Chapter 10 A long time ago, in a garden far, far away

Even if we find another Eden, we won't be able to fully enjoy it, let alone stay in it forever. Henry.Fan.Dyke (Annotation: Henry Van Dyke (1852︱1933), American poet, educator, pastor.) McCann tried to follow Sha Ruiyu out the back door, along the walkway past a row of firs.Walking behind such a person is like following a beam of light.The light seemed to emanate from her body, and immediately reflected her existence in many places at the same time.Her essence is ethereal, full of vivid hues and shades of color and movement.No wonder so many people are a little out of order when they talk about her.McCann thought.She is obviously unpredictable.

McCann turned to concentrate on walking the aisle.He walked around some trees and saw for the first time a gorgeous garden and orchard, somehow situated on a small plot of less than an acre.In any case, what McCann was expecting to see was a manicured and well-organized English garden, but that was not it! The garden was colorful.His eyes tried in vain to find order in the chaos that had no regard for certainty.Blossoms burst forth among haphazardly planted vegetables and plants the likes of which McCann had never seen before.This scene is confusing and shocking, but also beautiful. Viewed from above is a fractal.Sha Ruiyu turned her head and said in a cheerful tone.

What shape?McCann said absently, still trying to control the extreme visual chaos and the change of color light and dark in his mind.Every time he took a step, he thought that the pattern he saw in the last second would change, and there was no repetition. Fractals Some things thought to be simple and orderly are actually composed of repeating patterns, no matter how much magnification you look at.Fractals are almost infinitely complex.I love fractals, so I just put them here and there. It looks messy.McCann lowered his voice and muttered. Sha Ruiyu stopped and turned to face McCann with a radiant face.Thank you McCann!What a wonderful compliment!She looks around the garden.It's such a mess here.However, she turned her head to look at McCann again, her face beaming, and it was still a fractal.

Sha Ruiyu walked directly to a medicinal herb plant, picked off a few residual flowers, and then turned to face McCann. Here, she said, her voice was like music.What Dad said at breakfast was no joke.These greens, you'd better chew for a few minutes to neutralize the natural rhythm of the veggies you've just ingested, hope you get the point. McCann took it with a giggle and began to chew carefully.Yeah, but those veggies are out of this world delicious!His stomach was already churning a little, and the flustered feeling of stepping into this verdant wilderness didn't help.The herbal smell is not unpleasant: a hint of mint and a few unnamed spices you may have smelled before.As they walked, the roar in his stomach began to subside slowly, and the roots of his teeth that had been inadvertently clenched before were also relaxed.

Without saying a word, he tried to follow Sha Ruiyu around the garden, but found himself easily distracted by the intermingling of colors; gooseberry and vermilion red, mandarin and chartreuse, separated by platinum and pink , and countless shades of green and brown.Everything is so beautiful and bewildered and intoxicating. Sha Ruiyu seems preoccupied with one particular task.But she lived up to her name, floating around like a whirlwind in the world of play, and he couldn't figure out where she was going.He found it hard to keep up with her, reminding him of trying to keep up with Cortana at the mall.

She went through the garden, snipping flowers and herbs, and handing them to McCann.The impromptu bouquets grew larger and larger, clustered in a tangy aroma.The aromatic spices are mixed into a flavor that McCann has never smelled before, so rich that it is almost mouth-watering. They placed the last-picked bouquets inside the door of the garden tool room, which McCann hadn't discovered before because it was buried deep among wild bushes with vines and what McCann thought were weeds. One task completed, Sha Ruiyu announced that there was another task to be done.After handing McCann a shovel, a rake, a scythe, and a pair of gloves, she floated out of the cottage and up a particularly leafy path that seemed to lead to the other end of the garden.Along the way she would slow down now and then to touch this plant or that flower, humming along the way the beautiful tune that had so captivated McCann the night before.He obediently followed behind, holding the tools handed to him, trying not to let her out of sight, while being puzzled by everything around him.

When she stopped, McCann almost ran into her because he was looking around distractedly.Before she knew it, she had changed clothes and was now wearing work clothes: bold jeans, a work shirt and gloves.They're in an area that could have been an orchard, but it wasn't really an orchard.At any rate, the place they were in was an open spot, surrounded on three sides by peach and cherry trees, and in the center a series of purple and yellow flowers that took his breath away. McKinsey, she pointed directly at that impossibly small patch of purple and yellow.I want you to help clear this whole field, I'm going to plant something very special here tomorrow and we need to get everything in place.She looked at McCann and reached out to him for the scythe.

Are you talking nonsense?It's so bright and colorful here, and it's in such a hidden place.But Sha Ruiyu didn't seem to care.Without further explanation, she turned around and started destroying the artistic display of flowers.She cuts so deftly and seemingly effortlessly.McCann shrugged his shoulders, pulled on his gloves, and began combing her devastated havoc into piles, struggling to keep up with her.It might not be a big deal to her, but it's hard work to him.Twenty minutes later, all the plants had been clipped down to their roots, and the patch looked like a wound in the garden.McCann's forearm is dotted with nicks, where he was cut by a pile of branches.He was sweating and out of breath, happy to be done.Sha Ruiyu stood on the ground, inspecting their handicrafts.

Isn't it refreshing?she asked. I want to be happy and there is a better way.McCann snapped back sarcastically. Oh McKinsey, if only you knew.It's not the work itself, but the purpose of the work that makes it special.And, she smiled at him, it was my only job. McCann leaned on the rake and looked around the garden, then at the red welt on his own arm.Sha Ruiyu, I know you are the creator, but do you also create poisonous plants, stinging nettles and mosquitoes? McKinsey, Sha Ruiyu replied, seemed to move with the breeze.I can only take what already exists and shape different creations.

so you are telling you Created everything that actually exists, including what you think is bad.Sha Ruiyu then finished his sentence.But when I create something, that thing is only good because I am good.She seemed to have made a gesture of respectful resignation before returning to work. But McCann continued, unsatisfied with that answer.So why is so much good turned into evil? This time Sha Ruiyu paused before answering.How short-sighted you humans are!You really don't see your place in creation.After choosing to take the independent path of destruction, you cannot even comprehend that you are dragging down the entire creation.She shook her head, and the wind sighed through the nearby trees.How sad!But things won't be like this forever.

They enjoyed a moment of silence, and McCann looked back at the various plants in sight from where the two stood.So are there poisonous plants in this garden?he asks. Of course, Sha Ruiyu said loudly.Some are still my favourites.Some are even dangerous and untouchable, like this one.She reached for a nearby bush and snapped off what appeared to be a dead branch, with only a few small sprouting leaves on it.She handed it to McCann, who held up his hands to avoid touching it. Sha Ruiyu laughed.I'm here, McCann.Sometimes you can touch it safely, and sometimes you need to be careful.Such is the wonder and adventure of discovery and it is part of what you call science to discern and discover what we hide and what you seek. So why are you hiding those things?McCann asked. Why do children like to play hide and seek?Just ask anyone with a passion for exploration and discovery and creation.Choosing to hide so many wonders from you is an act of love and a gift in the course of life. Carefully, McCann reached out and picked up the poisonous branch.If you didn't tell me it's safe to touch this, would I be poisoned? of course!But if I direct you to touch it, it's different.It is folly for any creature to choose autonomy.Freedom involves trust and submission in a loving relationship, so if you don't hear my voice, it would be wise to take the time to understand the nature of that plant. So why create poisonous plants?McCann questioned, handing back the branch. Your question assumes that poison is bad and there's no point in creating such a thing.But many so-called noxious plants, like this one, contain amazing healing properties or, when combined with other ingredients, are essential ingredients to turn mundane into magical.Human beings do not know thoroughly, but they have great ability to judge good and evil. The short break to take care of McCann was obviously over, Sha Ruiyu picked up the rake and gave McCann a shovel.To prepare the field, it was necessary to uproot the plants that had flourished here.It's hard work, but well worth it.When the roots are uprooted, they will not do whatever they want to harm the seeds we want to plant. All right.McCann grunted, and the two knelt beside the freshly cut field.Sha Ruiyu always has a way to go deep into the soil, find the end of the root, and then pull it out of the ground effortlessly.She left the shorter roots to McCann, who dug down with a hand shovel and pulled them up again.Then they shook the soil off the roots and dropped it on top of the mound McCann had raked. I'll burn those later.she says. You just said that human beings judge good and evil without understanding?McCann asked, shaking the dirt from the roots of the other branch.right.I especially refer to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. learned what evil is and was ashamed, and fled Eden.). The tree of the knowledge of good and evil?McCann asked. Exactly!She stated that while doing things, her movements seemed to be rhythmic to strengthen her tone.Now, McKenzie, you have to start to understand why eating the deadly fruit of that tree will cause unprecedented disaster to you human beings. I never gave that much thought, really, McCann said, wondering where their small talk would lead.So is there really a real garden?I mean, the Eden ones? certainly.I told you I was interested in gardens. That's bound to annoy some people.There are many people who think that is just a myth. Well their fault won't kill them.Legends praising the glory of God are often hidden in what many consider to be myths or stories. Oh, some of my friends will definitely not like that statement.McCann argued, wrestling with a particularly tenacious grass root. It doesn't matter.I personally like them a lot. I'm so surprised!There was a sting in McCann's words, and he smiled in her direction.Well, that's it.He shoveled the shovel into the soil and pulled out the roots out of the ground with his hands.Then tell me about this tree of the knowledge of good and evil. That's what we said at breakfast.she replied.First, let me ask you a question.When something happens to you, how do you decide whether that thing is good or bad? McCann thought for a moment before answering.Hmm I haven't really thought about that.I guess I'd say the things I like are good when that thing makes me feel good or gives me a sense of security.Conversely, if something causes me pain or costs me what I want, I say it is evil. So it's all subjective? I think so. How much confidence do you have in discerning what is good for you and what is evil? Truth be told, McCann says, when someone threatens my interests, the things I think I deserve, I often say things that sound justifiably angry.But I'm really not sure if it's logical to decide where I stand for good and evil, only by how much someone or something affects me.He stopped to rest, to catch a little breath.I think everything seems selfish and self-centered.And my past record is not very honorable.Some things I thought were good turned out horribly bad; and some things I thought were bad turned out, well, He hesitated before expressing his thoughts, but Sha Ruiyu interrupted him.That is you are judging good and evil.You become a judge.And to make matters even more confusing, your assertion of goodness can change over time and circumstances.Add to that the fact that you have billions of people, each of you deciding what is good and what is evil.So when your good and evil conflict with the good and evil of your neighbor, there will be fights and arguments, and even wars will break out. The colors moving inside Sha Ruiyu gradually dimmed as she said these words, and black and gray shades emerged, casting shadows on the rainbow colors.And if absolute goodness does not exist, you will lose the basis for your judgment.That's just language, we can exchange the words good and evil. I can see where something could go wrong.McCann agrees. question?Sha Ruiyu said angrily almost as she got up to face him.She had emotional ups and downs, but he knew it wasn't directed at him.indeed!Deciding to eat the fruit of that tree will divide the universe into two and separate the mind from the body.They died, and it was God's breath that was excluded from the breath they chose.I would also say that is the problem! During the heated speech, Sha Ruiyu had slowly lifted off the ground, but now that she was back on the ground, her voice became quiet and clear.It was a very sad day. For nearly ten minutes neither of them spoke while they worked.McCann was also busy trying to figure out what she meant as she continued digging up the roots and throwing them in the mound.Finally he broke the silence. Now I understand, McCann admits, that much of my time and energy is devoted to figuring out ways to get what I judge to be good, whether it's financial, health, retirement or other aspects of security.And I also spend a lot of energy worrying and fearing what I judge to be evil.McCann sighed deeply. Very pertinent, Sha Ruiyu said softly.Remember this.It lets you play God in independence, that's why there is a part of you that would rather not see me, you don't need me at all to make your list of good and evil.But if you're going to stop this irrational desire for independence, you're going to need me. So is there a way to solve this problem?McCann asked. You must renounce the right to decide good and evil entirely on your own terms.That was a bitter pill to swallow: choosing to live only in me.To do this, you must know me enough to trust me and learn to rest in the goodness within me. Sha Ruiyu turned to McCann, at least that was his impression.McKinsey, evil is the word we use to describe the absence of good, just as we use the word dark to describe the absence of light, or death to describe the absence of life.Evil and darkness do not actually exist, they can only be understood when compared to good and light.I am light and I am good.I am love and there is no darkness in me.Light and goodness do exist.So, removing yourself from me casts you into darkness.Claiming independence leads to evil, because you have nothing but yourself to rely on besides me.And because I am life, separation from Me is death. Wow, exclaimed McCann, sitting back for a moment.That really helps.However, I can also see that giving up my independence will not be an easy process.that might represent Sha Ruiyu interrupted him again.Goodness might be getting cancer or losing income or even life, for example. Yeah, you go talk to someone who has cancer or the father of his daughter who died.McCann said it posturing, but it was a little more sarcastic than he meant. Oh, McKinsey, Sha Ruiyu reassured him.Do you think we don't have them in our hearts?Each of them is the protagonist of the story, but that story has not yet happened. However, McCann could feel himself losing control as he shoveled.Doesn't Missy have the right to be protected? Wrong, McCann.A child is protected because she is loved, not because she has a right to be protected. This sentence stopped him.For some reason, what Sha Ruiyu said just now seems to have turned the world upside down. He is struggling to find a certain foothold. There must be some rights that he can take for granted. but there are Entitlement is the path that people who are trying to survive will walk so they don't have to deal with relationship problems.she interjected. but if i give up You will begin to know the wonders and adventures of living in Me.She interrupted him again. McCann grew increasingly frustrated.He said even louder: But, don't I have the right Don't you get interrupted when you finish speaking?No, you don't.Not in real life.But as long as you think you have, you are bound to get angry when someone interrupts you, even if it is God who interrupts you. Dumbfounded, he stood up and stared at her, not knowing whether to be angry or laugh.Sa Ruiyu smiled at him.McKenzie, Jesus didn't cling to any rights, he was happy to be a servant, living out his relationship with Diddy.He gave up everything, so by his life dependent on God, he opened the door for you to live freely, free enough to give up your rights. Just then, Dad appeared from the aisle with two packs of paper bags.She came with a smile on her face. Well, I think you two had a nice talk, huh?She winked at McCann. great!Sha Ruiyu shouted.And guess what?He said our garden is a mess and isn't that perfect? They both had a great smile on McCann, who wasn't entirely sure if he was being teased.His anger faded, but he could still feel his cheeks burning.But the other two didn't seem to notice. Sha Ruiyu stepped forward and kissed her father on the cheek.Your timing is always perfect.Everything I need McKinsey to do here is done.She turned to him.McKinsey, you are such a joy!Thank you for all your hard work! I didn't actually do much, he apologized.I mean, look at this mess.His eyes turned to the surrounding gardens.But it's really beautiful here, and full of your style, Sha Ruiyu.Even though it seems like there's a lot more to be done, I feel strangely at home here. The two of them looked at each other and grinned. Sha Ruiyu walked towards him until he invaded his personal space.You should really feel comfortable, McKenzie, because this garden is your soul, and this mess is you!You and I, together, have been working within you with the same purpose.This garden is wild, beautiful, and perfectly formed.To you it may seem like a mess, but to me I see perfect patterns emerging, growing and coming to life as living fractals. The impact of this passage almost shattered all of McCann's defenses.He looked at their garden again, his garden, and it was a mess, stunning and wondrous at the same time.Besides, Papa is here, and Sha Ruiyu loves the mess too.This is simply too incomprehensible, and his cautious and defensive mood is on the verge of breaking the embankment again. McKenzie, Jesus wants to take you for a walk, if you will.I've packed lunch bags for you in case you get hungry and this will keep you going until tea time. As McCann turned to take the lunch bag, he felt Sha Ruiyu slip past him, kissing his cheek as he passed, but he didn't see her leave.He thought he saw the path she walked like the wind, and the plants bowed down in turn, as if in worship.When he turned around, Pop was gone too, so he went to the studio to see if he could find Jesus.It seems that the two of them have an appointment.