You must believe that I can indeed heal you."

Timothy invited the man in, and either the most eye-opening conversation or the most bald-faced deception he had ever experienced took place in his living room. According to the stranger, everyone in the world had the disease Timothy had. It was hereditary, passed from one generation to another. The symptoms weren't always the same in everyone, and not everyone recognized it as early in their lives as Timothy had, but the result was always the same. No one survived, unless of course this stranger cured him or her. It seemed a little far-fetched to Timothy, but it was indeed a unique story. No one had told him this one before.

Was the man crazy? The way he held himself and the words he said didn't hint at mental illness, at least no mental illness Timothy had encountered. He was sharp, quick-witted and confident in speech. For all Timothy knew, he could be telling the truth.

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