‘How can you sell empty boxes?’
‘Because they want what’s inside them. We all do’

This statement has been going through my head throughout the day. It’s from The Traveller, which is an excellent book – it’s taking me a while to read it due to workload, but I am having more time to read as things move on.

I won’t give too much of the story away, but two brothers (interestingly called Michael and Gabriel) are two travelers. Travelers can journey to different realms, other worlds. One of these worlds, where Michael and Gabriel are at the moment is called The Second Realm of Empty Ghosts. A realm of lost spirits desperately searching for something, anything, to fill their emptiness.

The ghosts buy empty boxes because they are so desperate for the what the contents should be, for what it says on the packet, even though they know it is empty and it won’t satisfy. It does not do what it says on the tin, and yet they want to buy it. They buy an illusion. They want it so bad, that a mirage is better than nothing ghosts knowingly take a false image of what they want even though they know it’s not going to help. I guess, taking something is better than having nothing.

It’s caused me to reflect.
Do I buy empty boxes?
Rather than wait for the real thing, do I sell out (or is that buy out?) too early?
Or do I collect empty boxes to look good.
I know the boxes are empty, but it looks impressive to others.
Maybe language is my empty box?
I can talk the talk, but do I walk the walk?
I can talk missio dei, but do I believe it? Do I live it?
I talk of priesthood of all believers; but does my ministry play that out in reality?

I think I do collect empty boxes for a number of reasons; through a fear of having nothing, to look good, to have some form of protection, to maintain control, and maybe other reasons I have not fully acknowledged.

The ghosts are stuck where they are because of their desire for what is not available, what is not there, what is from another world, another age. They need to move on, they need to break out of the realm that they are trapped in. They won’t, however, because they do not realise they are trapped. They are empty, but there is security in their emptiness.

Their world is an illusion. In some ways it does not sound too different to the world of some that I know!

This is a good interesting read with some interesting spiritual overtones / undertones.