Skip to main content

Week 5 Story

As a young child, Jonathan always knew that he was destined for greater things. He was born in a small town in rural Kansas in 1970 and had a deep, rich desire to reach masses of people outside of his small town. His family was poor, ridden with disease and pain. The financial troubles often cause an immense amount of strains on his familial relationships. Despite being discouraged and put down for his radical thinkings and strange ideas, Jonathan didn’t waver from what he knew was right. Jonathan had a very revealing dream at a young age and was told by a wise man in his dream that he would one day change the world. He believed this prophecy wholeheartedly. He and his mother always had heated debates about why Jonathan always felt the need to spend night after night in deep mediation. The meditation was taxing on Jonathan but he knew it was all for a greater purpose. He knew that he must work to become the powerful person he knew he was destined to be. But his mother found this behavior inexcusable and they often got into heated debates regarding his behavior.

“Son, I don’t believe in these sort of actions,” his mother would begin. 

“Mother, I do aim to make you happy but also believe that I have to do what is best for me,” Jonathan answered. 

“Do as you will but please be wise,” his mother relented. 

At the age of 20, Jonathan finally left his small town in search of a greater destiny. He decided to attend college and major in philosophy working to understand the deeper meaning of life. College was a grand time of transformation for Jonathan. He learned, grew, and radically changed into the person he was hoping to become. 

One night, Jonathan found himself outside sitting under a large palm tree where he meditated fervently hoping to be told of the next stage of his life. During this time, Jonathan was riddled with troubling thoughts of his mother's resistance to his path in life. But he fought these evil thoughts and continued to meditate. All of a sudden, Jonathan was finally able to see the answer to all the questions in his life. Jonathan became “awake” and felt like an extremely different person. 

Author’s Notes:
This story is a very strange take on the story of Siddhartha becoming Buddha. I wanted to work to modernize the tale while still having many circumstances that followed the narrative of the original story. I kept in the disapproval of an outside source, the leaving of his own town to find greater things, and his “awakening” taking place under a tree. 

(Buddha)


Bibliography:
Buddha Biography

April 2, 2014

Labels

Labels:

Comments

  1. Kevin MonrealFebruary 17, 2019 at 5:11 PM

    Hi Lauryn,

    This is a great adaptation from the original story. I like the fact that you modernize. I like the character development that you give to Johnathan. You refer to the transformation you undertake when you are in college, a change that many of us go through as we grow and learn. Like Buddha, Jonathan new the struggles of being pains of disease and being poor.

    You story is very well written, and I look forward to reading more of your stories.

    Best,
    Kevin.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kate DeLeonFebruary 18, 2019 at 9:44 AM

    Hi there Lauryn!

    I like how you retold the story of the Buddha's enlightenment from a more modern perspective. I think it was great how you chose to leave some central elements of the story the same while still updating the story overall. I'd be curious to know what Johnathan did next after reaching this revelation, and how it impacted his life.

    -Kate

    ReplyDelete
  3. mraynerFebruary 18, 2019 at 10:48 AM

    Hey Lauryn!

    First off, love the spelling of your name! Anyways, I love how you modernized the story! I think you kept what was really important, an external force of disappointment. I also like how there is a cliffhanger to draw the readers into the next story!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Introduction to an Actress...

I thought it was about time that I got around to properly introducing myself. My name is Lauryn but most of my friends and family only refer to me as Laur. I am 21 years old and a junior in college (woohoo!). My hobbies include working out, playing with my puppy, singing, playing the piano and guitar, and playing soccer. For me, where I am is a huge testament to how far I’ve come. Life hasn’t always been so easy and I have not always known whether I would make it this far. I was a very healthy child. An extremely athletic competitive soccer player who was on the brink of breaking into the Olympic scene. No really…It was 2012 and I had just received my second invite to join the Junior Olympics Women’s Soccer League where I would have to move across the globe to Australia with my trainers and coach and begin a life away from everything I’d ever known. The first time I had politely declined, much to the chagrin of my parents and coaches. But now,  I was 14 years old and already had ...
20 comments
Read more

Week 11 Story (Grandmother River's Trick)

The scurry of frightened fish often overpowered the otherwise serene waters of the river. It was a common scene. Just as the sun began to set and the first glimpses of nightfall arrived, you would hear the first painful cry of a mother fish mourning her new little babies. The predators often struck at night. It was easier for them to sneak around, without fear of being eaten themselves. Every living species in the river understood that being prey was a risk, but the recent uprise in baby fish death was due to the predators gluttony and greed. The mother and father fish were terrified. Every night when they went to bed, they would tuck in their baby fish and pray that they would awaken with them the next morning. Recently, more often than not, frightened parents wold awake in the middle of the night to the loud chomps and chews of the predator munching on their children. Each day the parents would grow angrier and angrier, but due to their size and position in the natural food chain, ...
6 comments
Read more