The sound of everything...

We had set out traveling a few hours before the break of dawn. The sun had risen, and the shadows its pressing rays were casting behind us, had already gotten very small. Thirsty, I asked Aslam how far we were from the next water point. He stopped and pointed forward, replying, “Just after that dune. We are very close. Be patient, brother.”

I nodded, and we resumed our slow advance through a world that was getting increasingly hotter with each passing minute. Focusing on the dune Aslam had pointed to, I tried to ignore a strong wave of fear that had suddenly risen from the gut. Doubt was beginning to cloud my mind. Questions arose. What if this man was wrong? What if there was no water behind the dune? We would die.

As if guessing my thoughts, Aslam looked my way and smiled, “The unknown can be very frightening. But, more often than not the fears it instills are based on negative speculation, on ignorance.”

“How can you be sure there is water behind the dune?” I asked, unable to shake the worry that was draining me of my strength.

Aslam nodded, “If you listen carefully, with an empty mind, you will hear the water. But, first you have to let go of the fear that has nestled in your heart. Once the fear is released, you will have to empty your mind of everything you think you know. Then, and only then will you be able to listen without judgment, without any expectations, and once you can do that, you will hear a sound, like silence, long, almost endless; that is the pulse of the desert. Beneath it, or should I say, flowing over it, you will also hear a variety of pulses, a bit shorter, some softer, some deeper. One of them, soft, gentle, like the breath of a life-giving river is the pulse of water.”

“So you can hear the water?” My voice betrayed my inability to relate to the explanation I had just heard. I had been walking for hours in this desert, and I had yet to spot any other sounds but the ones we were making with our steps, along with the soft whistling of the wind.

“Everything has a pulse, You, me, the wind, the water… Everything. You too can hear this, if you let go of what you think you know. It is the only way. And if you don't believe me, just close your eyes, and listen.”

To be continued…