How the Sweeper Changed the World

Once upon a time there was a magical kingdom.  The kingdom was called Ardor.  In the kingdom of Ardor, every person had a job and a role and they all LOVED what they did.

The baker baked.  The blacksmith blacksmithed.  The tailor tailored.  The sweeper swept, and the diversity and uniqueness of each job was celebrated and loved.

Children in Ardor, from a very young age were taught to find what they were most excited to do.  They were given lots of experiences to learn all the different jobs and trades within the kingdom so they could find the one role that “clicked” for them.  Sometimes it took quite a bit of time and experience to find what they were each meant to do, but there wasn’t a time limit or a worry on how long it took.  Only an emphasis on seeking with pure intent to find what filled their soul with joy.

As they each grew and sought to find their “spot” in the kingdom, they learned along the way.  They learned, from things that didn’t work for them, what was not a good fit.  Each experience helped adjust them on the right course toward their perfectly joyful spot.

When they “found” their role, they were instructed on how to grow into the best fit for their unique perspective within that role.  They found the teachers that helped them grow and they were guided, each individually, to their greatest maximum potential.  Not one person, within the whole kingdom of Ardor, had the exact same experience toward their unique job.  Each person’s was slightly different or even VERY different than the other’s.

All Ardorians within the kingdom were happy.  All looked at the differences of journey toward their perfect jobs as unique and interesting and good.  And once the job was found, all worked at their unique spot and were perfectly fulfilled doing just that.  They didn’t compare the sweeper with the baker with the farmer.  They understood that each job was essential in having a whole and complete kingdom where everyone could be happy and feel fulfilled.  Each person within the kingdom was needed, desired, and looked at as an equal contributor to the perfect symbiosis of the whole kingdom of Ardor.

In a land far away from the kingdom of Ardor there was another kingdom.  This was the kingdom of Chill.

In the kingdom of Chill, things weren’t quite as joyful.  There was discontent that was rampant within the land.  Some of the people of Chill were more like the Ardorians.  And some of the people of Chill were very different.

There were many, within the kingdom, that fought over jobs.  Some looked at certain jobs as “too lowly” for them and didn’t want to sweep or bake.  Some treated the farmer and the tailor with disdain and judgment.  Others thought that everyone should be taught in one way and tried to have ALL the children learn only how to be lawmakers.  They believed with the foundation of lawmaking for all, the kingdom would run more smoothly and would be better.

The atmosphere in Chill was not joyful or happy. They had forgotten that without every unique job, the kingdom, as a whole, didn’t operate functionally.  Without farmers there would be no food.  Without tailors there would be no clothes.  Without sweepers the streets would be impassable.  Every job was needed within the kingdom to make it operate smoothly.  And without ALL jobs, not all the people in the kingdom could be fulfilled and happy and the land would not flourish.

Many years passed.

One day, a Chillian made his way, by happenstance, into the kingdom of Ardor.  And he was amazed.  He saw how each person did their job with complete love for the job.  They weren’t forced into something they didn’t want to do, they each did what they loved.  He witnessed the children of Ardor learning from each of the grown Ardorians their job and trade and as the children watched and mirrored, they were able to experience that role.

He talked to one girl who had done many different jobs within the kingdom and had finally decided that she wanted to be a music maker.  He asked her how she decided that, and she told him that after all the things she had tried, the joy came in creating song. And so she followed the joy inside of her to that spot and learned from the teachers there.

She shined as she focused on her music and didn’t compare it to anyone else. She understood that her song was different than her baker friend’s bread, or her tailor brother’s coats … they couldn’t be compared.  But the song and the bread and the coats were each needed and beautiful in their own way.

As the man from Chill watched and contemplated, he felt something he hadn’t felt in a long time; a desire to find his passion.  And so he dwelt in Ardor for many months learning, as the Ardorian children did, from all those who were full of passion in their jobs in the kingdom.

He spent time with the baker, he spent time with the tailor, he spent time with the farmer, he spent time with the painter.  After much experience the man from Chill found himself drawn to the sweeper.  He found joy in sweeping.  He loved being able to sweep and observe the kingdom around him and to think.  He found that many people would spend time with the sweeper talking and experiencing the simplicity of the sweeper’s peace.

And so the Chillian man left the kingdom of Ardor. He left filled with a love for sweeping and for life.

When he returned to his kingdom of Chill he decided to sweep.  The kingdom hadn’t had a sweeper in a long time, no one had time or patience for that, so the streets were in sore need of sweeping.

The man started in one corner of the kingdom and worked his way to the other side. Sweeping everyday. Talking to those he happened upon. Loving the peace that came through the simple act of doing a job that fills you with joy.

Many years passed.

The sweeper swept the streets daily, and as he swept he failed to see that some of the other Chillians were watching him and were curious about what he was doing.  When they asked he would tell them about his journey to the kingdom of Ardor.  He told about all that he had experienced there.  Every day another person came to ask him about his sweeping and each time he would tell his tale.

He never intended to do anything other than sweeping. But what he didn’t realize is that as he had found his joy and was in the flow of love that comes through that, the other people in the kingdom were affected by his peace.  They were curious.  They were wondering.  Some were disgusted.  Many who asked him about it went and told their friends and their families about the strange man sweeping in the street.

As the sweeper swept he found himself grateful everyday, for the opportunity to sweep, meet new people, and to be alive.  And he lived and swept the rest of his days.

Many years passed.

The people in Chill were amazed by the sweeper.  At first they didn’t understand how he could be sweeping and be happy.  Then as person by person went and talked to him they discovered that he was, in fact, happy and they yearned for that same joy.  And so they began looking for their own passion and their own place within the kingdom.

Some Chillians journeyed to the kingdom of Ardor to learn from their teachers and people. Others went about their own kingdom looking for their place of joy and peace. Many were changed and many found their ideal job.

There were also many within the kingdom that were not happy with this new turn of events.  They didn’t like that some of the people were trying to find their own joy.  They didn’t think it would be helpful for the kingdom if everyone did their own thing and they didn’t understand how it could even work.  They had forgotten that ALL are unique and desired and required for that wholly perfect symbiosis that existed in the kingdom of Ardor.

Time passed. Things changed. The kingdom of Chill had a revolution and it affected ALL of the people within the kingdom.  It created a peace and a happiness that hadn’t been known in the land for a long time.  The streets were clean. The bread was baked.  The clothes were made.  The songs were sung, and the people were happy in their new roles.

It took some time and much effort to transition into this new way, but eventually all of the people in Chill experienced the joy that came through being uniquely individual and loving the spot they were in.  It was a beautiful NEW kingdom.

The kingdom changed so much that they renamed it the kingdom of Delight.  And the new feeling of the Delightians was one of gratitude and love.

The people were happy, the people were content, the kingdom was wholly complete and all the jobs were filled with those who LOVED the role they had chosen. It was a beautiful sight to behold.

Many years passed.

One day the Historian was inspired to write about the revolution and the change from Chill to Delight.  And so he set about his task, looking at the history, talking to the people, lovingly including all he was inspired to include.  And what he came to was surprising.

The revolution had come about through the sweeper.  The sweeper hadn’t intended to change world, he was only sweeping.  But through his joy in sweeping came a peace that was like a magnet to all of the people who were starving for peace.  And so his example and his story spread, from person to person, with a ripple effect.  Slowly at first, small and simple.  But it grew and it rippled out to include all in the kingdom.

That is how the change had occurred.  One man following his joy and living his peace.

As the historian documented this miraculous chain of events, he felt gratitude in his heart.  He LOVED documenting the history of the kingdom.  And he was so grateful for the revolution into love the kingdom had undergone.

He completed the documentation of the “Revolution into Love” as he had decided to call it.  And he published it in the history books for all to read.  And the history was read.  And the people knew.  And peace abounded.

Many years passed.

The sweeper had long passed away to another world, but the history of the kingdom of Delight remained.  And the story was told and the people knew and they all understood that that’s how the sweeper changed the world; one street at a time.  And in understanding they were each filled with a desire to find their joy and to live it.  And the kingdom was whole because each person had their role and fulfilled it with love.

One day a man from the kingdom of Scorn, by happenstance, found the kingdom of Delight.  And he was amazed …