“Good morning!” Brother Howard said as the evaluation group gathered the next day.
Liberty figured the man was about forty-five, and he looked extremely strong, but very gentle. He always seemed to be smiling slightly, even when he was talking — not the kind of smile that made others think he was laughing at them, just a smile of contentment. Liberty immediately liked the man.
“Six of you? Nice. Last time, we had two at this point, and we accepted one. I welcome you to phase two of your evaluation experience.”
Sapphire’s hand went up. “What kind of work do you do here?”
“Thank you for asking. It is a common Lyceum failing to forget to tell others about ourselves because of all our privacy ethics. I’m a stone cutter, a concrete sculptor, a zookeeper, and a healer of misplaced bones and muscles
— in other words, a chiropractor.”
“Thanks.”
Liberty began to notice that Brother Howard never quite looked directly at the person he was talking to.
“This morning, we’ll be joining the residence hall for the members’
morning reflection time. This particular service will be led by a man who practices a minority religion. It’s easy to lead something when all the participants believe exactly as you do. It’s a much greater task to lead when diversity exists. Pay close attention to the way Brother Tim phrases things so that those present feel invited to make whatever use of the experience they wish, as opposed to feeling that they must believe or agree with something
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that they have not, on their own, chosen. And before we go in, I would like you to know that Brother Tim holds the highest diplomatic credentials. His skills as a mediator and negotiator are in demand all over the world, so he is away from the campus much of the time. I suggest you learn from him all you can this morning.”
As the group headed for the door, Liberty continued to watch Brother Howard with interest. She saw him judge the distance to a certain wall based on the location of a piece of furniture, and pause to let some people pass based on the sounds they made. She realized the man was completely blind.
They found seats in the common area of the residence hall, and Bother Tim soon arrived carrying a small wooden box.
Shawn frowned and squirmed with discomfort.
Brother Tim stepped to the center of the assembled group, sat on the floor, and brought a beautiful cluster of quartz crystals out of his box. As he held it up, it caught the light and sparkled. He sat silently for a while, and all the Lyceum members became quiet and thoughtful. Most members of the evaluation group attempted to do the same.
“This magnificent work of nature lay hidden in a mountain for millions of years, covered by layers and layers of less beautiful material.” He placed the cluster of shining crystals on the floor. “Likewise, in each of us there are beautiful gifts and powerful skills that lie hidden. The crystal grows slowly, deep inside the planet, adding to its substance molecule by molecule. Our gifts and skills slowly grow inside us, experience by experience, decision by decision.”
Liberty found herself wondering what gifts and skills were hidden inside herself.
Brother Tim let several moments pass before he went on. “Our senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch allow us to know what is happening on the surface. This is important. Without the surface of the mountain, the crystal could not have grown deep inside. But the outer layers are temporary
— they are constantly being weathered away. There comes a day when the toddler leaves his rattle behind, when the child quits playing with her dolls, when the student shelves his books, when the retiree puts away her tools, and when the dying man leaves his body behind.”
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Liberty closed her eyes, looking inside for the sparkling crystals that she hoped were there. She saw herself brushing a horse, and knew it was a memory from the recent past. Then she saw herself riding, as swiftly as the wind, without even a saddle. The thought scared her a little, as she had almost no skill at horseback riding. Finally, the horse leapt into the air and became a sleek helicopter, and she knew she was at the controls. With her eyes still closed, a smile appeared on her face.
“I leave you with these thoughts,” Brother Tim was saying. “All the layers of your being are yours to do with as you will. The outer layers of the mountain contain much of value — soils, chemicals, ores. If unearthed too quickly, the crystals will not have grown. If left buried forever, their beauty can never shine.” He held the sparkling cluster aloft again, then placed it carefully back in its box.
“What
was
your problem?” Liberty asked Shawn on the way back to the conference room.
“Oh . . . just something I’m struggling to get over. My parents and my church taught me to dislike anyone who isn’t . . . you know . . . clean-shaven.
On the other hand, I’m supposed to automatically respect and trust a man wearing a suit and tie.
“Didn’t you say,” Ashley inquired, “that all the men who chased you around your home town were wearing suits and ties?”
Shawn smiled back and nodded.
After the group returned to the conference room, Brother Howard spoke.
“I understand that you had an interesting example of Lyceum decision making during your very first session. Is the person who was transported by helicopter still with us?”
“Yes I am!” Sapphire said proudly.
“Good. When that situation arose, the rest of you witnessed a member of Lyceum make a decision that was small compared to the diplomatic responsibilities of someone like Brother Tim. But to at least one person, who might be a member of Lyceum soon, it was a very important decision. How do you feel now about the decision that Sister Joan made that evening?”
“I am grateful. I did not understand how it was possible at the time, and I
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was completely amazed when I learned her age. I have since been told that even the nine-year-old who met me could have initiated that flight. But I have also discovered that Sister Sarah is no ordinary nine-year-old.”
“Yes, they are both very valuable members. But the fact that they are young is not of supreme importance here. The thing I want you all to focus on is that every member of Lyceum is empowered to make just about any decision.”
“How is that possible?” Dario asked. “Isn’t that decentralized management to the point of anarchy?”
“It is possible because of what you are doing right now,” Brother Howard said. “The essential purpose of the evaluation process, from Lyceum’s point of view, is to discover which of you are willing and able to use your intelligence, your wisdom, your energy, and your love, for service to others. Completely decentralized management does lead to anarchy when practiced by the average human being at this point in history. You six are far from average.”
He paused to let his statements soak in.
“But let that fact go to your heads for one minute, let it become an ego trip and you are out of here on a fast track, whether you’ve been a member for an hour, a year, or a decade.”
The group sat in stunned silence.
This teddy bear has teeth, Liberty thought to herself.
The room remained very quiet for a long time as the group pondered Brother Howard’s words.
As Ashley, Shawn, Liberty, and Ilika walked together toward the conference center lobby, where the evaluation group was scheduled to engage in role plays, Ashley noticed that Liberty kept lagging behind. Since Ashley usually had to almost trot to keep up with the tall, long-legged girl, she knew something was wrong. When Liberty finally stopped, pretended to look at a painting on the wall, and rubbed her stomach, Ashley went to stand beside her new friend.
“What is it?” Ashley asked, thinking maybe Liberty had eaten something that didn’t agree with her.
When Liberty didn’t speak for several moments, Ashley looked at her. It
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was then that the gymnast realized her friend didn’t have an upset stomach
. . . she was scared to death of something.
“What
is it, Liberty? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!”
In a thin voice, Liberty gasped out, “I’m gonna screw up the role plays, I just know it! I’m gonna slip and say something mean, something from the city streets. I can see it coming!”
Ashley put her arm around the shaking girl. “Does your stomach hurt?”
“Yeah. It’s tied in knots, just like when I first arrived and my dad was deciding if I could stay.”
“I know! Me, Shawn, or Ilika can volunteer to be your partner every time you’re up for a role play!”
“Would you really? Oh, never mind. It probably wouldn’t help . . .”
“Well, I’m certainly not going to leave you out here feeling ashamed of something that’s made you strong! Every time you tell me about the streets, I feel like I’ve been a protected little marshmallow who wouldn’t survive alone in a big city for ten minutes. If you don’t go in, I won’t either!”
“Me neither,” Shawn and Ilika both said from behind the two girls.
Liberty turned around and stared at the gentle religious boy and the mysterious green-eyed man. “You guys are stupid!” she said, and immediately starting crying.
Ilika nudged Shawn, who clumsily put his arms around the shaking, sobbing girl. She quickly latched onto him with all her strength.
After several minutes, she relaxed and Shawn released her.
“Thank you,” Liberty said, trying to dry her eyes with her sleeve. “I guess
. . . we’d better get going or we’ll be late.”
As they strode together toward the conference center, Ashley shared her idea with Shawn and Ilika, and they agreed to do their best. They arrived only one minute late, and the session hadn’t started.
Brother Randy and Sister Joan were again leading. Just as the first role plays got started, Ashley whispered into Liberty’s ear, “Remember, whatever happens, be kind!”
The first two times Liberty had to engage in a role play, Ashley and Shawn were able to volunteer.
The third time, Sister Joan was pretending to have a complaint about the
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food, and unexpectedly got right into Liberty’s face, ranting and raving.
Ashley held her breath and said a prayer. She could tell Liberty was nervous, but hoped the practice with her and Shawn had helped.
“Um, I’ll tell the cook. Can I get you anything else?”
“No, I don’t want anything else! I just want to get out of this terrible place as fast as I can!”
Shawn closed his eyes, easily imaging the words coming from a certain member of his family.
“Well, in that case, I think you’re a . . . entitled to a refund!”
Ashley breathed, and as soon as Liberty sat back down, squeezed her friend’s hand tightly.
Six different people wandered into the lobby to create situations that seemed real. Shawn helped an old man get to the restroom, and Liberty surprised everyone by knowing sign language when a deaf lady asked for directions. Ashley had the challenge of asking a very handsome fourteen-year-old boy to wait until he got to the recreation center before bouncing his basketball. Ilika helped a lady who was trying to carry way too many boxes.
It was nearly dinner time when the role plays ended, and Liberty had kept her cool. All four friends slapped hands and gave each other smiles of appreciation.
“Walk with me to the clinic?” Ashley said to Liberty after Shawn and Ilika left.
“Okay. Did you know there were going to be all those people wandering through, needing this and that kind of help?”
“No, but they were pretty easy. The leaders were the hardest!”
“You’re not kidding! I had actually thought up a really good name to call Joan when she was giving me shit about the food. Sure glad I didn’t say it!”
“Me
too!”
They entered the clinic and plopped into a couple of comfortable chairs.
“What do you need here?” Liberty asked.
“I don’t. You do,” Ashley said firmly.
Liberty was too amazed at the courage of her younger friend to be angry.
If it had been anyone else, in any other situation, she would have been mad as
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hell. But at that moment, with two days of evaluations still ahead, a little voice inside her told Liberty that this was for the best.
“I don’t understand how you can be telepathic,” Sister Rachael began, looking at Rini and Mati, “and not know how to shield your thoughts.”
Sata translated, then listened to Rini and Mati for a minute. “It happened very recently, and was sort of an accident during surgery. Rini says there are classes about it, but we’ve just been too busy with missions. Mati says it was never a problem on . . . where we’re stationed.”
“You’ve been lucky so far,” Rachael responded. “The three telepaths you’ve run into are respectful. The next, chances are, will rob you blind, blackmail you, publish all your dirty secrets, and laugh while you and your friends are drawn and quartered.”
Sata translated as best she could, but the colorful idioms gave her trouble.
Rini and Mati both blinked and squirmed with embarrassment.
Rachael began the lessons by letting the young couple listen to her thoughts as she projected them to varying degrees, then shielded them completely. She encouraged them to do their best to read her mind, just as an unethical telepath would.
When Rachael was shielding, neither Rini nor Mati had the slightest idea what she was thinking, no matter how hard they tried.
She then had them mentally share ideas with each other, and find how quietly they could do that and still hear each other. When they were down to a mental whisper, they could still hear each other well . . . and so could Rachael.
“You are used to verbal speech, pushing out each idea so it can cross the distance to the listener. Forget that. Instead, form each idea and hold it close, like a tiny flame you are shielding from the wind. Then let your partner reach in and gently take it from your mind.”
After half an hour of practice, they were getting to the point where Rachael had to concentrate to catch their thoughts.
“Good. Enough for today. You may still need to project for long distances, but do that consciously, only in need, knowing that others might be listening.”