THE VALLEY OF THE DRAGON - A Parable

You must cross the Valley of the Dragon.
This is the journey of your life, a passage you must take to be alive.
To prepare, you visit a local wizard who gives you a magic dragon-gun.
This gun is specially crafted to disappear the dragon with a single shot.
As you leave for the valley to begin your crossing the wizard warns
-- be aware, the gun works 99% of the time.

You leave the wizard horrified by the 1% vulnerability.
What if you face your dragon and the gun doesn't work?
You go to a much older and more powerful wizard,
You tell him you must cross the Valley of the Dragon
and you need something you can count on to make the dragon disappear.
This new wizard produces his version of the dragon-gun.
He assures you - this gun always works,
one shot and any-sized dragon will disappear.

Bolstered by your preparation but still anxious for the journey ahead,
once again you head out to begin your arduous crossing.
As you near the entrance to the Valley of the Dragon
a vagabond sitting under a tree notices you and calls out,
"I see you've got dragon-guns."
"Yes, the old wizard assures me this one always works."
"That's right," agrees the vagabond with a grin. "So you're good at fighting an invisible dragon?"
"Invisible?"
"Why yes, that thing disappears the dragon."
Shocked, you exclaim, "I thought it killed it!"
The vagabond laughs, "What do you think disappear means? Besides, don't you know, that hero myth about slaying the dragon is a fantasy. There's no such thing in the real valley of life."
"It can't be!  I have to cross the valley!"
"Of course, and there's only one way to handle a dragon," the vagabond asserts. "You can't kill your dragon. You can only tame him, integrate him."
Perplexed, you stand with dragon-guns hanging limply at your side, "How do I do that?"
The vagabond produces a tiny bottle made of darkened glass from his pocket, "I have a potion."
"You? You're not a wizard."
The vagabond's face shifts serious and dark, "And I don't have dragon-guns..."
You check your pockets, "I spent all my money on the dragon-guns."
"Oh, I don't want money - just your word that when you reach the other side of the valley, you'll tell everyone that my potion got you there."
"I can do that. How do I use the potion?"
The vagabond hands over the bottle. "Simple. When the dragon is about to consume you, drink all of this and you will consume the dragon. It will then be a part of you and can't chase you anymore."
"Part of me! But I don't want to be a dragon!"
The vagabond shakes his head, "How in the hell do you think little you can survive in the valley? You better have some dragon in you. Sooner or later, everyone has to if they want to get across. Become your dragon!"
"That can't be right!" you shout back at him. "We fight dragons, we don't become them!"
The vagabond shrugs, "Suit yourself." Then he hands the little bottle out for the taking. "Why don't you take this, anyway - just in case."
You start to walk off but hesitate. Taking it doesn't mean you have to use it. Besides, you might be able to barter it for something else along the way. You accept the little bottle and walk off without saying another word to the vagabond under the tree.

Farther down the road you come to a curving footbridge. To one side a grizzled man fiddles with a fishing line as he leans back on a boat. He notices you heading for the bridge and shouts out a warning, "I wouldn't cross that if I were you. It's not safe."
You come to a halt a step before the bridge, "What's wrong with it?"
"It's never been safe."
"Why would anyone build it that way?"
"I guess somebody doesn't want you to get to the other side."
"But the Valley of the Dragon is over there. I need to cross to start my journey."
"I'm a boatman. I can take you across."
"What's in it for you?"
The boatman swings a thumb at the river, "I'm lazy and I've got a net to pull up. Pull it up for me, I'll take you across."
You change direction, "It's a deal."
The boat is an old rowboat but it's watertight. Halfway across the river, the boatman points at a buoy cap, "There's the marker. Start pulling."
You pull the net up. It doesn't take long. Inside the webbing is a treasure trove of little devices and bottles. You complete the task but your interest is piqued, "What is all this stuff?"
The boatman stares, dismayed, "Hope and a prayer."
Shifting the haul with a foot, you spy familiar objects, "There's dragon-guns in here!"
The boatman nods, "Along with scorpion repellant, magic ropes for quicksand, tiger bombs, protection potions, snake glue, knives to cut strangling vines, so much more, you name it, you'll find it."
You stand, mouth agape, "I don't understand."
The boatman spits overboard, "That's a shame, 'cause you need to cross that valley."
You put 2+2 together, "There's more than a dragon in the valley!"
"Much more. And where did you get the idea there's only ONE dragon? You've got lots of dragons waiting for you. Along with other things."
The news is crushing. You sit down, shocked.
Fulfilling his end of the bargain, the boatman continues to cross the river. He looks back on you, "I get it. You were always told you had to go fight the dragon, be your own hero to make it across the valley. And believe me, that isn't wrong. It's just not the whole story. As they say, the Devil's in the details."
Like some amnesiac, you can't pull your eyes from the objects in the net. As you do, more naivete falls from your eyes, "You lied to me. There's nothing wrong with the bridge."
The boatman shrugs, "Either way you get across. But this way I get my net pulled up."
The confession was easy. You move on to more important matters, "Other people have come this way."
"Countless."
"If what you say is true, if there are many dangers in the valley, then why would so many throw all of this away? This was their protection!"
"Yes. Listen, I'll save you some time - if you collect all the things you need to protect yourself, you won't be able to carry it all. No way. Impossible. One by one they all realized this and let go - they let go of it all."
Your eyes widen, "But what happened to them?"
The boat slid ashore on the opposite bank and came to rest, "We're here. You're across, just like I promised."
"You didn't answer me. What happened to them?"
The boatman points towards a dark patch in the treeline, "The Valley of the Dragon path starts right over there."
You approach the boatman, "What happened to them?!"
First a hesitation, then an answer comes, "Just what you'd expect. Some gave up, didn't make the journey, never had a full life. Others stayed at the river, making a living off those who came to try the journey. And others tried and didn't make it."
You shoot a glance at that dark patch in the treeline, "Does anyone make it?"
"Some don't come back - but does that prove they made it? Don't know."
"But you must know - there must be a way to make a safe passage, to get across."
The boatman grins, "I don't KNOW anything. But I've heard things."
"Heard what?"
"There's a rumor there's one magic, it's always right and knows the safe way through. It's the only and best chance of getting across with any success."
"What is it? A magic wand?"
"No, it's nothing you have to carry. It's simply your intuition."
"Intuition? Ridiculous."
"Maybe. I thought so, but I've seen some people toss these objects over the side of the bridge then head out with only that magic."
"And they didn't come back?"
The boatman shakes his head.
"But that doesn't prove anything you said. No one knows why they didn't come back. They could have been eaten!"
"That's right, but I suspect from what I've seen that the rumor might have some truth about it. I've seen it work on my side of the river. It's some kind of magic that's always right and knows the way through."
"Sounds too magical."
The boatman laughs, "Says the man carrying a dragon-gun and dark-bottle potion."
"Sounds too simple."
"Is the truth complicated? Who knows?" The boatman turned back to his net. "You can have anything in that net to take with you, go ahead, take it, but you're not going to be able to carry it all. And even if you could, how do you know that covers all the dangers out there? There's no complete catalog of dangers, no way to know what you don't know. The only thing you can use against the things you don't know yet is the magic of intuition."
"I don't know..."
The boatman shifts, restless, "Suit yourself. You're on the other side. I need to get back. Make up your mind. Going forward or do you want me to take you back?"
You pause with your life on the line. You can't fathom the failure of going back but you can't abide the prospects ahead. In an act of sheer surrender and abandon you step out of the boat. "I'm going forward."
The boatman sports a face brightened by surprise, "What convinced you?"
You take a deep breath, "I guess - intuition."
Nodding, the boatman shoves off from shore, "Good luck."
You turn away and head towards the dark patch in the treeline.
From behind, the boatman calls out, "Hey! One thing I forgot to tell you..."
You stop and turn. Funneling his hands around his mouth, the boatman calls out from a distance, "It's about intuition. It's always right and it knows the way - but there's one catch."
You freeze in anticipation, "What is it?"
From a farther distance the boatman's voice bellows as it fades, "You won't always listen to it!"